This chapter contains Jeremiah’s vision from God about two baskets of figs.
“…the Lord showed me this vision: behold, two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord. One basket had very good figs… but the other basket had very bad figs, so bad that they could not be eaten… ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place… Like the bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten, so will I treat Zedekiah the king of Judah, his officials, the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt.’ ” (v1-2, 5, 8 abr)
God and His spokespeople use farming metaphors to get points across. Many people in ancient times were farmers, or had worked on farms, or at least knew farmers. God likens a basket of good, fresh fruit to the chosen remnant of His people, those who would be exiled for a time but then return to rebuild Israel / Judah. He compares a basket of rotten fruit to those who had been thoroughly corrupted by sin, and had caused God’s people to sin by their poor leadership.
Sin causes corruption, a bad odor (attitude), and illness just like eating rotten food would. There aren’t any long-term benefits from a steady diet of sin, just as there aren’t nutritional benefits from spoiled food. Not only does sin hurt the person doing it, but it will often corrupt others, or at least leave a foul taste in their mouths.
Let’s ask God to remove any rottenness / corruption from our lives, and trim off the dead limbs that produce poor / rotten / no fruit, so we can produce fresh fruit that blesses those around us.
Father God, our beloved Lord and Steadfast Protector, we thank You for teaching us Your ways. Thank you Spirit for producing fruit in our lives, and helping us to love and care for our neighbors as Jesus would. Please cleanse us of any unrighteousness, and preserve us from corruption, so we can leave a pleasant impression on those around us. May we honor, glorify, obey and praise You Father with every fiber of our beings, in Jesus’ name, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training