Jeremiah 33:1-25

In the midst of a siege on Jerusalem where Jeremiah has repeatedly prophesied Judah’s captivity and the fall of Jerusalem, the Word of the Lord comes to Jeremiah again.  The leadership of Judah is so angry with Jeremiah that they have locked him up in the courtyard and yet the Word of the Lord still comes to him.  For years he has been warning the nation of this very judgment and now that it has come, God gives him a message of hope.  It would have been easy to thing they discipline of the Lord on Israel and Judah was God’s rejection of them and the removal of His promise to them.  God does not want this mistake to be made so He tells Jeremiah exactly what His plans and intentions are.

GOD WILL FORGIVE SINS: The city of Jerusalem will be destroyed and desolate.  The lands of Israel and Judah will be abandoned and all the nations will wonder at how severe this judgment was.  The sinfulness and idolatry that ran rampant in these places caused God to turn His face away from them and leave them defenseless against nations much more powerful than they were.  In the midst of this judgment it would be easy to think God had turned away from His people forever so God makes it clear that He still has a plan to forgive and restore His people.  He will turn the hearts of the people back to Himself, he will wash them of their sin and the Messiah will come to pay the price for their sin.  The greatness of God’s grace must never be forgotten.  He is kind, loving, merciful and forgiving.  He longs to see His people reconciled to Himself which is why He set into motion His plan of redemption from Adam, through Abraham and by Jesus.  This forgiveness is available to all who believe.


GOD WILL FULFILL PROMISES: God also affirms His every intention to fulfill His promises to David that there will always be a descendant of David who will reign on the throne.  Jesus is also the fulfillment of this promise.  God makes it very clear that He has no intention of annulling His promises.  He compares His commitment to fulfilling these promises to His commitment to the rising and setting of the sun.  It is a part of God’s very nature to keep His promises.  God knew of Israel’s disobedience long before He made this covenant with David so there is no reason to think their disobedience would cause Him to break it.  Generations may experience the judgment of God and it may look as if God has turned His back on His people and His Word, but that is never the case.  God is always faithful to fulfill His promises and He always will be.  We can rest in that truth as we wait for His Word to be fulfilled in the history of this world.  God truly is faithful and He is always in control.

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