Naughty Figs - What does that mean?

Jeremiah 24:
1 ¶ The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
2 One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
3 Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
4 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
5 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.
6 For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.
7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.
8 And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:
9 And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.
10 And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.

The Bible is full of descriptions like the beautiful one above, telling how most of the Jews, who are reprobate and disobedient, will become so evil, with the fullness of their iniquity utterly filled up, until God visits them with his final indignation and destroys them. In the midst of fulfilling that promise – to curse those who disobey him – with the Jews at the center of it all because they were his first fruits among mankind (see Genesis 12; Matthew 1) – God also promises to return to Israel to collect his jewels, his good figs, his elect righteous beloved Jews. These will obey him; these will have the veil lifted from their hearts; these will rejoice to see his day; these will mourn for him whom they pierced; these will come forth from the final affliction and persecution of Israel, purged, whitened, to stand before him, in a unique position, but with their beloved brethren Jew and Gentile alike from the days gone by, to receive an inheritance incorruptible. What a day of rejoicing it will be!

God made a covenant with Israel, his first fruits, the Jews. He said if you obey him, he will bless you, and if you disobey him, he will curse you. You have disobeyed him for centuries. Now God’s final indignation is upon you.

Like good King David, we pray for God’s promised punishment. “Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.” Ps 69:24.

It was so important that the children of Israel understand the blessings and curses that made up the covenant, that God told them to write all the words on an altar of stone and plaster on top of Mounts Gerizim and Ebal, and read them to the people as they stood between the mountains! You Jews knew the terms of the covenant, and you had a duty to teach your children for ever.

In spite of great blessings – including his good laws and statutes – you disobeyed God. You went whoring after the idols of the heathen nations. You were unthankful; and your religious leaders engaged in filthy abominations, see Ezek 6 and 8. 

Just before he died, Moses said: “For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands,” Duet 31:29.

From the time God made you, with few exceptions – a remnant of righteous Jews who love and obey God – you have distinguished yourselves as proud sinners before God, denying Christ and the resurrection.

God sent you prophets; he was longsuffering; and he gave you many chances to obey. You were cut off without remedy when you would not repent. See 2 Chr 36:16; Prov 6 & 29; Acts 13, 18, 26 & 28.