Read Jeremiah 33
Promise of Restoration
33 While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time: 2 “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: 3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ 4 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege ramps and the sword5 in the fight with the Babylonians: ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath. I will hide my face from this city because of all its wickedness.
6 “‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. 7 I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before. 8 I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. 9 Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’
10 “This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.” Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more 11 the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offeringsto the house of the Lord, saying,
“Give thanks to the Lord Almighty,
for the Lord is good;
his love endures forever.”
For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.
12 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolate and without people or animals—in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks. 13 In the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the handof the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.
14 “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.
15 “‘In those days and at that time
I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;
he will do what is just and right in the land.
16 In those days Judah will be saved
and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it will be called:
The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’
17 For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, 18 nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.’”
19 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 20 “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, 21 then my covenant with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. 22 I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’”
23 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 24 “Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two kingdoms he chose’? So they despise my people and no longer regard them as a nation.25 This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth, 26 then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.’”
Go Deeper
The book of Jeremiah can be outlined as judgment (ch. 1-29), hope (ch. 30-33), and more judgment (ch. 34-52). This chapter promises hope for Israel’s restoration and a reminder of God’s covenant with David. The chapter begins with Jeremiah in prison. King Zedekiah put him in the royal prison for preaching in God’s name that the Babylonians would succeed. The word of the Lord came to him with a message to the people of Israel. The Lord says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (v. 3). Corrie ten Boom, a well-known Christian during World War II, called this verse “God’s phone number.” This is an invitation from God to call out to Him and He will answer us and reveal Himself to us. The God of the universe desires to speak to us, and to tell us great things that we do not know.
Israel’s future restoration is detailed in Jeremiah 33. The Lord will bring health and healing to both the people and the land. The Lord will restore and rebuild Israel as it was in former times. The Lord will purify them and forgive them of all their iniquities. The city would be filled with His people singing “His faithful love endures forever” (v. 11). God says, “This city will bear on my behalf a name of joy, praise, and glory before all the nations of the earth, who will hear of all the prosperity I will give them. They will tremble with awe because of all the good and all the peace I will bring about for them” (v. 9) The nations, through seeing the goodness God has for His people, will come to know Him, and worship Him.
We learn a lot about the character of God in this chapter. He is Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals. He is the God who rebuilds and restores all that’s broken. He brings beauty from ashes and turns sorrow to gladness. He purifies sins and remembers them no longer. He is the God who listens. He hears our prayers, and He answers them. He is the Creator God who wants His creation to intimately know Him. His greatest desire is His glory to be made known amongst all nations of the earth.
There is also a reminder of God’s Covenant with David. In 2 Samuel 7, God says he will build David a house, or a lasting dynasty through which the Messiah will come, an eternal kingdom to come through His lineage, and a throne to which will have ultimate authority. The Lord declares that He will fulfill the good promise that He had spoken to Israel. He says, “In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land” (v. 15). The “Righteous Branch” is depicted as a king, and points to King Jesus, who would one day administer justice and righteousness in the land. This is a Messianic prophecy, pointing to Christ! This is a glimmer of hope for the people of Israel, that through the line of David would come a king who will bring forth ultimate salvation on the cross.
Questions
- Jeremiah 33:3 invites us to call out to God and promises that He will answer us and reveal to us things we do not know. How are you responding to this call? Why is daily prayer important?
- What characteristics of God stand out to you in this chapter?
- What is the significance of God’s covenant with David? How does this section point to Jesus, the “Righteous Branch?”
Listen Here
Listen to the song “Ruins” by Mav City Music as you reflect on this chapter.
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3 thoughts on “Jeremiah 33”
My initial response after reading chapter 33 is humility, to humble myself before God in adoration and gratefulness. Despite our mistakes and mishaps, he has a good plan to restore us as his justice is paired with mercy. I’m particularly challenged by v3, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” In an age where we continually search the web, may we instead turn to the unsearchable riches of Christ. God asks that we come to him in prayer acknowledging him as the source of all things. As our High Priest, Jesus stands as our mediator before God. His word is completely trustworthy, his truth eternal.
3 “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
“God’s phone number” . . . love it! I need to spend more time on that phone than on my earthly one!
A memory song for this verse:
https://open.spotify.com/track/0fU3l6T7WKqZiP7U0GMdOc?si=oTn9nHSdSpmQAz15CQFS-Q
Call to me, and I will answer you; I will tell you wonderful and marvelous things that you know nothing about.” Jeremiah 33:3 GNB.
He knows what happens next. If He is for us who can be against us? We, like Jeremiah, have to trust Him, listen for Him and believe Him.
God thank You for today. Thank You for showing up in my minutes today. Thank You for wonderful and marvelous ways to see Your presence in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!