Seeking for the help of the Lord, I direct your prayerful attention to Jeremiah chapter 31 and we'll read for our text verses 18 through to 20. And verse 18, I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus. Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. Turn thou me, and I shall be turned, for thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented, and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh. I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still. Therefore my bowels are troubled for him. I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord. Jeremiah 31 verses 18 through to 20. What is upon my spirit is the concern that chastening is not being effectual. Ephraim here is set for really all of the people of God. And what is here set forth is belonging to gospel days, days where the people of God are brought into a knowledge of their sin, corrected as children, They are brought to repentance and they are brought to have a real token of being one of the Lord's children. We know this speaks for gospel days because although Israel at this time were going into captivity, they were to be brought out. This time of going into captivity was done at one of those marked times in Matthew. of the 14 generations. So from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ, 14 generations, or twice times seven. And we have here these clear prophecies. We have the prophecy of the time when our Lord was born and Herod sought him, and because the wise men hadn't come back to him, and then they killed all of the young children in Bethlehem, from two years old and younger, and that great weeping in the land of Bethlehem. And this must, this prophecy must have been a real comfort to those at that time. In verse 15, thus saith the Lord, a voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rahel, weeping for her children, refused to be comforted for her children because they were not. And the beautiful promise. And thus saith the Lord, refrain thy voice from weeping, thine eyes from tears, for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord, and they shall come again from the land of the enemy, and there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own boredom. It must have been a wonderful comfort to those who have lost their children in such a tragic way, a traumatic way. And this is the lead up then to the words of our text. We have also further on, the promises of the days of grace and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, especially as the emphasis is put on Judah and the blessing that shall come from Judah. At the end of this vision where we finished our reading, verse 26, upon this I awaked and beheld my sleep was sweet unto me. There are in this portion very many sweet promises, sweet blessings. If you think of verse 3, The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. But here then with Ephraim, there is a chastening of him. a child of God under the chastening hand of God. And the opening words of verse 18, we have the Lord saying, I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus. Remember, yes, it is sin that has been chastened for, but here is Ephraim, not just bemoaning about sin, Even Judas could repent himself of his sin. But here is one that it traces back to original sin, to himself. It's like David in Psalm 51. In sin did my mother conceive me. He traces it back that he was fallen from the moment he was conceived. And this is a very different thing from just being brought down low and confessing individual sins, but to see that we threw and threw our sinners in need of mercy, in need of the Lord to deliver us and to save us. In this portion that we've read as our text, There are three surelys. In verse 18, I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus. The Lord is hearkening. He is listening. He's listening to his people in their complaints, in their moaning, in their confessions, in what they feel concerning themselves, what they're going through. This is not hidden from the Lord. This is the first surely, I've surely heard, we put it in this way, I've surely heard my people when they are mourning, when they have the complaints like we had in our middle hymn, how the hymn writer sums up the hardness of the heart and confessing it, the rocks can rend, the earth can quake, the seas can roar, the mountains shake, a feeling, all things show some sign. at this unfeeling heart of mine. And these moaning over this and really feeling it, it is surely heard by the Lord. And then we have in verse 19, is surely, and this is Ephraim talking, surely after that I was turned, I repented. When a sinner turns, they repent. And that is again another surely. It is something that we'll look at in more detail in a moment, but being one of these surelys, it is a certain thing where the Lord turns a sinner or turns a captivity, there is repentance. And then we have another surely at the end of verse 20. I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord. What we hear in these verses, beginning with Ephraim bemoaning himself, it ends in mercy. And the Lord saying, not just I will have mercy, but I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord. Mercy is never earned, is never deserved, but is what we all need, is mercy through blood. We make our plea, God be merciful to me. And so Ephraim here is our subject and looking at him and this complaint. So I want to have four points this evening with the Lord's help. Firstly, the cause of Ephraim bemoaning himself. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus, Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. In other words, he has been chastised, he recognises it, but he's kicking, he's trying to cast off the Lord's hand, he's not bowing under it, and he feels this rebellion against the Lord's hand." This is his bemoaning himself, complaining. This is his fear. I know I've been chastised, but it does not seem to be working for good. So I want to look at that for our first point. Secondly, Ephraim's prayer arising from his concern. Turn thou me, and I shall be turned, for thou art the Lord my God. That is Ephraim's prayer. And then thirdly, prayer answered and the effect felt by Ephraim. We always should think, if the Lord answers our prayers, how will we know? What will be the effect? How will we feel when the Lord answers our prayer? Ephraim says how he felt. He says, surely, verse 19, surely after that I was turned, I repented, and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh, I was ashamed, I even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. That's how he views it as the answer to his prayer. But then fourthly, in verse 20, the Lord's word concerning turned Ephraim. And now mine goes to the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15, where he returned and was so gladly received, welcomed by his father. He said, Ephraim, my dear son, is he a pleasant child? For since I spoke against him, I do earnestly remember him still. Therefore my vows are trouble for him. I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord. So the last verse is the Lord speaking. Verse 19 is Ephraim. Verse 18 is the Lord and also Ephraim. Well firstly then, the cause of Ephraim bemoaning himself thus. We read in Hebrews chapter 12 of the blessing of being chastened, that God chastens every son whom he receiveth. We also read that no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous, nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby. We would think then, if we were to discern that we're being chastened, that that would be a source of comfort, a token of being a son, one of God's sons. Verse 20, is Ephraim my dear son? He is being dealt with as sons and as a child. But Ephraim is not feeling this. The experience that he's going through is not according to what he would expect. He recognizes the chastening, thou hast chastised me. And I was chastised as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. I am bearing the rod. I am under thy hand. Thy dealing is with me. But I'm kicking against it. I am not bowing. My hard heart is not softening. I am rebellious still. I am still continuing in those very sins for which I perceive that I am being chastened and corrected. It's not being effectual. I'm like a child that a parent has chastised. and they refuse to bow under it, they still kick, they reply against the parent, they defy the parent, they still want to go on and do what they're doing anyway. And Ephraim is feeling this. And this is a path, a path the people of God go through to prove this, It is not only God that brings chastisement, but it is He that makes it work for good too. There's nothing that God can do or will do for a sinner that brings out something good from him. When the Lord begins to deal, and this is very evident from what follows later on here, when He begins to deal with His people, Instead of seeing those things which recommend them to God, they see those things that make their case even worse. It's like the flame being put on a piece of shiny steel that's been used in a kitchen. And that beautiful steel, instead of being more shiny than all the oils over the years, They're in that metal, all come out to the surface, a black goo. And it's all because of the heat that's put on it. There are many, many sins in our heart. The things that we've done, and over the years, and we become this, it's referred to later on as well, that it's when we are under the Lord's hand, when He's chastening us, when things are going wrong, His hand against us, when one thing after another, and our thought will be, surely, surely this will have an effect. Surely we will change. But we find that all nature digs its heels in, and it still wants to go its own way. It won't bow before the Lord. And there's this real struggle within. Because we have Ephraim here, He's not just saying, I don't like the Lord's chastening, I'm not going to bow, I'm not going to submit. He's bemoaning himself. He's confessing that he is like a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. When the bullock that's unaccustomed to the yoke has the yoke put on it, it kicks, it tries to shake it off. It tries to get rid of it. It doesn't want it over its shoulders. It doesn't want to pull the plough. It doesn't want to just do what the master wants it to do. You know, a bullet with no yoke is no use. It can't pull a plough. It can't do any work. It might be very strong, but it's rather useless. And here, the Lord's people are feeling this. The Lord is dealing with them. God is dealing with them. But instead of it making that, they're bowing, they're kicking, they're rebelling. And the thought is, well, if I'm like this now, what will the Lord bring more? Will He not bring more and more things until He completely crushes me? Until He completely destroys me? Our natural thought will. If we are not turned with this hand of the Lord upon me now, then surely the Lord will bring even more. I'll make thee sick in smiting thee, says the Lord. But the Lord doesn't. The Lord is showing us what we are ourselves, making us by personal experience to truly know that nothing that comes upon us will ever turn us, will ever change us in and of itself. It shows forth the malady, but doesn't bring the remedy. It makes it more and more clear how fallen we are, how entrenched we are. But it doesn't bring a remedy. We should, when we discern the Lord's hand on us, desire to turn, desire to change. Here ye the rod and who hath appointed it is God's word. But we will prove, like Ephraim, the cause of bemoaning ourselves. How much is this our mourning? And how much do we bemoan ourselves this? We have such a hard heart, such an unfeeling heart, so rebellious, so kicking, so unable to bend. Does this verse shine any light upon the Lord's dealings with us? I would extend it not only to chastening, but also all tribulation and all trouble. Think of the Apostle Paul that had the thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet him, and he was praying that it might be removed from him. The Lord said, no, it was not going to be removed. But he gave him something, he gave him grace to be able to bear it, to be able to continue with that thorn, with that trial, with that difficulty. Without it, there is nothing in Paul to bow. There was nothing in himself. He needed that from outside. He needed that from the Lord to bow before his hand. And so whether it is chastening or whether it is like Job and going through his path, the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. That was Job at one time. But then we have the Lord hiding his face from him, O that I knew where I might find him, and many words that are coming forth from him, showing that this is a fiery trial that he finds hard to bow under. And so I hope in Ephraim's language here, it finds out our language, finds out your language, Find out what is going on in your heart under the Lord's hand upon you. Remember the surely. The Lord has heard the moaning. He's heard the sighs. He's heard those things that are not even expressed. He knows what those sighs mean. We know Ephraim doesn't only bemoan himself, he prays. I want to look at this as our second point. May we never forget to pray. Our case might seem hopeless, and the devil might say, how dare you pray, because you've got to repent first. And you're under the chastening hand of God, you can't expect anything from God until you bend. What an iron rod he puts on the people of God. Is there anything in fallen nature that can turn a sinner around that can change his course, that can make a difference? Is it not the Lord's hand? Is this not the work of God alone? And so that is the need for prayer. Look at his prayer. Turn thou me. The devil will say, you turn yourself. Those who believe in duty faith will say, you just exercised your faith, you turn yourself. But Ephraim says, turn thou me. And this is one not just sinning that grace might abound, not one that says, well, I just love my sin, I just want to go on and end, and I'm just going to pray just to satisfy the Lord. No, he's one that really does want to. to change and turn. That's proved that he is not going to on his own. So he's asking the Lord to do it. Some of the most effectual prayers are the most simple prayers. Turn thou me. And there's faith. This is faith. And I shall be turned. He is sure if the Lord turns him, he will be turned. It won't be a half turning. It won't be something that is not complete, is not real. The Lord's work is effectual. My word shall not return unto me void. It shall accomplish the thing whereto I sent it. And His hand, His chastening, His dealings, it will do what the Lord has intended it shall do. But he adds this, for thou art the Lord my God. What a profession. You might say it cuts me off because I don't have this assurance, I don't feel it so. But you know why Ephraim could say it, as we said from Hebrews 12, it is only the Lord's children that he chastens. And Ephraim already has discerned that it is chastening. It is the Lord's hand. It is the Lord, said Eli. Let him do what seemeth him good. A recognition of it. David, whenever the sword did not depart from his house, he recognized it. This was the chastening hand of God. Let him curse, for the Lord hath bidden him. It may be the Lord will requite me good for His cursing this day. You know, when David was being hounded by his own son Absalom, you might say, well, you've got to look within the last few days or weeks or so for your sin as to why you're under this chastening. No, David had to go right back, perhaps years, to Bathsheba and Uriah. And remember later on, the effect indicates this as too, because he remembers the sins and reproach of his youth. So he's going back many years. The Lord give us prayer. And may we be encouraged where the Lord deals with us. Painful as it is, if need be, ye be brought through much tribulation, much trouble, fiery trials. The trial of your faith, says Peter, much more precious than of gold that perisheth. You know, he made his own. The Lord is our God, he's dealing with us, but he's causing us pain is not having the effect and not being turned. It's good, isn't it? Where the Lord brings us to situations where our hope in self is gone and all we can do is pray that the Lord will do it for us. Turn thou me and I shall be turned. This is what honors the Lord and this is where he brings his people. so that they do not put their crown on their own head, they're able to say with Jonah, salvation is of the Lord. Still pray, lay it before the Lord, and maybe in the very words of our text here, turn thou me. Well thirdly, there's prayer answered. And the effect that is felt by Ephraim, what does he feel? What are we to feel if we pray this prayer and the Lord answers it? In verse 19, surely after that I was turned. The Lord answered his prayer. He did turn him. He did turn him. Turned him away from his idols. Turned him away from those things the Lord was dealing with him. Turned him unto Him. Changed his course. No longer a bullock and accustomed to the yoke. No longer is this being ineffectual. Something is being done. After that I was turned. I repented. Our Lord Jesus Christ is exalted to give repentance and remission of sins unto Israel. No man cometh unto me except the Father which sent me draw him, and I'll raise him up at the last day. I will for this being acquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them. Repentance is always joined with forgiveness, and here it is joined with turning. Repentance really is turning. It is a godly sorrow. It's a sorrow for sin. But here it's made clear that there is a turning as well joined with it. And then that's not all. And after that, I was instructed. I was instructed. All thy children shall be taught of the Lord. Great shall be the peace of thy children. The Lord teaches through these things. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go. I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse that hath no understanding, whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come nigh thee. Thou shalt hear a word behind thee saying, This is the way, walking in it, when you turn to the right hand, when you turn to the left. The Lord instructs us of his ways, of our sin, of the gospel, of his mercy, of his grace, of his plan of salvation, of that precious blood that was shed on Calvary's tree, of that dear man, the man Christ Jesus. What a beautiful promise we have. In verse 22, for the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth, a woman shall compass a man. There's our Lord Jesus Christ. There's the seed of the woman that should bruise the servant's head. There is the one through whom this repentance comes and this instruction comes. What an instructor, what a teacher. We know that thou art a teacher come from God, truly our Lord was, and is. But then he says, I smote upon my thigh, I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. You know Joseph's brothers, when he dealt hardly with them, Under that hand, they remembered their sins of youth. They remembered back 22 years or more. They remembered what they did to Joseph. They remember what he said. And Lord does bring our sin to remembrance. Things that we've forgotten, things that we thought were blotted out, and yet we remember them. You don't forget them. And in this repenting, in this turning, one of the hymn writers says that affliction makes us see what else would escape our sight, how very dumb and dull we are, what we are really in the sight of God. And here is one then, really ashamed, doesn't know what to say, doesn't know where to look, what to do. because of sins that go right back to youth. All over the years, the same sinner, the same lust, the same corruptions, the same violence, the same evils. Yes, the Lord has shown many mercies through the years. But what a view we have of our old nature, we view of ourself. Going back to that first verse 18, Ephraim Imoni himself, this is myself, and we had to be faced up to that and say this is myself, this is me, this is fallen me, God has shown me myself, what I am like, what I am in his holy sight, and it's not a pretty picture, it's not a lovely thing at all, that when God deals with his people, when he shows them what sinners they are, and why he had to come to this world and suffer, bleed and die for them, why these things should be so. It's not for small sinners, it's for great sinners. It's not for little sins, it's big sins. It's not for those things that we can just mend ourselves. It is for what the Lord does through his beloved son. And He does it in grace. He has suffered upon Calvary, in this case, He is to suffer, but it's made over to a sinner. And those for whom He died will know in their hearts and know in their experience why He died, and know why it was necessary, and why He had to suffer like He did. And they'll know it because of those things the Lord brings into their lives. and deals with them. This is how Ephraim knows his prayer was answered. It may be that some of you, and the Lord has answered your prayer, and you don't recognize this, because all you see and feel and grown under is more sin, and you see what you are, and you feel lower and lower, and feel so black in the sight of God and in your own sight, The sight that you see, the things that you see. But here we have a surely and Ephraim is describing when he was turned and repented. The contrast here is the first with Ephraim when he was so concerned was that he didn't turn, he didn't bow, he didn't see his sin, he didn't humble himself because of his sin. But now his prayer is answered and he is, he is seeing it, he is feeling it. Now he's seeing those actual sins, he's seeing those things, and maybe he might say a different light, where the Lord gives this to sinners. It is such a token, really only those upon this earth that are God's children have any idea of their sin and what the Lord suffered at Calvary. The world minimises sin, our own evil hearts do. They don't see it as any reason why the Lord should be displeased, why the Lord should chasten and correct at all. The Lord has many, many ways of chastening, many ways. With his people hiding his face is a form of chastisement. He can take away our money, he can take away our health, he can put men and women against us as he did with Solomon. He can raise up swords from our own house like he did with David. He can bring those things that are really thorns in our flesh. But then we have the Lord's Word. The Lord's Word concerning termed Ephraim in verse 20. is these questions. Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a pleasant child? The questions, they imply that this is so. Ephraim is my dear son. He is a pleasant child. For since I spoke against him, I do earnestly remember him still. How close the Lord is with his dealings with his people. He's not remote. One of the hymns says, the lash is steeped, he only lays yet softened in his blood. He does not lay on more than we can bear. He does not crush undefeated his people. We have this in the Lamentations of Jeremiah. He speaks in this way. Our Lord is doing it for a purpose, he's doing it out of love. and he says he, I do earnestly remember him still. The additional words, you could read this verse, is Ephraim my son? Is he a child? For since I spake against him, I do remember him still. You see, we can leave out these words, but he's a dear son. He's a pleasant child. And he doesn't just remember him, he earnestly remembers him. And his bowels are troubled for him. These are such endearments and such indicators of the love that God has toward his people. when they are under his hand, when they are feeling their sin, when they are bowing before him, when they are brought like the publican, God be merciful to me, a sinner. And so the Lord says, I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord. Many places in scripture we have these things that are joined together in Psalm 84, He shall give grace and glory. In Romans 8, 28, we have the full knowledge of God, predestinated, called, justified, glorified, all joined together. Here we have chastening, a heart that doesn't bow before that chastening, a cry and a prayer to God, the Lord answering prayer, he's turned, he repents, and then we have the Lord expressing how that he is so feeling for his child, feeling for him in all his distress and all of his trouble, his bowels are moved for him. No, at first, Ephraim is troubled because he's not moved. He's not reacting under the chastening. But now, at the last, we find that God's heart is moved towards his dear son, his pleasant child. And we say, how could ever I be described as a dear son or pleasant child with all my sin and all my iniquity and all that I've done, thought, and said? Well, how can the Lord say this of Ephraim, the one who was kicking And he was like a bullock accustomed to the yoke. And the Apostle Paul says, what I am, I am by the grace of God. And Ephraim would say here, what I am, I am by the grace of God. And the answer to my poor prayers, the Lord gave me to be turned and gave me repentance. And then the assurance, I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord. and can be no greater blessing than the Lord having mercy upon us. Mercy through blood, I make my plea, God be merciful to me. Nothing in this, as Ephraim in any of his prayers, his reactions, anything, he hasn't deserved anything, he hasn't merited, God hasn't said, I'm so pleased how you've acted under my hand. You've been so gracious, and you've bowed, and you've prayed, and you submitted yourself, and you can be my son, I'll bless you. Now it comes to the end, and Ephraim, all that he can be given is mercy, because sin is mixed with everything, but that's what the gospel is. It's a gospel of mercy and grace. and that which is free and all supplied by the Lord. And his people are brought to know him and realise it and see it's bound up with the Lord Jesus Christ. In my decision, if ever my poor soul be saved, it is Christ must be the way. And this is how it is the way, not just once, but again and again through life. The Lord deals with his people, if anything, could be stamped upon these verses. The Lord is dealing with His people, and His people are dealing with Him. That is what the Lord does in the Gospel, brings the people that are far off and brings them nigh. He wants to hear from them, He does hear from them, and they hear from Him, and He gives them these tokens for good. In these verses, is a token for good. Have we known this part? Ephraim's path be moaning, kicking, praying, the Lord hearing our poor cries, repenting, feeling our sin, seeing what we are, seeing what we deserve. And then the Lord comes and sweetly brings peace and pardon and forgiveness into our soul, softens our heart, draws us out into love to him, and makes us to see all that the Lord has done. is out of covenant love and mercy to our souls, and that we are truly one of his children, one of his sons. The Lord's blessing at the end was set forth in Hebrews 12. No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous nevertheless afterward. It yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby. Ephraim here is exercised. Exercised that it seems like all he has is chastening, no teaching, no bending, no fruitfulness from those things he's been through. He's exercised about that. He's exercised into prayer. He's exercised in recognising the Lord turning him and then the things that are brought to his knowledge, even sins of his youth, being brought to the Lord's feet. to receive mercy and the Lord then giving that mercy. This man said the Lord of the publican went down to his house justified rather than the other. What a tracing of that path that leads to the receiving of mercy. May the Lord have his blessing.