Jeremiah 33 (HCSB)
Israel’s Restoration
1 While he was still confined in the guard’s courtyard, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time: 2 “The Lord who made the earth, the Lord who forms it to establish it, Yahweh is His name, says this: 3 Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know. 4 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the houses of this city and the palaces of Judah’s kings, the ones torn down for defense against the siege ramps and the sword: 5 The people coming to fight the Chaldeans will fill the houses with the corpses of their own men that I strike down in My wrath and rage. I have hidden My face from this city because of all their evil. 6 Yet I will certainly bring health and healing to it and will indeed heal them. I will let them experience the abundance of peace and truth. 7 I will restore the fortunes of Judah and of Israel and will rebuild them as in former times. 8 I will purify them from all the wrongs they have committed against Me, and I will forgive all the wrongs they have committed against Me, rebelling against Me. 9 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 good I will do for them. They will tremble with awe because of all the good and all the peace I will bring about for them.
10 “This is what the Lord says: In this place, which you say is a ruin, without man or beast—that is, in Judah’s cities and Jerusalem’s streets that are a desolation without man, without inhabitant, and without beast—there will be heard again 11 a sound of joy and gladness, the voice of the groom and the bride, and the voice of those saying,
Praise the Lord of Hosts, for the Lord is good; His faithful love endures forever
as they bring thank offerings to the temple of the Lord. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as in former times, says the Lord.
12 “This is what the Lord of Hosts says: In this desolate place—without man or beast—and in all its cities there will once more be a grazing land where shepherds may rest flocks. 13 The flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who counts them in the cities of the hill country, the cities of the Judean foothills, the cities of the Negev, the land of Benjamin—the cities surrounding Jerusalem and Judah’s cities, says the Lord.
God’s Covenant with David
14 “Look, the days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“when I will fulfill the good promises that I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
15 In those days and at that time I will cause a Righteous Branch to sprout up for David, and He will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely, and this is what she will be named: Yahweh Our Righteousness.
17 “For this is what the Lord says: David will never fail to have a man sitting on the throne of the house of Israel. 18 The Levitical priests will never fail to have a man always before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make 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 cease to come at their regular time, 21 then also My covenant with My servant David may be broken so that he will not have a son reigning on his throne, and the Levitical priests will not be My ministers. 22 The hosts of heaven cannot be counted; the sand of the sea cannot be measured. So, too, I will make the descendants of My servant David and the Levites who minister to Me innumerable.”
23 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 24 “Have you not noticed what these people have said? They say, ‘The Lord has rejected the two families He had chosen.’ My people are treated with contempt and no longer regarded as a nation among them. 25 This is what the Lord says: If I do not keep My covenant with the day and with the night and fail to establish the fixed order of heaven and earth, 26 then I might also reject the seed of Jacob and of My servant David—not taking from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Instead, I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.”
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 24): In today’s very connected world, it’s difficult for me not to feel some sort of contempt towards some of Your people today, Father. I see so many negative examples of “Christians” being talked about on the media and such, that I often feel contempt towards them instead of remembering that they are broken, sinful vessels just like me. Please forgive me for this contempt I feel at times, Father. Help remind me that although many are following You incorrectly and sometimes even stating lies about You, that they are still children of God just like I am. Help me to remember to show love, compassion, and grace towards others, while still maintaining righteous discernment to know what to accept and what to brush off from the many things I see in this connected world that claim to be in Your name.
PROMISE (verses 14-18): You make us such an amazing promise concerning Your people, Father. You promise us that not only will the day come of a Righteous Branch of David, but also that Your people will forever be blessed by the leadership this branch will provide. Give me righteous discernment, Father, so that I can see the leadership of this branch. Help me to identify You true righteousness in this life, so that I may follow those You want me to follow to honor and glorify Your kingdom through my actions.
ATTITUDE (verse 11): Help me to maintain an attitude like the one You speak of in this verse, Father. Through all things, You state that Your people will praise You and see that Your goodness and faithfulness endure forever and through all things. I often regress to the “woe is me” mentality and lose focus of You in those moments. Please build me up and remind me in those moments that it’s not about me; that I should not remain focused on my internal struggles, but rather I should reach out to You in praise, because Your goodness and faithfulness can endure anything and everything forever.
COMMAND (verse 11): Back to this verse, You command us to praise You through all things, because You declare that You are good and that Your faithful love endures forever. I often forget to go to You not only when times are rough, but also sometimes when things are going well. Remind me of this command at all times, Father, so that I will remember and want to praise You through ALL things as You have commanded us in this Scripture. Remind me that I should be praising You through all things due to Your faithful love and goodness. Thank You for always being there for me, no matter if I show the same back to You, Father. Your faithfulness to me is so amazing that I cannot comprehend it at times, but I am always grateful for it.
EXAMPLE (All verses): Honestly, I’m just amazed at Jeremiah’s constant example of righteous faithfulness. He’s still in jail, facing a lot of anger towards him for the words he has spoken in Your name. Through all of this, however, he has remained faithful to relaying Your truths to the people that will listen to him. He has remained faithful to You through all of this turmoil, even when what You have asked him to speak could potentially get him killed on the spot. Most of what he’s saying now is good in the grand scheme of things if they were to truly understand and embrace it, but I’m sure like most humans, including myself, they only see the short-term of the message he’s relaying, which is that they will face destruction and massacre before the promises of peace, good health, and purification are fulfilled. He doesn’t say exactly when these good moments will arrive, so I am sure there is a lot of doubt, nervousness, and probably even fear for the future from the people that are listening to Your message through him. Help me to be a faithful messenger like Jeremiah is, Father. Help me to know Your truths, know how to relay those truths properly, and to do so without any fear of the repercussions that may occur in this lifetime because glorifying and honoring You and Your kingdom in this life is what matters the most.
*DAILY NOTE: I so often lean on my negative attitude of doubt and criticism in the life, Father. It’s so easy to fall into this trap as the connected world we live in seems to non-stop criticize everything. You can have something good happen and there will almost certainly be someone who will criticize it. A billionaire gives a million dollars to charity and they’re criticized for not giving more instead of being praised for such a massive contribution. A person chooses to not give a vaccine to their child due to their child’s unique health circumstances and that person is criticized by some as being a bad parent instead of being praised for trying their best to ensure their child's good health. Someone gives to the poor and posts on social media about it and they’re criticized for self-glorification instead of being praised for helping someone in need. Why do we often default to criticism in this world, Father? Why can’t we default to seeing the good results, regardless of what the intentions behind them may be? Thank You for shining the light on a path of righteousness instead of damnation, Father.
*GENERAL NOTE: I always "sandwich" my quiet time with God in prayer and do it in a location that I will not have any distractions so that I can be focused on my quiet time with God. Do not worry about how short or long your journal entries are for that day's quiet time. Just focus on the actual quiet time and relational conversation with God through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The journaling is an enhancement to your quiet time conversation with God, but also to allow you to reflect on things later as you can look back on your journal entries later when you do the chapters again in the future to see how you have grown. See the FAQ for more detail on how I do my quiet time.
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