31:2 When the Israelites would seek rest from the attacks of their enemies (cf. 6:16; Exod. 33:14; Deut. 3:20; Josh. 1:13, 15; 22:4; Isa. 63:14), they would find it in the wilderness (cf. 2:2; Rev. 12:14-16).401They will find refuge in the wilderness in the Tribulation, as they did following the Exodus (cf. Exod. 14:5-23; 33:14; Num. 14:20). But Israel's ultimate rest will occur in the Millennium when they rest in the Promised Land.
31:3 Assurance of future salvation rests on Yahweh's eternal commitment and His loving election of Israel (cf. Exod. 19:5-6; Deut. 7:9). He had loved it "from afar"in the wilderness following the Exodus, and He would love it "from afar"in the Exile. "Love"and "faithfulness"are both strong covenant terms.
"It is the LORD's constant commitment to Israel that bridges the generations and makes restoration possible."402
31:4 The Lord would rebuild His people into a nation that was His uniquely. He would see her just as appealing as in the time she departed from Egypt, like a virgin. Joy and rejoicing would return to the Israelites who would, however, first experience a silencing of their joy in exile (7:34; 16:9; 25:10).
31:5 They would return to Samaria and resume their agricultural pursuits, which the Lord, not Baal, would bless with fertility.
31:6 Watchmen in the Northern Kingdom would again summon their fellow countrymen to make pilgrimages to God's chosen city, Jerusalem, to worship Him there. Since the kingdom divided, the northern Israelites worshipped at Bethel and Dan, not at Jerusalem. Thus a reunited Israel is in view.
Verses 4-6 picture God's restoration of Israel as a time of renewed joy (v. 4), peace and prosperity (v. 5), and renewed commitment to Yahweh (v. 6).
"This restoration reverses at least six aspects of the judgment suffered by Israel and Judah: no resting place in exile, a nation torn down, celebrations silenced, vines and plants uprooted, watchmen announcing the invading conqueror, and the temple destroyed. The poem also introduces an Israel transformed from a desperate adulteress (4:30) to a joyful maiden on her way back to God."403
