The book of Jeremiah contains some of the most vehement expressions of divine wrath in the Bible. But surprisingly, once people undergo judgment, YHWH adopts a different posture toward them. This change of posture precedes the restoration that YHWH promises for the future.
Summaries of the prophets usually have a simple scheme of judgment followed by restoration. This paper argues that for the book of Jeremiah, judgment has two distinct phases: (1) the onset of judgment, where YHWH’s fury comes in power; and (2) a period of ameliorated judgment, where exiles enjoy some measure of divine comfort, while they still remain under YHWH’s judgment.
This paper will survey four specific instances of ameliorated judgment in Jeremiah:
(1) The description of good figs (24:4–7).
(2) The instructions for living in Babylon (29:4–7).
(3) The description of those left in the land after the fall of Jerusalem (40:9–12)
(4) The rehabilitation of Jehoiachin (52:31–34).
In each case, we will provide a theological account of the people in question, seeking to ascertain how their situation after judgment differs from when they experienced the onset of judgment. In particular, we will assess the extent to which, after the fall of Jerusalem, they experience divine favor, hope for the future, and a lightening of the consequences for sin.
The paper will also consider examples of those who do not experience ameliorated judgment, even after the fall of Jerusalem:
(1) Ahab and Zedekiah, false prophets in Babylon (29:21–23).
(2) The Egyptian remnant under Johanan (chs. 43–44).
(3) King Zedekiah (52:11).
In each of these cases, we will consider what prevented these people from enjoying the blessing of ameliorated judgment.
In the final phase of the paper, we will develop a theological account of ameliorated judgment in Jeremiah. For this important phase in redemptive history, we will seek to clarify the people’s standing before YHWH in a way that accounts both for the positive elements, as well as the ongoing judgment (living under the nations’ sovereignty, in a broken covenant, prior to restoration, etc.). We will also attempt to answer: what accounts for this shift from “utter judgment” to “ameliorated judgment”? We conclude with implications of this study for a theological understanding of Ezra-Nehemiah, as well as for the status of God’s people in the Second Temple period.