Lesson 11 - Jer. 33:1-9, 14-16 - RESTORATION PROMISED
INTRODUCTION: Last week, in Jer. 32:1-15, we continued our study of Jeremiah's "Book of Consolation" in a lesson that focused on the situation in Judah and Jerusalem during the Babylonian siege that began in 587 B.C. during the reign of King Zedekiah. At that point in time, because conquest was imminent, Jeremiah pleaded with the king to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar to avoid further bloodshed and destruction. But in response, the king branded Jeremiah as a traitor and put him under house arrest. While still in confinement, the Lord came to Jeremiah and told him to buy a plot of land in Anathoth that his cousin was coming to offer him. Since this piece of land was in a region occupied the Babylonian armies, it was essentially worthless. Sure enough, Jeremiah's cousin showed up and made the offer. In a public ceremony in front of witnesses, Jeremiah paid the fair price for the land and went through all the formalities of recording and preserving the deed. The point of this act was show that Jeremiah had invested his own money for a piece of worthless land to demonstrate that he had confidence in the Lord's promise that the exiles would return and the land would once again regain its value. The main truth we learned from that lesson is that by faith we must believe that God will fulfill His promises no matter how bad our situation seems to be. God's word is always sure.
This week, in Jer. 33:1-16, we'll cover our final lesson In Jeremiah and move into the Book of Lamentations next week. Today's text in chapter 33 is the final chapter of the Book of Consolation-three hopeful chapters that promise redemption and restoration to both Israel and Judah. These chapters follow after a lengthy series of negative prophecies given by Jeremiah against Judah and Jerusalem during the reigns of the last three kings-Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. Chapter 33 is composed of two major sections: Verses 1-13 convey a series of God's promises of restoration and verses 14-16 promise "a righteous Branch of David" to sprout who will "execute justice and righteousness on the earth," which will repeat and re-examine much of what we learned in Chapter 31, specifically, that the Lord promised to give all the families of Israel a new Covenant under the Lordship of Jesus Christ when He returns to re-gather the scattered Jewish remnant.
Read Jer. 33:1-9 - THE WORD CAME TO JEREMIAH A SECOND TIME
Note: These nine verses basically form the what leads up to the central message of verses 14-16
1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, saying, 2 "This is what the LORD says, He who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to create it, He whose name is the LORD: 3 'Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' 4 For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel says concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah which have been torn down to make a defense against the assault ramps and the sword: 5 'While they are coming to fight the Chaldeans and to fill their houses with the bodies of people whom I have struck down in My anger and My wrath, and I have hidden My face from this city because of all their wickedness: 6 Behold, I am going to bring to it healing and a remedy, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth. 7 And I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and will rebuild them as they were at first. 8 And I will cleanse them from all their wrongdoing by which they have sinned against Me, and I will forgive all their wrongdoings by which they have sinned against Me and revolted against Me. 9 It will be to Me a name of joy, praise, and glory before all the nations of the earth, which will hear of all the good that I do for them, and they will be frightened and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.'
v. 1: "Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, saying," - The "second time" links this chapter to the previous chapter. Both the first and second "word of the LORD" came to Jeremiah while he was "shut up"-that is, silenced and confined in the court of the guard. So, this is about 587 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king, is still laying siege to the walls of Jerusalem. A very gloomy time for the people.
v. 2: "This is what the LORD says, He who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to create it, He whose name is the LORD:" - The Lord introduced Himself as the All-Powerful Creator who established the earth. This was an important point since He was going to promise them some things that would require immeasurable power. The point here is that God's power has no limits.
v. 3: "Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know." - God commanded Jeremiah (and perhaps the people, too) to seek Him and pray to Him with the promise that he would reveal things that the prophet did "not know." God's plans for Israel were inaccessible to most people, but He would unlock some of these secrets and reveal them to Jeremiah in answer to his prayer. Sometimes we must ask the Lord for some things before He will give them to us. While God can make Himself heard, to reveal all that He has to say, He desires a hearer who is already reaching out to Him. So, we may assume that Jeremiah and maybe even a faithful remnant prayed this prayer.
v. 4: "For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel says concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah which have been torn down to make a defense against the assault ramps and the sword:" - The Lord would do something for the city, which by this time contained many houses that Jerusalemites had demolished in order to provide materials to shore up the city walls. They also had used much of the palace stone and wood for the same purpose.
v. 5: "While they are coming to fight the Chaldeans and to fill their houses with the bodies of people whom I have struck down in My anger and My wrath, and I have hidden My face from this city because of all their wickedness:" - The city was also filling up with Judahite corpses, people who had died during the siege from starvation or other causes. Sadly, these people had perished because the Lord was judging them. He had not responded to their cries of help because they had refused to repent of their sin and idolatry-they had carelessly ignored the Lord's more than ample warnings. So, they had brought this upon themselves. This describes a lot of people in the world today, yes?
vv. 6-7: "Behold, I am going to bring to it healing and a remedy, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth. And I will cleanse them from all their wrongdoing by which they have sinned against Me, and I will forgive all their wrongdoings by which they have sinned against Me and revolted against Me" - This is part of the Lord's answer to those who reached out to Him: God promises a future time of healing and peace when He would bless them with much truth, but first He must cleanse them from the guilt of their sin. This is the "remedy."
v. 8: "And I will cleanse them from all their wrongdoing by which they have sinned against Me, and I will forgive all their wrongdoings by which they have sinned against Me and revolted against Me." - This foreshadows the New Covenant "remedy" for sin in verse 6. God would cleanse them of all the evil they had done against Him by forgiving them (i.e., removing, blotting out) their sin-forever. The apostle Paul later explained, "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Col. 1:13-14).
v. 9: "It will be to Me a name of joy, praise, and glory before all the nations of the earth, which will hear of all the good that I do for them, and they will be frightened and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.'" - In complete contrast to their present situation, this future Jerusalem was to become a city that would be associated with joy, praise, and glory before all the nations of the world. The other nations will be "frightened and tremble" because of "all the good and all the peace" that the Lord had given it. The Jerusalem rebuilt after the Babylonian exile, the Jerusalem of Jesus' time, and the Jerusalem we see today do not pass this test-not even close. Therefore, this Jerusalem has yet to come.
Read Jer. 33:14 - THE DAYS ARE COMING
14 'Behold, days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch of David sprout; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth.
v. 14a: "'Behold, days are coming,' declares the LORD'" - When God uses the preface, "Behold," we need to stop and pay very close attention because of the vital importance of what He's about to say.
v. 14b: "when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah." - Notice that this pronouncement concerns "the house of Israel and the house of Judah," in other words, a united kingdom, one that hasn't existed since the time of Jeroboam II all the way up to the present time. The "house of Judah" is a metaphor for David and his lineage. Before this time, God made this covenant with David. He said, "When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." (2 Sam. 7:12-13).
Note 1: The Lord reiterated this promise to David's son Solomon, but added this warning: "But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight. So Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples."(1 Kings 9:6-7). And that is precisely what happened. The conquest and removal of Zedekiah as king in 587 B.C. fulfilled this judgment. But that will not be the last word-so, read on.
Note 2: The predicted "days are coming" of v. 14 would not be realized in context of the immediate future, when the exiles return from the Babylonian captivity. In that time, these promises will come to pass only in a limited and preliminary manner with the work of Zerubbabel and Shesbazzar after the captives return (Ezra 1, 2, and 8). Ultimately, these promises are combined in Christ (Ps. 110:4) and will not be fulfilled until the reign of the Messiah's kingdom on earth.
Read Jer. 33:15-18 - I WILL MAKE A RIGHTEOUS BRANCH
15 In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch of David sprout; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety; and this is the name by which it will be called: the LORD is our righteousness.' 17 For this is what the LORD says: 'David shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; 18 and the Levitical priests shall not lack a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to prepare sacrifices continually.'"
v. 15a: "In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch of David sprout;" - At a an undisclosed future day and "time," the LORD God will cause "a righteous branch of David" to "sprout," who would fulfill all the promises pertaining to the reunification and restoration of Israel.
v. 15b: "and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth." - Note the capital 'H,' indicating this person's deity, a metaphor for the Lord. And we should also notice that this new ruler will not only accomplish "Justice and righteousness" in Israel but will extend it universally "on the earth."The character qualities of "justice and righteousness" are a common OT prophetic theme (Isa. 1:17; Micah 6:8). In Hebrew these two words (mis·pat and seda·gah) are related ideas: Justice involves bringing people into a right relationship with God and other people, and these right relationships, in turn, produces righteous lives. This "sprout of David" will lead as a true king and spiritual example to the people, unlike the last four kings of Judah, who were no more than puppets. Most conservative scholars identify this king as the coming Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.
v. 16a: "In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety;" - At that time in the future, Judah would not only be "saved" as a geographical area, but its people will be spiritually and eternally saved by placing faith in their Messiah king, Jesus of Nazareth.
v. 16b: and this is the name by which it will be called: the LORD is our righteousness.'" - In addition to its righteous king, the city of Jerusalem would be renamed "the LORD is our righteousness" because the city itself and the people who inhabited it would all manifest the righteousness of its Messiah king, Jesus Christ. None of this will come to pass until Jesus Christ returns to establish His Millennial reign on earth from the city of Jerusalem (Matt. 24:31; Micah 2:1-4; Zech. 12:10-14; Isa. 11:9; Rev. 20:2-7).
ENDNOTE: The Davidic king identified in v. 15 appeared as Jesus of Nazareth at His first coming, but His subjects, the people of Israel, refused to accept Him as their rightful Messiah king. Therefore, He returned to heaven but will return to earth to restore and rule over Israel in the future, at His Second coming (Matt. 25:21-40; 1 Thess. 5:12; Rev. 22:12). Christ's present rule over the church today, from heaven, it not the same as the kingship as promised in this lesson. The One promised here is a reign over the Israelites at the time of their future reunification and restoration during Christ Second Coming, when He will establish His kingdom on earth.
APPLICATION-Understanding God's Great and Mighty Things.
1. We do not always understand what God is doing behind the scenes. Although Jeremiah was an obedient prophet, God told him to "Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know." (v. 3). The text makes the point that sometimes we must ask the Lord for some things before He will give them to us. While God can make Himself heard, to reveal all that He has to say, He desires a hearer who is already reaching out to Him. When were are concerned over an uncertain future, we need to lay it before God and ask for His help.
2. Before we can see the great and mighty things, God must first deal with our sin. When we are tempted to question God about His great and mighty promises, we need to remember that He does the work of cleansing sin before He brings about the work of restoration. We need to remember this both as individual Christians and as a church. In both cases, We need to live up to God's standards.
