“The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest.” —Jeremiah 31:2
Through the Bible: Jeremiah 30-31
Grace is not a common word in the Old Testament. The Scriptures more often speak of God’s steadfast love (ḥesed), His covenant loyalty that never lets go. But every so often the word ḥēn breaks through—a word that means favor, kindness, unearned mercy.
- Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Gen 6:8). God chose to spare him, not because he was flawless, but because God was gracious.
- Moses pleaded, “If I have found grace in Your sight, show me Your glory” (Exod 33:12–17). Grace meant God’s presence would go with His people, even when they didn’t deserve it.
- Ruth, a widowed foreigner, found grace with Boaz in Bethlehem’s fields (Ruth 2:10). A picture of the outsider brought near.
- Esther found grace with the king (Esth 5:2), and her people were delivered from destruction.
And then, Jeremiah says, the whole nation of survivors found grace in the wilderness. They hadn’t earned it. Their history was rebellion, idolatry, disobedience. Yet God’s word over them is: Grace in the wilderness. Favor where you least expect it. Mercy where you most need it.
Isn’t that the story of the gospel? John says of Jesus: “From His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:16). The thread that runs from Noah to Moses, Ruth to Esther, Jeremiah to the exiles—all of it points to Christ, in whom the undeserving find favor, the restless find rest, and sinners find grace.
If you’re in a wilderness today, remember: God’s grace doesn’t wait for you to get out of it. Grace meets you in it. The people who survived the sword—scarred, weary, stumbling—they found grace in the wilderness. And so can you.
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