The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 70-16, titled "Bible Questions and Answers."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE.  Copyright John MacArthur Jr., All Rights Reserved.

Question

In Jeremiah, Chapter 30, verse 21, "'Their leader shall be one of them; their ruler shall come forth from their midst. I will bring him near and he shall approach me, for who would dare to risk his life to approach Me?' declares the LORD."  What does that mean?  Why would God say, "'who would dare to risk his life to approach Me?' declares the LORD."

Answer

Well, in the context here, this is a wonderful, wonderful statement.  If you go back to verse 18, or even back further into chapter 30, the Lord talks about the future salvation, for example look at verse 10 . . . well, go back to verse eight . . . well, go back to verse seven.  Verse seven he is talking about the "time of Jacob's Trouble"--what's that?  That's the time of the Tribulation in the future, and he says, "'But he will be saved from it. And it will come about that on that day,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'That I will break his yoke from off their neck, and tear off their bonds; strangers shall no longer make them their slaves.'"  In other words, Israel is going to be liberated from the terrible oppression of the Tribulation, "and they will serve the LORD their God, and David their king (that is, the Messiah), whom I will raise up for them."  In the middle of verse 10, "I will save you from afar, and your offspring from the land of captivity."

First of all, this is the promise of the deliverance from the Babylonian captivity.  Then beyond that, it is the promise of the deliverance from the great time of persecution to come on Israel in the period of the Tribulation.  So God promises salvation, and that's sort of the context of this.

Go down then to verse 18 and you can pick it up there, "I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob and have compassion on his dwelling places; the city shall be rebuilt on its ruins."  That happened in the return from exile, you remember, the city was rebuilt; the wall was rebuilt under Nehemiah and the temple was rebuilt. "The palace shall stand in its rightful place. From them shall precede thanksgiving and the voice of those who make merry."  So, Jeremiah said, after captivity there is going to be a return, "I will multiply them, and they shall not be diminished; I will honor them, and they shall not be insignificant. Their children shall be as formally, and their congregation established before me, and I will punish all their oppressors. And their leaders shall be one of them."  In other words, instead of being led by a Babylonian, you will be led by a Jew, one of your own people and I will raise your leader right up from your midst; and bring him near and he will approach me, for who would dare to risk his life to approach me?" 

Why does he say that?  Because you would never approach God on your own, unless you were brought or invited, "And you shall be my people, and I will be your God." In other words, God is saying, "I will do the unthinkable.  I will draw you to me, and who would ever think to do that, without a proper invitation?  I will do the unthinkable!"

The Jewish people, by the time they had experienced all the preaching of Jeremiah would have, if they had any response to it, positively at all, would have concluded that they should fear God, because God was going to come in fiery judgment.  And after 70 years in captivity, and even more than that for some, would have seen God as a very stern God of judgment and would have been reluctant to draw near to him, and yet he says here what would be something you would be reluctant to do normally, you will do, because I will bring you near. "I will bring him near, and he shall approach me who otherwise wouldn't even dare to do that."  That's mercy, that's grace, that's forgiveness, and that could be said of us as well.  We wouldn't dare to draw near to God on our own if we really understood who he was, but we draw near to him because he draws near to us, and brings us to himself.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986