CHAPTER 33

(590 B.C.)

DESOLATION TO BE FOLLOWED BY RESTORATION

¹Moreover the Word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying (The second time, concerned the second Prophecy given by Jeremiah while shut up in the court of the prison. This was the same incarceration given at the beginning of the previous Chapter. It was probably about nine months to a year before the fall of Jerusalem and the final captivity of Jews to Babylon [II Ki. 25:1-2]),

²Thus says the LORD the Maker thereof, the LORD Who formed it, to establish it; the LORD is His Name (this Chapter predicts the Restoration of the people; the prior one foretold the restoration of the land);

³Call unto Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you know not. (This great Promise, although given specifically to Judah, definitely applies also to any and all Believers [Mat. 21:22; Mk. 11:23-24; Lk. 11:9-13; Jn. 14:14; 15:7].)

⁴For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are thrown down by the mounts, and by the sword (the statement appears to be that the houses proposed to be demolished in order to form barricades against the Chaldeans, on the contrary, were destined by the Lord to be filled with the dead bodies of Hebrew soldiers);

⁵They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have killed in My anger and in My fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid My face from this city. (The houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah referred to the beautiful homes of the wealthiest, and even the palaces of the kings. These were to be filled with multiple thousands of dead bodies stacked up like cordwood.

The anger and the fury of the Lord are expressed here against wickedness, which caused Him to hide His face from this city.)

⁶Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth. (Without a break in stride, as if the Holy Spirit desired to hurriedly proclaim the restoration of Judah and Jerusalem, even in the face of their destruction, He then promises health and cure. However, between Verses 5 and 6 lie a gap that has not even yet been bridged, but which most surely will be. We speak of the coming Kingdom Age.)

⁷And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first.

⁸And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against Me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against Me.

⁹And it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the Earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it. (The blessing at that coming time will be total!)

¹⁰Thus sa ys the LORD; Again there shall be heard in this place, which you say shall be desolate without man and without beast, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast (what a joy these words must have been to Jeremiah! Through the eye of faith, the Lord invites the Prophet to look ahead, past the soon-to-come desolation, and then see that which the Lord will ultimately do, which speaks of untold blessing),

¹¹The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them who shall say, Praise the LORD of Hosts: for the LORD is good; for His Mercy endures forever: and of them who shall bring the Sacrifice of Praise into the House of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, says the LORD. (The Sacrifice of Praise refers to praise unto the Lord which is anchored in the Cross of Christ, hence, the Sacrifice. Thats the reason that most praise presently is not accepted by the Lord. It is because its not anchored in the Cross.)

¹²Thus sa ys the LORD of Hosts; Again in this place, which is desolate without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, shall be an habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. (The idea of this Verse is to portray the certain peace that is coming in contrast to the terrible war about to take place. While this serenity is future, to be sure, it is also certain.)

¹³In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the vale, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the Hands of Him Who tells them, says the LORD. (Not only will the Peace of God fill Jerusalem, and we continue to speak of the coming Kingdom Age, but also throughout the entirety of the Land of Israel shall Peace prevail!

Shall the flocks pass again under the Hands of Him Who tells them, says the LORD, refers actually to the Great Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ [Heb. 13:20-21].)

REIGN OF THE MESSIAH

¹⁴Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the House of Israel and to the House of Judah. (That good thing which I have promised refers to the coming Messiah and full Redemption and Restoration under Him.)

¹⁵In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of Righteousness to grow up unto David; and He shall execute Judgment and Righteousness in the land. (In those days, and at that time, refers to the coming Kingdom Age. As well, the Branch of Righteousness is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

To grow up unto David, refers to the Throne of David, which was broken off with Jehoiachin [II Ki. 24:10-16], and has been unoccupied from that day until now, and will remain unoccupied until Christ occupies it on His return, with David in his glorified body ruling under Him.)

¹⁶In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the Name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our Righteousness. (The Messiahs Name is here declared to be Jehovah-Tsidkenu. This is the Name which will be given to the New Israel. Tsidkenu means Righteousness.)

¹⁷For thus says the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the House of Israel (this proclaims the Promise given by God to David, which shall be fulfilled in the coming Kingdom Age [II Sam. 7:12-14]);

¹⁸Neither shall the Priests the Levites want a man before Me to offer Burnt Offerings, and to kindle Meat Offerings, and to do sacrifice continually. (Again, we continue with the Kingdom Age. Sacrifices before Christ pointed to the coming Redeemer; now, they point backward to the Redeemer Who has already come. In the Kingdom Age, sacrifices will be offered constantly, but only as a reminder, a symbolism, and a memorial.)

DAVIDIC COVENANT CONFIRMED AS ETERNAL

¹⁹And the Word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, saying,

²⁰Thus says the LORD; If you can break My Covenant of the day and My Covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season (the Covenant addressed here is the Solaric Covenant made by the Lord as recorded in Gen. 1:14-19 and 8:22);

²¹Then may also My Covenant be broken with David My Servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the Priests, My Ministers. (This Verse could be thus paraphrased: If anyone is powerful enough to affect the assigned position and duty of the planetary bodies, including the rotation of the Earth, then may he break My Covenant with David My servant.)

²²As the Host of Heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David My servant, and the Levites who minister unto Me. (The Promise of this Scripture has to do with the coming Kingdom Age and the premiership of Israel as a nation; in fact, she will serve as Chief of Nations [31:7].)

GODS COVENANT WITH ISRAEL ETERNAL

²³Moreover the Word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,

²⁴Consider you not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the LORD has chosen, He has even cast them off? thus they have despised My People, that they should be no more a nation before them. (The two families which the LORD has chosen, refers to both Judah and Israel. This people, pertains to the people of Judah, who regarded the Promises of God as worthless. These were unworthy Jews in Jeremiahs day, who, seeing their nation fallen from its high estate, despaired of its deliverance and regeneration.)

²⁵Thus says the LORD; If My Covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of Heaven and Earth (the Solaric Covenant is once again brought back as an example, but with added emphasis! The words, And if I have not appointed the ordinances of Heaven and Earth, in effect, state that those who do not believe in the future Restoration of Israel must also deny the Solaric Covenant);

²⁶Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them. (The sorrows and rejection of the Messiah are not the subject of Jeremiahs Prophecies, but rather the guilt of the nation at that time, the resulting judgments, and the Grace which promised a Restoration. This Grace will be exercised by the Messiah; the Restoration, with all its wealth of Mercy and Blessing, will be based upon His Person and Atoning Work.)