The Lord promises to bless Jerusalem with old age and youth
This is what the LORD Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, but will it seem marvelous to me?” declares the LORD Almighty.
7This is what the LORD Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. 8 I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.”
The city of God’s people will be lovely, lovely because of the only thing that can make a city lovely—people! The old will be there with canes in their hands. War and violence and disease will not snatch their lives away. They will be able to say with the psalmist, “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread” (Psalm 37:25). And the young will be there too! There will be games, laughter, and energy. There will be exuberance of youth! What a fine place—a lovely place—where God will live with his people.
Is it too good to be true?
“‘It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, but will it seem marvelous to me?’ declares the LORD Almighty.” It was a rhetorical question. The answer was no. No, it was not just a dream! The miracle would happen. With God all things are possible.
Sometimes it is discouraging to be a remnant. True believers seem to be such a pitifully small group, clinging to each other in fear, wondering what is going to happen to them and their church. Promising people come into the church for a while and then are slain by some sword of the devil—they become disillusioned; the church appears too straightlaced for them; they say Christians are hypocritical. And they leave. The youth are confirmed and drop forever out of sight. The old standbys sometimes are also poisoned and go their separate ways. Yet the promise remains. There will be the old tried and true and the young full of pep and promise. This is God’s church. The people will come from the east and the west, as he promises in verse 7.
Verse 8 is surprising. In view of all the good things God had done for them, we would expect that the people would promise to be faithful and righteous to God. Certainly he deserved their pledge. But no! He promised to be faithful and righteous to them! They were his people. They were saved by grace without any merit or worthiness on their parts. God came to them. They did not come to him. He brought them to himself; they didn’t find the way there by themselves