Summary
The Heart of God in Jeremiah 31:20
Jeremiah is the longest book in the Bible, and its author is rightly called the weeping prophet. Beginning his ministry roughly 626 years before the birth of Christ, Jeremiah was given the heavy burden of announcing God's judgment—first against the sins of his own people (chapters 1–29), and then against the sins of the surrounding nations (chapters 34–52). His tears flow throughout: "Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears, so that I might weep day and night for the slain of my poor people" Jeremiah 9:1. His heart was broken by what breaks God's heart.
Set like a jewel in the middle of these condemnations are chapters 30–33, often called the Book of Consolation. After page upon page of indictment, God reveals a heart of grace toward a people who have done nothing to deserve it. The single verse that distills this consolation is Jeremiah 31:20: "Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he the child I delight in? As often as I speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord." Ephraim here stands for all Israel—the very people whose stubborn, rebellious heart God has been condemning.
The pivotal word is yearns. It carries the sense of longing, of restlessness, of a heart that cannot let go. This is not mere sentiment but the settled disposition of God toward sinners: a love that aches to be in relationship with us. We catch glimpses of yearning in our own lives—sitting beside a loved one in a doctor's office, longing for a good word; waiting for a conflict to resolve; hoping for the storm to lift. But this yearning is something greater. It is love directed toward those who keep turning away, and it does not turn away in return. The same note sounds in Hosea 11:1-4, where God remembers teaching Ephraim to walk, lifting him to his cheek, leading him with cords of human kindness.
Jesus pictures this yearning love throughout his ministry. It is the father in the parable who, instead of raising a wagging finger at his returning son, runs to him, embraces him, kisses him, and throws a feast Luke 15:20-24. It is the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to search for the one Luke 15:4-7. It is Joseph, betrayed by his brothers, who uses his position not for vengeance but for their rescue. The world yearns for a yearning love—a love not contingent on our being lovely, a love that bends down when life has spilled across the floor and helps us clean it up, a love that looks for the best in us while extending grace because, this side of heaven, none of us will ever be at our best.
This yearning love takes flesh in Jesus Christ. Paul writes in Romans 5:6-10 that "while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly… God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us… while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son." Note the descriptions: weak, ungodly, sinners, enemies. And note the answer: Christ died for us; we are reconciled through the death of his Son. Jesus is the yearning love of God in the flesh, the great High Priest whose name is love, who ever lives and pleads for us. Our names are graven on his hands and written on his heart—gentle and lowly, merciful and gracious, the very heart of God toward sinners "Loving and Yearning" 10-3-21.
Video citations
- "Loving and Yearning" 10-3-21 — What you're open your Bibles, please, with me this morning to Jeremiah the 31st chapter for our study today. If you're using a few edition, you're going to find that on page 693 in the Old…