John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 24:3-5

"Then said Jehovah unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad. And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so will I regard the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans, for good." — Jeremiah 24:3-5 (ASV)

In the last lecture, we began to explain the meaning of the vision which the Prophet relates. We said that the miserable exiles, whose condition might have appeared to be the worst, are still compared to good figs, and that those who still remained in the country are compared to bad and bitter figs.

We have explained why God showed this vision to His servant Jeremiah: it was because the captives might have otherwise been driven to despair, especially through the weariness of delay. They saw that their brethren were still in possession of the inheritance granted to them by God, while they themselves were driven into a distant country and, as it were, disinherited, so that no one could regard them as God’s people.

Since despair might have overwhelmed their minds, God designed to give them some comfort. On the other hand, those who remained in the land not only exulted over the miserable exiles but also abused the forbearance of God, so that they obstinately resisted all threats and thus hardened themselves more and more against God’s judgment. Therefore, God declared what was contrary to common belief: that those who lived as captives in Babylon had a better lot than those who remained quietly, as it were, in their own nest.

We have said that the badness of the figs is not to be explained as guilt, but as punishment. Jeremiah confirms this when he says, As these good figs, so will I acknowledge the captivity for good, or for beneficence, טובה, thube. It is well known that "captivity" refers to the persons led captive, as it is a collective word. Then he says:

I will acknowledge the captives of Judah, whom I have driven from this people, so as to do them good again.

Since this doctrine was then incredible, God called the attention of the Jews to the final outcome. It was as though He had said that those who took only a present view of things, and did not extend their thoughts to the hope of mercy, were mistaken.

For they reasoned as follows: “It is better to remain in the country where God is worshipped, where the Temple and the altar are, than to live among heathen nations. It is better to have some liberty than to be under the yoke of tyranny. It is better to retain even the name of being a separate people than to be scattered here and there, so as not to be a community at all.”

Consequently, according to their state at that time, they thought their condition was better. But God corrected this wrong judgment, for they ought to have looked to the end, and to what awaited both the exiles and captives, as well as those whom the king of Babylon had for a time spared.

Although it was indeed the Prophet’s object to alleviate the grief of those who had been led away into Chaldea, he also had a special regard for the people over whom he was appointed an instructor and teacher. He was then in Jerusalem, and we know how perverse those were with whom he had to contend, for no people could have been more obstinate.

Since God had delayed His punishment, they supposed that they had completely escaped, especially as they had an uncle as successor to their captive king.

From this, then, came their contempt for threats; from this also came their greater liberty in sinning. They thought that God had taken vengeance on the exiles and that they themselves were saved as being the more excellent portion of the community. The Prophet, therefore, to break down this presumption, which he could not otherwise change, set before them this vision, which had been given to him from above.

So now we see that the doctrine particularly set forth is that God would remember the captives for the purpose of doing them good. It is as though He had said that a wrong judgment was made concerning the calamity of a few years, and that the final outcome was to be considered.