THE LAND OF THE ENEMY

"Thus says the LORD: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more.' Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy." (Jer 31:15-16)

THERE ARE TWO TIMES in sacred history when a purposed slaughter of infants occurred. The first was when the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt (Ex 1:7-22). The second was when our blessed Lord was born, when Herod mandated the slaughter of "all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under" (Matt 2:16). Moses, the servant of God, was protected during the first slaughter, and our blessed Lord during the second. Great grief was associated with both occasions, and especially with the latter one. In both cases, the birth of a special person occurred. In both the births occurred among God's people while they were dominated by a hostile government.

MATTHEW SITES THE ABOVE PASSAGE as being fulfilled during the time of Herod's slaughter of the innocents. Of that occasion he said, "Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not"(Matt 2:17-18). The mothers of Israel are embodied in the person of Rachel, whom Jeremiah depicted as lamenting her people's sorrow, as it were, from the other side of death.

MATTHEW'S PASSING COMMENT concerning the mothers of Israel reveals the intense care God has for His people. Who is able to measure the immensity of the grief those mothers endured as their babies were taken from them and killed? It is no wonder the prophet spoke so vividly: "weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted." The wisdom of men cannot explain the occurrence of such injustices. In fact, many stumble over them in unbelief, doubting that God has any concern at all about such things.

BUT IN THE MIDST OF IT ALL comes a word from the Lord. "Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and THEY SHALL COME AGAIN FROM THE LAND OF THE ENEMY." The children were gone, but not destroyed. In sorrow their mothers wept, but their tears could stop. The labor related to bringing the children in the world and tenderly caring for them in their infancy, would be rewarded. "And," the Lord adds, "they shall come again from the land of the enemy." What is this "land of the enemy?"

THIS IS NOTHING LESS than a depiction of the grave, and of death. Those babies who were born in Bethlehem and the surrounding areas were thrust into graves prematurely – before their time (Eccl 7:17). Death swallowed them up like the ruthless enemy that it is. Is it not written, "The last ENEMY that shall be destroyed is death" (1 Cor 15:26). Death is the curse brought on by sin, and is an unscrupulous tyrant. But the reign of death will surely be interrupted, and it will be totally conquered. Hosea wrote, "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes" (Hos 13:14). This is not a passing thought by the Lord, or something that He merely desires to do. This is a predetermination that God has made – one that He will fully carry out without the slightest hindrance or obstacle standing in His way! In First Corinthians 15:54-55, the Holy Spirit relates that time with the resurrection of the dead.

IF YOU HAVE EVER PONDERED the matter of death in infancy, or have experienced the passing of a small child, this text should bring great comfort to you. God has determined that the premature death of those little ones will be vindicated. "They will come again from the land of the enemy!" They will be raised from the dead – raised in incorruption, immortality, honor, and power (1 Cor 15:42-44). They will not be raised as infants, but will also have a "glorious body" like unto our Lord's.

THOSE INNOCENTS SLAIN by the command of Pharaoh will "come again from the land of the enemy" – and Pharaoh will have to face them. The young children killed by the command of wicked Herod will "come again from the land of the enemy" – and Herod will have to face them. The millions of aborted infants from our time will also "come again from the land of the enemy" – facing the lawmakers and doctors that condoned their death, and the mothers who sought to rid themselves of them. God will raise them, and we have every reason to believe they will receive a reward commensurate with the indignity they suffered at the hands of men. They will be compensated for enduring human indignities.

– Given O. Blakely