“And as for those of you who are left, I will send faintness into their hearts in the land of their enemies, so that the sound of a driven leaf will chase them, and they will flee as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall when no one pursues. They will stumble over one another as if before the sword, though no one pursues, and you will not be able to stand before your enemies. You will perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies will consume you. Those of you who are left will rot away in their iniquity in the lands of your enemies; and also because of the iniquities of their fathers, they will rot away like them” (vv. 36-39). This signifies that the church in its captivity is under suffering and is eventually consumed by the enemies. This is the conclusion of the divine chastisement, a chastisement which in four of its levels is sevenfold. For chastisement to be sevenfold means that it is intensified.
Now we come to a matter that is quite encouraging-the repentance of the people in captivity and the remembrance of God (vv. 40-45).
Verses 40 and 41 speak of God’s people confessing their iniquity, humbling their uncircumcised heart, and accepting the punishment of their iniquity. This signifies that the church in its captivity under the enemies repents, confesses its sins, and accepts God’s punishments for its sins.
“Then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, My covenant also with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham as well I will remember; and I will remember the land” (v. 42). This signifies that for the church in captivity God remembers His new covenant and Christ as the rich land. Often when we repent and confess, we have the experience of God remembering the new covenant and also remembering Christ, who has been given to us as our rich land.
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