The defeat of Jerusalem has now taken place and Jehoiachin, along with his officials and many skilled workers and craftsmen, have been carried off into exile.
The Lord gives Jeremiah a vision. The vision is of two baskets of figs, one very good, the other bad beyond recovery.
Surprisingly it is those who have been carried off into exile who are better off. The Lord will look after them and eventually bring them back to Jerusalem to rebuild without tearing down. He will also give them a new heart. "They will be my people, and I will be their God". This is a refrain repeated in various books of the Old Testament.
Sometimes we suffer an uprooting in our lives, a disruption that seems devastating. But God is doing this to give us a new heart and to bring us to a place where we will be permanently established. Note that even during the disrupting times, during the suffering, God is still watching over us. Note also that the end result is an everlasting change. We need to understand that God is leading us to permanency, to immortality.
Zedekiah sought to remain in Jerusalem and sought help from Egypt. This would do him no good, nor any others who stood by him. There comes a time when we need to accept change.
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