Introduction
Weekly Scripture
Jeremiah 33:14-22 14 ‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah:
15 ‘In those days and at that time
I will cause to grow up to David
A Branch of righteousness;
He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
16 In those days Judah will be saved,
And Jerusalem will dwell safely.
And this is the name by which she will be called:
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.’
17 “For thus says the LORD: ‘David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; 18 nor shall the priests, the Levites, lack a man to offer burnt offerings before Me, to kindle grain offerings, and to sacrifice continually.’”
15 ‘In those days and at that time
I will cause to grow up to David
A Branch of righteousness;
He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
16 In those days Judah will be saved,
And Jerusalem will dwell safely.
And this is the name by which she will be called:
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.’
17 “For thus says the LORD: ‘David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; 18 nor shall the priests, the Levites, lack a man to offer burnt offerings before Me, to kindle grain offerings, and to sacrifice continually.’”
19 And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, 20 “Thus says the LORD: ‘If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season, 21 then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers. 22 As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.’”
Discussion Points and Questions: What is this scripture addressing?
- God’s promised salvation of man through his saving grace and the Messiah’s (Jesus) ultimate sacrifice
Introduction
For this post we are going to look at a dark time in Judah’s history. The Assyrians power has ended but they have quickly been replaced by the Babylonians as the dominant super power of the region. The Babylonians have been successful in expanding their empire and pushing back other kingdoms.
This is a dark time for Judah. Zedekiah has been placed in power as a puppet king (Jeremiah 37:1) by the Babylonians[a]. The exiles in Babylon, spurred on by false prophets, had attempted a rebellion which was quickly crushed. However, this inspired a rebellious spirit in Judah. False prophets like Hanahiah promised (Jeremiah 28) that Judah will be restored within two years. The Lord spoke through Jeremiah that Hananiah would die within a year, which came true (Jeremiah 28:16). Jeremiah was alone in prophesising that the only way to survive was to submit to the Babylonians (Jeremiah 27).
By 589 BC, Judah rebelled. With limited foreign support, ultimately outside God’s grace, the rebellion was doomed to fail. Jerusalem is under siege by the Babylonians. Food will be in such short supply that the people in the city will resort to cannibalism. Jeremiah was accused of attempted desertion to the Babylonians by Benjamin, captain of the ward (Jeremiah 37:13-15). Zedekiah would seek council from Jeremiah during the siege (Jeremiah 37:17), but Jeremiah stood fast on his message of Judah’s fall. Ultimately Zedekiah would follow the council of others who insisted that Jerusalem would be saved. One factor that may have contributed was a short lived invasion by the Egyptians which temporarily lifted the Babylonian siege (Jeremiah 37:5).
The interesting point about this passage is that it points to a time when the high priesthood will not be broken. Up throughout history the priesthood in Israel has been discontinuous. Although verses 17 and 18 talk about how the Levites will “(never) lack a man to offer burnt offerings before Me, to kindle grain offerings, and to sacrifice continually”, this is typological. That is, they are pre-figurative in their representation that in Christ there will be a continual priesthood. This is a prophecy both about Christ and about Christians (Revelations 1:6).
Verses for discussion: Look up and read the following scripture pieces. How do they fit into what was read and covered from Jeremiah 33?
Genesis 49:10 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
1 Chronicles 17:13-14 13 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. 14 And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever.”
Isaiah 9:6-7 6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will beno end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Revelation 19:11 11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
Hebrews 13:15-16 15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
Revelations 1:6 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
Hebrews 10:1 1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.
Additional Discussion Points
- Do you think that the fall of Judah into unrighteousness and God’s promise of redemption could be compared to our current society’s fall and God’s promise of a new heaven and earth (Revelations 21:1)?
- In verse 14, God makes reference to His promise to the Israelites to remain faithful even if it ends in exile. Have you experienced tough times where you needed to rely on the faithfulness of God?
- Comment on this quote:
- “As in the text, some of those life and death endings of our lives are the direct result of our selfish and sinful choices that bring horribly devastating consequences. Sometimes they are the consequences of someone else’s sinful actions. Perhaps even endings that are not even directly explainable in terms of sin might also be included here. When faced with those endings, we naturally want some way out, some way to avoid the pain and reality of the situation. There may be times of great and wonderful deliverance. But sometimes not.”[b]
- Harrison, R.K., Jeremiah and Lamentations: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah
- http://www.crivoice.org/othbabylon.html
- e-Sword Electronic Bible v. 9.9.1
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