Two Baskets of Figs: When God Sees What We Don’t
What’s Jeremiah 24 about?
God shows Jeremiah two baskets of figs – one with beautiful, fresh fruit and another with rotten, inedible ones – to reveal His surprising perspective on who truly belongs to Him. Sometimes the people we think are blessed might be the ones heading for judgment, while those we assume are cursed are actually God’s treasured ones.
The Full Context
Picture this: Jerusalem has just been rocked by its first major deportation to Babylon in 597 BC. King Jehoiachin, along with thousands of the city’s elite – craftsmen, officials, and influential families – have been marched off to exile. Meanwhile, Zedekiah sits on the throne of what’s left, surrounded by those who managed to stay behind. If you were a regular person in Jerusalem watching this unfold, you’d probably think the exiles got the raw deal while the remnant dodged a bullet.
But God’s perspective? Completely upside down from human expectations. Jeremiah 24 comes at a pivotal moment in Jeremiah’s ministry, right after the initial exile but before the final destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. This vision serves as both comfort for those already in exile and a sobering warning for those still in the land. The passage reveals one of Scripture’s most profound themes: God’s ability to work redemptively through what appears to be judgment, while showing that external circumstances don’t always reflect spiritual reality.
What the Ancient Words Tell Us
The Hebrew word for “basket” here is dud – not just any container, but specifically the kind used for offering firstfruits at the temple. Think about that image for a moment. God isn’t just showing Jeremiah random fruit at the market; He’s presenting an offering, a deliberate selection placed before Him for evaluation.
Grammar Geeks
The word for “very good” describing the first basket uses the Hebrew tovot me’od – the same phrase used in Genesis when God declares His creation “very good.” It’s not just quality produce; it’s creation-level goodness.
The contrast is stark. The good figs are described as tovot me’od (very good), while the bad ones are ra’ot (evil/bad) – and here’s the kicker – they’re ra’ot me’od (very bad). The Hebrew doesn’t mess around with subtlety. These aren’t just slightly overripe; they’re completely worthless, so rotten they can’t even be eaten.
But here’s where it gets really interesting. When God explains the vision, He uses the verb natan (to give) for both groups. “I will give my heart to regard the exiles as these good figs” and “I will give Zedekiah and those with him to be like the bad figs.” Same verb, opposite destinies. God’s giving is always intentional, but it’s not always what we’d expect.
What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?
To the people still in Jerusalem, this vision would have been absolutely shocking. They were the ones who stayed in God’s holy city! They still had the temple, still offered sacrifices, still maintained the religious system. Meanwhile, those poor exiles were stuck in pagan Babylon, unable to worship properly, cut off from everything that made them God’s people.
Did You Know?
The Babylonians actually treated the exiled Jewish elite quite well – archaeological evidence shows they were given land, allowed to maintain their culture, and even permitted to prosper in business. Some scholars believe this “comfortable captivity” was part of God’s preservation plan.
The cultural assumption was clear: if you’re blessed by God, you prosper in the Promised Land. If you’re judged, you get kicked out. But God flips this logic completely. The exiles – those who appeared cursed – are called His treasured ones, while those who seemed blessed are marked for judgment.
This would have been particularly hard to swallow for the religious establishment. The priests, the remaining officials, the people who saw themselves as the faithful remnant – they’re being compared to rotten fruit. Meanwhile, their colleagues in exile are described with language that echoes Eden itself.
Wrestling with the Text
Here’s what really messes with our heads: why would God call the exiles “good” when many of them were probably just as spiritually compromised as those who stayed behind? Jeremiah 24:7 gives us the clue: “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord.”
Wait, That’s Strange…
Notice that God doesn’t say the exiles ARE good, but that He will REGARD them as good and GIVE them hearts to know Him. It’s not about their current spiritual state – it’s about God’s redemptive intention toward them.
This isn’t about moral superiority. It’s about God’s sovereign choice to work through suffering to produce genuine transformation. The exile becomes a crucible where pretense gets stripped away and authentic relationship with God can finally emerge.
But what about those who stayed? Why are they marked as the “bad figs”? Jeremiah 24:8-10 reveals the heart issue: they’re characterized by stubborn resistance. They’ve been given chance after chance, warning after warning, but they’ve consistently chosen their own way over God’s.
How This Changes Everything
This vision completely reframes how we understand God’s work in our lives. Sometimes what looks like blessing might actually be God’s patience before judgment, while what feels like punishment might be His loving discipline leading to restoration.
“God’s favor isn’t always comfortable, and His judgment isn’t always obvious – sometimes the very circumstances we think prove His displeasure are actually His pathway to our transformation.”
Think about the implications: the exiles who lost everything – their homes, their status, their religious system – were actually receiving God’s gracious preparation for a new beginning. Meanwhile, those who kept everything were heading toward losing it all because they never learned to depend on God alone.
This pattern shows up throughout Scripture and human experience. Joseph’s slavery becomes the path to salvation for his family. Israel’s wilderness wandering becomes the forge where a nation is shaped. David’s flight from Saul becomes his training ground for kingship.
Key Takeaway
When life turns upside down and you feel like you’ve been thrown into the “exile” basket, remember that God might be preparing something beautiful that could only happen through the breaking. His best work often happens in the places that feel most like judgment.
Further Reading
Internal Links:
External Scholarly Resources:
- The Book of Jeremiah by J.A. Thompson
- Jeremiah: A Commentary by William L. Holladay
- The Message of Jeremiah by Derek Kidner
Tags
Jeremiah 24:1-10, Jeremiah 24:7, divine judgment, exile, redemption, Babylon, Jerusalem, spiritual transformation, God’s sovereignty, restoration, suffering, discipline
