兩筐無花果的比喻（耶24章）

耶和華以色列的神如此說：「被擄去的猶大人、就是我打發離開這地到迦勒底人之地去的、我必看顧他們如這好無花果、使他們得好處。我要眷顧他們、使他們得好處、領他們歸回這地、我也要建立他們、必不拆毀、栽植他們、並不拔出。我要賜他們認識我的心、知道我是耶和華．他們要作我的子民、我要作他們的　神、因為他們要一心歸向我。」（耶 24：5-7）

本章是「兩筐無花果的比喻」，「一筐是極好的無花果、好像是初熟的．一筐是極壞的無花果、壞得不可喫。」（耶 24：2）。這時有一批猶大國人民因為被巴比倫帝國攻入，已被擄走。然而沒被擄走的，以為西底家王還在，認為那些被擄走的是不蒙神保佑的。於是神就說了主題經文的這段話。

事實上，神早已預言，並指示正確的因應態度：

你要對這百姓說：「耶和華如此說：『看哪、我將生命的路、和死亡的路、擺在你們面前。住在這城裏的、必遭刀劍、飢荒、瘟疫而死．但出去歸降圍困你們迦勒底人的、必得存活、要以自己的命為掠物。』」（耶 21：8-9）

神的意思是要對敵人「投降」，這樣，你若是當時的百姓，你可願意？

信仰不能憑感覺行事，更不能憑感覺行道。真信仰，是要高高拉長接收神話語的屬靈天線，保持與神之間的訊號暢通，隨時可以更新神對我們的第一手命令，不要自以為是的守道，總是用感覺在奔跑天路。就像這裡，去投降？多麼不光彩啊！但是既然是神的旨意，就要接受、就要去行。歷史證明，這些被擄走的，包含那位出去投降，極可能被百姓唾棄、譏笑的約雅斤王，都蒙神眷佑。

那時、巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒的軍兵、上到耶路撒冷、圍困城。當他軍兵圍困城的時候、巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒就親自來了。猶大王約雅斤、和他母親、臣僕、首領、太監、一同出城、投降巴比倫王．巴比倫王便拿住他．那時、是巴比倫王第八年。（王下 24：10-12）

猶大王約雅斤被擄後三十七年、巴比倫王以未米羅達元年、十二月二十七日、使猶大王約雅斤抬頭、提他出監．又對他說恩言、使他的位高過與他一同在巴比倫眾王的位、給他脫了囚服。他終身常在巴比倫王面前喫飯。王賜他所需用的食物、日日賜他一分、終身都是這樣。（王下 25：27）

反觀當時以為西底家王才是對的百姓，下場就很淒慘，特別是西底家王：

迦勒底人就拿住王、帶他到利比拉、巴比倫王那裏審判他．在西底家眼前殺了他的眾子、並且剜了西底家的眼睛、用銅鍊鎖着他、帶到巴比倫去。（王下 25：6-7）

最後西底家王，失明前最後的影像永遠定格在他的眾子慘死，在黑暗之中死在異邦。

神說的話，要仔細聽，要完全遵從，不要總是意見一堆。因為神的命令有時是違背一般人正常邏輯的，但是神有廣大的智慧，人卻總是愚昧，容易下錯決定的。只有神永遠是對的，人都是虛幻的。

想起自己在2020年，被主耶穌一張來自台北市政府的公文，半強迫下於五十歲從教職退休。當下雖不致完全不能接受，但是也在心中有一些不解。直到今天，才知道神的旨意原是好的，因為台灣的教育環境在退休後這幾年加速崩壞，像壞到不能吃的無花果一樣。想到這裡，真的滿心感謝主！

當時的退休，至今還是有一些人忍不住問我：「你怎麼那麼早退休？」我後來都會回應：「因爲主耶穌比較愛我啊！不忍心我受苦。」

耶和華說：「我的意念、非同你們的意念、我的道路、非同你們的道路。天怎樣高過地、照樣我的道路、高過你們的道路、我的意念、高過你們的意念。」（賽 55：8-9）

By Isaiah Kao

The Parable of the Two Baskets of Figs (Jeremiah 24)

July 21, 2026

This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: "Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; and I will build them up and not overthrow them, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart." (Jeremiah 24:5–7, NASB 2020)

This chapter contains the parable of the two baskets of figs. "One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs; and the other basket had very bad figs which could not be eaten due to rottenness." (Jeremiah 24:2, NASB 2020)

At that time, a group of the people of Judah had already been taken into exile after the Babylonian Empire invaded the nation. Those who remained in Jerusalem thought they were the fortunate ones because King Zedekiah was still on the throne. They assumed that those who had been taken captive were the ones who had lost God's favor. It was in this situation that God spoke the words in today's key passage.

In fact, God had already foretold these events and clearly revealed the proper attitude:

"You shall also say to this people, 'This is what the LORD says: "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. Whoever lives in this city will die by the sword, by famine, and by plague; but whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and will have his own life as plunder."'" (Jeremiah 21:8–9, NASB 2020)

God's command was to surrender to the enemy. If you had been one of the people at that time, would you have been willing to obey?

Faith cannot be guided by feelings, nor can we practice God's word based on our own emotions. True faith means raising our spiritual antenna high enough to receive God's voice clearly, keeping our connection with Him open, and constantly receiving His fresh instructions instead of assuming we already know His will. We must not run the race of faith according to our own feelings. Just think about it—surrendering to the enemy? How humiliating! Yet because it was God's will, His people were to accept it and obey. History proved that those who were taken into exile—including King Jehoiachin, who surrendered and was probably despised and mocked by many people—were the very ones whom God watched over and blessed.

Then the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem while the city was under siege. And Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it. Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he and his mother, his servants, his officials, and his court officials. So the king of Babylon took him captive in the eighth year of his reign. (2 Kings 24:10–12, NASB 2020)

Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah... Evil-merodach king of Babylon released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. He spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. Jehoiachin changed from his prison clothes and ate meals regularly before the king all the days of his life. As for his allowance, a regular allowance was given to him by the king every day, all the days of his life. (2 Kings 25:27–30, NASB 2020)

In contrast, the 

people who believed that King Zedekiah was right suffered a tragic end, especially Zedekiah himself.

Then they captured the king and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and he passed sentence on him. They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze shackles, and brought him to Babylon. (2 Kings 25:6–7, NASB 2020)

The last image Zedekiah ever saw before losing his eyesight was the slaughter of his own sons. After that, he spent the rest of his life in darkness and died in a foreign land.

Whenever God speaks, we must listen carefully and obey completely instead of insisting on our own opinions. Sometimes God's commands seem to go against normal human reasoning. Yet God's wisdom is infinite, while human beings are limited and often make the wrong decisions. Only God is always right, people are all false.

This passage reminds me of my own experience. In 2020, the Lord Jesus used an official notice from the Taipei City Government to lead me—almost by force—to retire from teaching at the age of fifty. At the time, although I accepted it, I still did not fully understand why.

Only today do I clearly see that God's will was good. In the years after my retirement, Taiwan's educational environment has worsen rapidly, becoming like the rotten figs that were too bad to eat. When I think about it now, my heart is filled with gratitude to the Lord.

Even today, people still ask me, "Why did you retire so early?" I usually answer, "Because the Lord Jesus loves me more. He did not want me to suffer."

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8–9, NASB 2020)

By Isaiah Kao