Chapter 24
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
2One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
3Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
4Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
5Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.
6For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.
7And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.
8And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:
9And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.
10And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.
“And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.”
Overview
After Jeconiah and the skilled workers of Judah are taken to Babylon, God shows Jeremiah a vision of two baskets of figs set before the temple. One basket holds very good figs, representing the exiles whom God will watch over and eventually restore with a heart to know Him. The other holds very bad figs that cannot be eaten, representing Zedekiah and those remaining in the land who will face sword, famine, and pestilence.
Key Themes
Good Figs: Exile as Grace
Paradoxically, the exiles carried to Babylon are the good figs — God uses their captivity as a means of preservation and eventual restoration.
A Heart to Know God
God promises to give the exiles a heart to know Him — true knowledge of God is itself a divine gift, not a human achievement.
Bad Figs: Judgment on the Remnant
Those who remain in the land under Zedekiah, seeming to be the fortunate ones, are in fact the bad figs destined for destruction — appearances deceive.
Study Questions
How does the vision of the two baskets of figs challenge our assumptions about who is blessed and who is cursed?
What does God's promise to give 'a heart to know me' (v. 7) teach about the nature of spiritual transformation?
Why is exile paradoxically better than remaining in the land (vv. 5-7)?
How does this chapter redefine what it means to be in a favorable position before God?
What does the promise 'they shall be my people, and I will be their God' (v. 7) reveal about the goal of God's discipline?
Connection to Christ
The promised heart to know God is fulfilled in the new covenant through Christ, who gives believers a new heart by the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:26). Christ is the one who turns exiles into a people who truly know their God.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Jeremiah 24. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?