Jeremiah does not dwell, in any grasping sacerdotal spirit, on the contributions which these reconciled schismatics would pay to the Temple revenues, but rather delights to make mention of their share in the common blessings of God's obedient children.
"They shall be like a well-watered garden; they shall no more be faint and weary: Then shall they rejoice--the damsels in the dance--the young men and the old together. I will turn their mourning into gladness, and will comfort them, and will bring joy out of their wretchedness. I will fill the priests with plenty, and My people shall be satisfied with My bounty-- It is the utterance of Jehovah."
It is not quite clear how far, in this chapter, Israel is to be understood exclusively of Ephraim. If the foregoing stanza is, as it seems, perfectly general, the priests are simply those of the restored community, ministering at the Temple; but if the reference is specially to Ephraim, the priests belong to families involved in the captivity of the ten tribes, and we have further evidence of the catholic spirit of the Jewish prophet.
Another stanza:--
"Thus saith Jehovah: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children. She refuseth to be comforted for her children, for they are not."
Rachel, as the mother of Benjamin and Joseph, claimed an interest in both the Israelite kingdoms. Jeremiah shows special concern for Benjamin, in whose territory his native Anathoth was situated.[404]
"Her children" would be chiefly the Ephraimites and Manassites, who formed the bulk of the Northern Kingdom; but the phrase was doubtless intended to include other Jews, that Rachel might be a symbol of national unity.
The connection of Rachel with Ramah is not obvious; there is no precedent for it. Possibly Ramah is not intended for a proper name, and we might translate "A voice is heard upon the heights." In Gen. xxxv. 19, Rachel's grave is placed between Bethel and Ephrath,[405] and in 1 Sam. x. 2, in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; only here has Rachel anything to do with Ramah. The name, however, in its various forms, was not uncommon. Ramah, to the north of Jerusalem, seems to have been a frontier town, and debatable territory[406] between the two kingdoms; and Rachel's appearance there might symbolise her relation to both. This Ramah was also a slave depot for the Chaldeans[407] after the fall of Jerusalem, and Rachel might well revisit the glimpses of the moon at a spot where her descendants had drunk the first bitter draught of the cup of exile. In any case, the lines are a fresh appeal to the spirit of national unity. The prophet seems to say: "Children of the same mother, sharers in the same fate, whether of ruin or restoration, remember the ties that bind you and forget your ancient feuds." Rachel, wailing in ghostly fashion, was yet a name to conjure with, and the prophet hoped that her symbolic tears could water the renewed growth of Israel's national life. Christ, present in His living Spirit, lacerated at heart by the bitter feuds of those who call Him Lord, should temper the harsh judgments that Christians pass on servants of their One Master. The Jewish prophet lamenting the miseries of schismatic Israel contrasts with the Pope singing _Te Deums_ over the massacre of St. Bartholomew.
Then comes the answer:--
"Thus saith Jehovah: Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears. Thou shalt have wages for thy labour--it is the utterance of Jehovah--they shall return from the enemy's land. There is hope for thee in the days to come--it is the utterance of Jehovah--thy children shall return to their own border."[408]
The Niobe of the nation is comforted, but now is heard another voice:--
"Surely I hear Ephraim bemoaning himself: Thou hast chastised me; I am chastised like a calf not yet broken to the yoke. Restore me to Thy favour, that I may return unto Thee, for Thou art Jehovah my God. In returning unto Thee, I repent; when I come to myself, I smite upon my thigh in penitence."[409]