Jeremiah (1-31) 31:15 Commentary and Bible Study

But then comes a very specific prophecy, which Matthew tells us was fulfilled at the time of Christ’s birth (Matthew 2:18). These words predict the massacre of the infants by Herod in his attempt to eliminate the Christ child. Stirred up by the dragon, Satan, who stood before the woman to devour her child (Revelation 12:1-4), Herod’s jealousy over a rival king was used by the devil to murder all the children below a certain age, according to the information given him by the wise men. And Herod played safe and killed more than was necessary in order to make sure of his murderous plan. The significance of this prophecy is that it focuses our attention on the coming of the Messiah into the world at the start of the gospel age. Since this is all one piece with the rest of the chapter, it confirms that the fulfilment of chapter 31 belongs to the New Testament church. Ramah was located on the border between Judah and the ten northern tribes, called by Jeremiah Ephraim. Jeremiah 40:1 tells us that it was the place where the prisoners were assembled before being take captive to Babylon. The first application of this prophecy refers to the lost generation that was taken into Babylon, and the promise is that they, or rather their descendants, will in seventy years’ time come from the land of the enemy under the edict of Cyrus. Rachel was the mother of both Joseph (from whom came Ephraim) and Benjamin whose territory was just north of Judah’s, and who was included with Judah in the south. She is viewed as still alive and grieving because both of her children have gone into exile – the ten northern tribes when Samaria fell in 722 BC, and Judah and Benjamin when Jerusalem finally fell in 586 BC. But they will ‘come again to their own border.’Matthew’s inspired use of this text shows us again that many of these prophecies have a dual fulfilment. What was the comfort to the mothers whose infants were massacred by Herod? They were thinking of their own children who were dead. They are to ‘refrain their voice from weeping, and their eyes from tears.’ This can only be because their children will be raised from the dead, and ‘come again from the land of the enemy’. Is this not a promise of infant salvation?