The Coming Great Deliverance (Jeremiah 30:8-11).
One day there will come a time when the yoke of Babylon will be removed, and Israel will be free, and they will serve YHWH their God, and David their king whom YHWH will raise up to them.
“And it will come about in that day,
The word of YHWH of hosts,
That I will break his yoke from off your neck,
And will burst your bonds,
And strangers will make him their bondman no more,
But they will serve YHWH their God,
And David their king, whom I will raise up to them.”
And ‘in that day', the day when YHWH began to act, the yoke and bonds of Babylon, previously so vividly displayed by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 27:2 ff.; Jeremiah 28:2), would be broken off their necks (as they had been prematurely from Jeremiah's neck by Hananiah), and their bonds would be torn asunder (compare Isaiah 10:27), and the result would be that they would no longer be bondmen, restricted in their movements, but at liberty to return home to serve YHWH their God freely, and be ruled over by a Davidide (compare Hosea 3:5; Isaiah 55:4). That this occurred Scripture makes clear. Zerubbabel is the Davidide best known to us from the post-exilic period, but he was not the only one, and we should note the vivid language used by Haggai and Zechariah concerning his reign (Haggai 1:12-14; Haggai 2:2-7; Haggai 2:21-22; Zechariah 4:7-9). From Heaven's viewpoint his reign was seen as ‘earth shaking', even if humanly speaking it was ‘a day of small things'. But there would also have been others. All this would, however, culminate in the arrival of the greater ‘Son of David' Who would establish God's Kingly Rule on earth (Matthew 12:28; Revelation 12:10), and then establish His throne in Heaven (Matthew 28:18; Acts 2:36; Hebrews 1:3; Revelation 3:21), continuing an everlasting rule which would continue over the earth (Revelation 20:4-6) and which would be finalised after His second coming in the everlasting kingdom.
Furthermore this great picture is repeated whenever someone is converted to Jesus Christ. They rise from the captivity of this world, their chains fall off, their hearts become free, and they rise up to follow YHWH their God and the Greater David, Jesus Christ, Whom they have come to know as their King and LORD. It is noteworthy that in the New Testament the Name LORD (YHWH) is applied mainly to Jesus Christ.
Meanwhile the magnanimity of Persian policy would give nations a new freedom, and none more so than Israel and Judah, who were allowed to return home with their religious accoutrements and with assistance from the Persian treasury, and were thus able to establish first the Temple (completed about 516 BC) and a new but impoverished nation, and then finally Jerusalem itself as a ruling city under Nehemiah (about 445 BC), eventually becoming a relatively wealthy independent nation under the Hasmoneans, only to lose it all because of sin.
‘In that day --' simply indicates ‘the day in which YHWH decides to act'. Such ‘days' have occurred throughout history.
“Therefore do not be afraid, O Jacob my servant,
The word of YHWH,
Nor be dismayed, O Israel,
For, lo, I will save you from afar,
And your seed from the land of their captivity,
And Jacob will return, and will be quiet and at ease,
And none will make him afraid.”
So Jacob (Judah/Israel) were not to be afraid of the future, nor dismayed at what was to happen around them, for all was in YHWH's hands. The association of ‘Jacob' and ‘Israel' signifying the whole of Judah/Israel is typically Isaianic (Isaiah 9:8; Isaiah 10:20 and twenty two times in all) as is the reference to Jacob as His ‘servant', and it is possibly borrowed from there by Jeremiah. Whatever may have happened to them in the past His purpose towards them for the future was good. On the sure ‘word of YHWH' they could be certain that they would be ‘saved from afar', wherever they might be, and their children would be saved also, from the land of their enforced exile, and they would return to their land and find quiet and ease, with none to make them afraid.
This redemption of ‘Jacob' was a regular feature of Isaiah's ministry (Isaiah 14:1; Isaiah 44:23; Isaiah 48:20; Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 60:16). And that is precisely what God did during the centuries after the Exile when His people returned and repopulated Palestine, enjoying many long periods of peace and wellbeing. Whilst we mainly know of the returnees from Babylon we may be sure that many who remained true to YHWH came from other parts as well. It would have been remarkable if they had not. And certainly by the time of Jesus we find an Israel made up of people from many of the tribes, although many had lost their specific identity. There was further fulfilment when Jesus came, leading men into peace and rest (Matthew 11:28-30), and bringing about an even greater redemption for ‘Jacob' (Mark 10:45). But, of course, the final fulfilment will be in the everlasting kingdom when there will be no more fear.
The mention of ‘their seed' indicates, however, that it would not be immediate but after a period of time, which ties in with the ‘seventy year' delay.
“For I am with you,
The word of YHWH,
To save you.
For I will make a full end of all the nations where I have scattered you,
But I will not make a full end of you,
But I will correct you in measure,
And will in no way leave you unpunished.”
For on His own sure word (the word of YHWH) they could know that He was with them and would deliver them, and would make a full end of all the nations among whom they had been scattered (especially Assyria and Babylon). But while He would make a full end of these nations He would not make a full end of Judah/Israel. This final hope was something that He had indeed often promised in the past (Jeremiah 4:27; Jeremiah 5:10; Jeremiah 5:18). Rather He would correct them ‘in measure' and punish them in order to remove from them what spoiled them. For towards them His final purpose was of chastisement not final destruction. On the other hand they could not remain wholly unpunished.
That many of the nations among whom they dwelt disappeared as such from history in the inter-testamental period is well known. Assyria also disappeared from the map as such, Elam was no more and ancient Babylon ceased to exist. They were eventually replaced by the powers of Greece and Rome.