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Reflections on Jeremiah, Exile and Exodus

Jeremiah 31:15-26 Jeremiah had a tough job: locked up, mocked, conspired against, dropped in a pit, treated as a traitor. Described as the ‘weeping prophet’. Occasionally had a good dream! (v26) This part of dream begins with another person weeping Rachel weeping in Ramah Ramah was 5 miles out of Jerusalem. It was significant because it was the town that the Nebuchadnezzar gathered all their prisoners from Jerusalem before taking them into exile in Babylon. Rachel - mother of Joseph; grandmother of Ephraim - and Ephraim made up the largest part of the population of Judah So Rachel - symbolically Israel - is weeping for her children. Why? They have gone into exile. This verse is used in another place in New Testament. Matthew 2:18 - when Herod slaughters the baby boys under the age of 2 when Jesus was born. It is used of the weeping mothers of Bethlehem. And Matthew is likening the slaughter of the children in Jesus time to the exile of Jeremiah’s time. These are the sorts o