The Word Answer (Prayer)
Key Words of the Bible • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Moreover the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying, Thus saith the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the Lord is his name;
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. For thus saith 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;
They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city. Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.
And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first. And 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.
And 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. Thus saith the Lord; Again there shall be heard in this place, which ye 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,
The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that 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, saith the Lord. Thus saith 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.
In 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 that telleth them, saith the Lord.
Introduction
Introduction
Words are an important part of our lives. Without words, we would not be able to communicate. In our series on the Key Words of the Bible, we are looking to define these important words as we study the Word of God.
The eleventh word that we will look at in our series on Key Words of the Bible is the word answer. The words “answered”, “answer”, “answering”, “answers”, and “answerable” are found 658 times in the King James Version. We see usages from dialogue between God and man. We see dialogue between men. We see times that it is used when Jesus taught the people. Answering is a necessary part of conversation.
Webster says about the word answer,
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Eleventh Edition) (Answer)
1an•swer \ˈan(t)-sər\ noun
1 a: something spoken or written in reply to a question
b: a correct response 〈knows the answer〉
2: a reply to a legal charge or suit: PLEA also: DEFENSE
3: something done in response or reaction 〈his only answer was to walk out〉
4: a solution of a problem 〈more money is not the answer〉
5: one that imitates, matches, or corresponds to another 〈television’s answer to the news magazines〉
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Eleventh Edition) (Answer)
2answer verb
an•swered; an•swer•ing \ˈan(t)s-riŋ, ˈan(t)-sə-\
verb intransitive before 12th century
1: to speak or write in reply
2 a: to be or make oneself responsible or accountable 〈answer for a debt〉
b: to make amends: ATONE 〈must answer for his crimes〉
3: to be in conformity or correspondence 〈answered to the description〉
4: to act in response to an action performed elsewhere or by another 〈the home team scored first but the visitors answered quickly〉
verb transitive
1 a: to speak or write in reply to 〈answer a question〉 〈answer me〉
b: to say or write by way of reply 〈answer yes or no〉
2: to reply to in rebuttal, justification, or explanation 〈answer an accusation〉
We could take this word “answer” in many different ways in how it is used in the Bible. This morning, we are going to look at how it is used in Jeremiah 33 with reference to prayer and how we converse with God.
Jeremiah served as a prophet during the time period of 640-587 BC. This was the end of the kingdom of Judah in the land that God had given to them. Israel, the northern kingdom had already been taken into captivity and removed from their land. As the Babylonians surround the city of Jerusalem, Jeremiah prophesies to the king and his people that the nation is doomed. Jerusalem falls in 586 BC. He survives the destruction of Jerusalem and traveled to Egypt with a remnant of the people. The ministry of Jeremiah is known for the dearth of conversions. No one believes or responds to the preaching from God.
Jeremiah has been given a promise that one day God will change how He deals with Israel in Jeremiah 31. We see here the continuation of that context from Jeremiah 32.
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord,
That I will make a new covenant
With the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers
In the day that I took them by the hand
To bring them out of the land of Egypt;
Which my covenant they brake,
Although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel;
After those days, saith the Lord,
I will put my law in their inward parts,
And write it in their hearts;
And will be their God,
And they shall be my people.
God is promising that He will change a hopeless situation. He still does that today!
Declaration
Declaration
The Bible teaches us that we can call out in prayer and God will respond to us. He promises that He will answer! We see in this passage that God illustrates this by replying to Jeremiah’s prayer in his unjustly given jail cell. We see three portions of this promise.
1. God Promises
1. God Promises
Moreover the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying, Thus saith the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the Lord is his name;
In this chapter, what is the status of Jeremiah? We see it in verse one, He is in prison! This was an imprisonment that had occured in chapter 32:3. God is speaking to Jeremiah because He knows that there is confusion on how good times or blessing could come to a forsaken land. Have you ever had doubt about how God could ever make things any better in your life? God is going to give him a promise that will show the power and glory of God.
Preaching through the Bible: Isaiah 27-Daniel Chapter 33:1–8: The Method of Divine Procedure
Whatever our prison is, God knows it, can find us, can send a word of his own directly to us, and can make us forget outward circumstances in inward content and peace and joy.
In verse 2, we see that there is an answer to the question, “Who is this God?” Who speaks to us today?
He is the Maker. He is the One who brings things to pass with an eye to the covenant of salvation with mankind. He is the Doer of it. Whatever we need to happen in our lives, God is the One who will do it.
Exodus 15:11 (KJV 1900)
Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like thee, glorious in holiness,
Fearful in praises, doing wonders?
There was a song that we used to sing when I was a teenager by Don Moen. The words go like this,
God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.musixmatch.com/&ved=2ahUKEwj_282Bl5OHAxX5KFkFHbdmALAQ5s4FegQIKxAC&usg=AOvVaw3FKm5HB8x0MfUAU7faHvg2
He is the Former. He is the One who creates the land and creates nature. God is the one who brought order out of chaos. He brought the world to a point that life could be given and the land to be inhabited. Whatever chaos you have in your life, God will form it for His glory and your benefit.
Isaiah 45:18 (KJV 1900)
For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens;
God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it,
He created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited:
I am the Lord; and there is none else.
He is the Establisher. He is the One who has prepared and brought about stability in His creation. God did not create without thought or preparation. He has a plan and He is faithful to the course He has established. If you need stability, God is the only way that you will have it in your life.
Psalm 65:10 (KJV 1900)
Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof:
Thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.
He is Yahweh. He is the One who is eternally existent. He is the one who treats directly with His people. God is not a distant God. Instead, He is active and interactive in the world. The idols of the Old Testament were just inanimate objects. If you are looking for someone who cares about you, who is always there, God is that Person.
Exodus 3:13–15 (KJV 1900)
And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
God reminds us today who He is. I need a God who is more than just something I have heard about. Here we see that, He is the One who made the earth; He is the One who created everything; He is the One who brings stability; and He is the One who is always the same and is always there for His people.
Building on the truth that it is God that Promises, we see secondly…
2. God Promises to Answer
2. God Promises to Answer
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
What is the command of God? He commands Jeremiah to “Call unto me”! For us as for Jeremiah, calling requires our voice. We must invite God to act in our lives. We must call out to Him!
Preaching through the Bible: Isaiah 27-Daniel Chapter 33:1–8: The Method of Divine Procedure
do not pray to thyself, for thou art an empty fountain, but pray to me, for it is in answer to prayer that I enlarge and brighten my revelations to mankind.
There are 12 promises in these 13 verses. The first is that God will answer your prayer! God is going to respond to you.
Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer;
Thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.
If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke,
The putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
In the New Testament, we have a parallel promise.
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
God promises to answer. This does not mean that the answer will be something that we like. It does not mean that the answer will be something we see or hear. Jesus prayed three times in the garden for the cup to pass from Him but God did not answer Him audibly.
There are three answers to prayer: yes, no, and wait.
Phillips Brooks
The second promise in this passage is that God will “shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Shew is the idea of informing or declaring the truth. God is going to teach you. There is not a promise here that God will tell you exactly what is going on or what will happen next. God promises here to Jeremiah that there is a plan. He shows these things through revelation as we will see in the rest of this passage.
He hath shewed his people the power of his works,
That he may give them the heritage of the heathen.
What makes things “great and mighty”? They are honorable things. They are inaccessible without God. The word “mighty” is only used here in this way. Otherwise, in the Old Testament, it has the idea of a fortress. These things are only given by God in answer to the prayers of God’s people. In Deuteronomy, Moses uses similar phrasing referring to the plagues of Egypt and the wanderings in the wilderness.
He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.
One person has said,
Genuine prayer will be looking out for answers.
Williams Plumer
To the afflicted, God says “Call.”
I need a God who is there when I need Him. God commands us to call. We see the first portion of the promise is that God Promises. We have just seen the second portion is that God Promises to Answer. Finally, we see that…
3. God Promises to Answer His People
3. God Promises to Answer His People
For thus saith 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; They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city. Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth. And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first. And 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. And 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. Thus saith the Lord; Again there shall be heard in this place, which ye 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, The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that 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, saith the Lord. Thus saith 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. In 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 that telleth them, saith the Lord.
God knows the hearts of the people of Judah, even as the enemy at the gates is threatening destruction. He has a promise for several of the groups that He knows are in the city. Which group includes you? What promise do you need today? Pray and God promises He will answer.
God does nothing but in answer to prayer.
John Wesley (Founder of the Methodist Movement)
A. He answers with Punishment for sinful people v. 4-5
A. He answers with Punishment for sinful people v. 4-5
The first group mentioned are the sinful. In point of fact, this included everyone listening because we are all sinful.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
The destroyed buildings were being used to protect the city from the Babylonians not because of the enemies destruction. Despite our best efforts, punishment will always come for our sin. The only remedy for sin is salvation by grace through faith. We cannot on our own stop the punishment.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Because of the sin of the people, God says that His face is turned away from the city. I needed a God to give me deliverance from eternal punishment.
If you are sinful, pray for Christ has already taken that punishment on the cross.
B. He answers with Peace for hurting people v. 6-7
B. He answers with Peace for hurting people v. 6-7
The second group God speaks to are the hurting people. All of us are hurting at some point in our lives. Hurt people need healing. Whether physical or mental, spiritual or emotional, a hurt person needs to find their way to the Great Physician’s clinic.
Promise 3. God promises to reveal an abundance of peace and truth. There will be much of what God promises to give. Nowhere in Scripture do we see God promising to only give sparingly to His people. Only when it comes to those who withhold what they have to give will they be sparingly blessed.
Peace is connected to salvation and blessings from the covenant. Fellowship in the relationship with God will be restored.
Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.
Truth is connected to God as the One who can be trusted. He has brought stability to the land He has created.
Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.
Promise 4. God promises to turn the fortunes of Israel and to return them to the land. There will be a change in the way that things have gone throughout their period of punishment. We see this in Ezra and Nehemiah.
The word “captivity” carries the idea of restoration. God is promising to restore Israel to their former status as God’s blessed people.
Promise 5. God promises to rebuild the land. Building is the theme of Ezra and Nehemiah. There is a return to the blessing that occured before. God is always the one who does the building. Today He is even building you. I need a God who is there when I am hurting.
If you are a hurting person, pray for there is healing, abundance and building in the hand of our God.
C. He answers through Pardon for repentant people v. 8
C. He answers through Pardon for repentant people v. 8
Promise 6. God promises to cleanse the sin and iniquity from the people. We saw last week that sin is what we do and iniquity is more of who we are. We are sinful because we are humans and we have also sinned ourselves. We need cleansing by Someone pure and perfect.
God is going to give healing from the wounds that the people have suffered. God is going to bring a cure to the sickness of the people. That sickness is sin. The words of God are healing to His people.
My son, attend to my words;
Incline thine ear unto my sayings.
Let them not depart from thine eyes;
Keep them in the midst of thine heart.
For they are life unto those that find them,
And health to all their flesh.
Promise 7. God promises to pardon the iniquity of the people.
The word translated pardon is forgiveness. The context of Jeremiah 33 is the New Covenant found in Jeremiah 31. God is promising forgiveness to the people who have done evil for so many years. It is often asked for by God’s people in the Old Testament. God is the One who forgives our sin through the blood of His Son in our place. If you need forgiveness today, turn to God for pardon!
And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.
To the sinful, God says “Repent”. I need a God to hear my prayer when I know that I have sinned and need Him to cleanse and forgive.
If you are a repentant person, pray for God has cleansing and forgiveness for you through the grace of His Son.
D. He answers through Praise for discouraged people v. 9-11
D. He answers through Praise for discouraged people v. 9-11
Promise 8. God promises that the land will be to Him a name of joy, praise and honor. There will be something here that has not been for a long time. Something that brings lasting happiness.
The word joy is the idea of jubilation or of being glad. There is happiness in the land. This is a testimony to all of the world because God is a God who gives goodness and prosperity to His people.
Promise 9. God promises that the voice of joy, gladness and marriage will be heard in that silent city.
In Jeremiah 7:34, we see there is a negative promise that is parallel to the promise here.
Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.
But we are discussing in Jeremiah 33 a future restoration of Israel. God is not done with His people, even in the midst of their punishment for sin. Gladness is more than just joy. It is the idea of joy but with listening as well. We are listening to what God is saying.
Create in me a clean heart, O God;
And renew a right spirit within me.
The bridegroom and the bride were to perish out of the land in Jeremiah 7, 16, and 25. Now, God promises that they will be in the land in the future.
Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders,
Gather the children, and those that suck the breasts:
Let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar,
And let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord,
And give not thine heritage to reproach,
That the heathen should rule over them:
Wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
We see the command to “Praise the LORD of hosts,” in verse 11. What are the people saying? They say that God is good. The word good shows the kindness of God. He is kind to His people. It is often found as here with hesed, God’s covenant kindness. The King James translates it as God is merciful. His mercy goes on forever. We see this connected to the covenant as God again mentions a return of fortunes for Israel in the land.
For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting;
And his truth endureth to all generations.
To the discouraged, God says “Joy”. I need a God who is my lasting joy when I am discouraged by this sinful world.
If you are discouraged, pray for God has lasting joy for your silent and dark days.
E. He answers through Pasture for weary people v. 12-13
E. He answers through Pasture for weary people v. 12-13
Promise 10. God promises that the vacant place will be filled with shepherds and sheep to graze. It is interesting that God mentions shepherds only of all of the professions in the land. Shepherds are a favorite topic by Jeremiah and are equal to the leaders of the land.
The places mentioned here are actual areas of Judah.
Mountains - area in the north of Israel
“cities of the vale” Shephelah - area of the coast of Judah that has agriculture and forests
“cities of the south” Negev - desert area in the south of Judah
Benjamin - south - central area around Jerusalem
Jerusalem - area of the capital city
Towns of Judah - areas outside of Benjamin where those faithful to God would return
11. God promises that the flocks will pass through. There will be sheep where there is in the passage only nothing. God is pictured here, not as finished with land, but as One who will return blessing in the future.
12. God promises that the flocks will pass under the one who counts them.
There will be a counting of the sheep to ensure that none is missing. Touching the sheep’s head would allow an accurate count even in darkness.
For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
What, give us the new birth, and then not hear us? Did he bless us when we did not seek him, and will he not hear us when we do seek him? What, look after us when we were like weary sheep, deaf to all his calls; seek after us till he restored us, and then not hear us when we become the sheep of his pasture? Impossible!
- Spurgeon (Spurgeon at His Best, pg 147)
To the weary, God says “Rest.” I need a God who sees my tiredness in His work and promises to give rest and prosperity in the days ahead.
If you are weary, pray for God has rest that He will give in the land where He has brought you safely to.
Conclusion
Conclusion
If God had granted all the silly prayers I’ve made in my life, where should I be now?
- C. S. Lewis (#1216 in The Quotable Lewis)
God does not promise that He will give us all that we ask. God promises that He will answer. Answers only come to those who call and ask.
Are you sinful? Pray!
Are you hurting? Pray!
Are you repentant? Pray!
Are you discouraged? Pray!
Are you weary? Pray!
No matter your need, pray!
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
We have here one of the great prayer promises of the Bible with three portions: God promises, God promises to answer, and God promises to answer His people.
Are you one of His people? Today, you can take advantage of this promise by accepting Him as your Saviour!
Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts:
And let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him;
And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.