15 Thus says the Lord: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” 16-17 Thus says the Lord: “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work” declares the Lord “and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope for your future”, declares the Lord,  “and your children shall come back to their own country.”

18-19 “I have heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined,  like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the Lord my God. For after I had turned away, I relented, and after I was instructed, I struck my thigh; I was ashamed, and I was confounded, because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’ 20 Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him”, declares the Lord. 21 “Set up road markers for yourself; make yourself guideposts; consider well the highway, the road by which you went. 22 Return, O virgin Israel, return to these your cities. How long will you waver, O faithless daughter? For the Lord has created a new thing on the earth: a woman encircles a man.” Jeremiah 31:15-22 (English Standard Version)

The Bible sometimes uses pictures from previous events or people to speak of things that had just taken place, or would take place in the future. So the name Rachel was used by Jeremiah to describe the bitter sorrow the people of Ramah would experience over those who would be killed by the Babylonians, and those who would be dragged off to captivity. Rachel was the wife of their forefather Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel) and she died when giving birth to Benjamin, the youngest of the 12 sons of Israel. It's possible also that she died near the town of Ramah. But what was the encouraging message Jeremiah was giving concerning the tears that had flowed at Ramah? (vs 16-17)

God was promising that the children of Israel would come back to their own country. In fact, vs 21 suggests that many would return via the same roads by which the Israelites had gone off to exile. What would happen in the people's hearts that would lead to them returning home? (vs 18-19)

They would realized that their exile was God's discipline because of the sinful ways they had fallen into. Like the wayward son in a story Jesus told, we read: “When he came to his senses, he said to himself . . I'll go home to my father and say, 'Father, I've sinned against heaven and you. I'm no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.'” (Luke 15:17-19) True repentance is the start of the road back to God. But what was the even bigger reason why they’d be restored to their homeland? (vs 20)

It was God's amazing love! Ephraim is like a tender name for Israel. God is so almighty He doesn't need our feeble love to increase His joy. Yet He said of wayward Ephraim: 'My heart yearns for him!” Even more amazing, the New Testament tells us God so loves THE WORLD, that He has given His only begotten Son so that men and women can be saved through Him. Which brings us to the difficult to explain words in vs 22.

Bible scholars, understandably, have struggled to explain what the words 'a woman encircles a man' could mean. I'm happy to believe it is a veiled reference to the unusual way Messiah would be born – i.e. of a virgin. Part of the reason I say this is because God refers to Israel here as 'virgin' Israel. Yet they were anything but that. Another reason is because Matthew, in his gospel, quoted Rachel's weeping in Ramah from this passage, and applied it to the distress in the region when King Herod slaughtered so many babies in his attempt to kill the Messiah at birth. God certainly did 'a new thing' when Christ was born of a virgin. And it's through Christ that our sins can be forgiven and we can return to God. God said to Israel 'how long will you waver?'