232. Fertility, Abundance, Joy
Jeremiah 31:12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.
The promise of the Messianic Age is that when Messiah comes there will be a time of fertility and abundant growth. God’s people will come to Zion, the Church, and will flow to the goodness of the Lord. The plants of the field, orchard and vineyard will blossom and flourish, the wheat, wine, and oil. The flocks of sheep and the herds of cattle will produce young lambs and calves in abundance. The symbols of wealth, fertility, growth and abundance in the physical world show the abundance of the spiritual life that Jesus will bring in for the believers. The kingdom grows in the heart producing abundant and eternal life. The promise came true when Jesus came to earth as Savior and Lord.
The soul of the believer will be like a watered garden, producing verdant fruit. The soul that believes in Jesus is nourished and fed by the Holy Spirit, who causes the fruit to grow a beautiful garden in the inward and outward life. The fruit of the Spirit, love, peace, joy, etc., is a natural product of the Spirit within. It is not the works of the flesh or the efforts of the self. The glory goes to God; there is no credit to the self. We did not make a beautiful watered garden of our life; God did and does it all. We enjoy the benefits of God’s labor. There is a hint in this promise of a return to Eden, the Paradise from which we came from and were intended for. We dream of this return, and we remember it because we were in Adam both before and after he sinned. Jesus makes the dream come true.
The last part of the promise is: “they will not sorrow any more at all.” This foreshadows the fulfillment in Revelation 21:4: “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Sorrow is gone, for there is no more pain and loss through Death. Suffering is gone, for there is no more Sin. Trouble and temptation has disappeared, for there is no more presence of the Evil One. This will be the state in which we will live permanently one day. And the unbelievable promise is also that this blessed state (no sorrow) is ours now by faith when we believe. Sure, for now sin and sorrow remain with us, but we have a greater reality within. Can you believe it?
“We shall not sorrow any more at all.”