I love a good fig! During the past 34 years, I had three fig trees at our home, and now I’m nurturing two young fig trees at our new place. Figs are among the most nutritious fruits God created. They’re good for your heart and vascular system, and they can even help support healthy blood sugar levels. Unfortunately, birds and squirrels love them too, so every summer it becomes a race to harvest them before they do.
The Bible mentions fig trees in several places. Today, we find ourselves deep in the book of Jeremiah, where God gives the prophet a vision of two baskets of figs; one filled with good fruit and the other with rotten fruit. Through this vision, Jeremiah is given a glimpse into God’s future work and His faithful promises.
Before we go any further, we need to begin with one foundational truth: God is love. When life brings seasons that cause us to ask, “Where is God in this? Does He even see me? Does He hear my prayers?” we must cling to the truth that His pursuit of our hearts never ceases. His desire is always for our good, not our harm. God is relentless in His love for us. Even after difficult seasons, He is committed to planting us firmly, restoring us, and making our lives fruitful for the sake of His Kingdom.
To understand Jeremiah’s vision, we need a bit of context.
The Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, had invaded Judah and carried many of its people into captivity. Jerusalem was under siege, and God’s people were undoubtedly filled with fear, uncertainty, and questions. Yet even in their captivity, God’s hand remained upon them; not for destruction, but for their good. The very people who felt abandoned were actually being protected. While they lived in exile, they were spared from the devastation that would soon come upon Jerusalem. Their future remained securely in God’s hands.
Jeremiah was a faithful prophet serving during one of Israel’s darkest seasons. Sadly, many of the other prophets had become corrupt. In Jeremiah 23, God declares that they committed adultery, walked in falsehood, strengthened evildoers, and spoke their own words instead of the Word of the Lord. Rather than leading God’s people toward Him, they led them away. Their compromise weakened the faith of the people and blurred the distinction between God’s truth and the surrounding culture. The values of the world had infiltrated the lives of God’s servants until many embraced evil instead of pursuing the heart of the Father.
Yet even then, God had not given up on His people. He never allows us to wander without pursuing us with the desire to bring us back to Himself.
Listen now as Jeremiah recounts the vision God gave him:
“The Lord showed me: behold, two baskets of figs set before the temple of the Lord! 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. Then the Lord said to me, ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’ And I said, ‘Figs, the good figs, very good; and the bad figs, very bad, which cannot be eaten due to rottenness.’ Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, “Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them up and not overthrow them, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. And I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.”‘”
—Jeremiah 24:1b–7
The good figs represented those whom God had chosen to preserve through captivity. They remained in Babylon for many years before Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom fell and they were allowed to return home. Although they endured exile, they were spared from the destruction of Jerusalem and the burning of the Temple. During those years, God also reshaped their hearts, strengthening their faith and renewing their allegiance to Him.
The rotten figs, on the other hand, represented those who rejected God’s voice. Instead of trusting Him, they fled to Egypt. They exchanged truth for lies, embraced false gods, and led others astray. Their lives became consumed with sin, self-interest, and personal ambition. The fruit they produced reflected the condition of their hearts, and it was rotten. Their path ultimately led to destruction.
One of the most beautiful promises in this passage is God’s declaration: “I will give them a heart to know Me.” Knowing God is deeply personal and relational. It is far more than possessing biblical information or being able to recite theological facts. To truly know the Lord transforms the way we live. It produces a desire to seek His wisdom above our own, to value what He values, and to align our lives with His heart.
Jeremiah 22:15–17 helps define what it means to know God. The Lord says:
“Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; then it was well. Is not that what it means to know Me? … But your eyes and your heart are intent only upon your own dishonest gain, and on shedding innocent blood and on practicing oppression and extortion.”
Knowing God is demonstrated through the way we live. It is seen in justice, compassion, mercy, humility, and a willingness to care for those who cannot care for themselves.
So let me leave you with this question: Does your knowledge of God lead you into His righteousness through the way you live each day?
As a follower of Christ, His Spirit lives within you and faithfully guides you. While God promises to care for you, as He cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, He also calls you to reflect His heart. He invites you to notice those who are hurting, to love those who feel forgotten, and to become evidence of His faithfulness in their lives.
May we be people whose lives bear the fruit of hearts fully surrendered to God, fruit that is healthy, life-giving, and pleasing to the One who planted us.
