Jeremiah 33:1-13

Promises of Peace and Hope

Good evening, Banner Church, and welcome to our Midweek service. If this is your first time with us for Midweek, over the course of the semester, we have been going over a small portion of the book of Jeremiah, chapters 30-33, which are commonly called the book of Promise. If you have your copy of God’s word, I invite you to turn over to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 33. It is called that because the book of Jeremiah mainly covers God’s judgment on the nation of Judah, which is the last of the remaining tribes of Israel. You see, both the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom have both sinned greatly against the Lord. At this point in time, God has already sent His judgment on the northern kingdom. He sent the nation of Assyria to them and took them into exile. Now, the Lord has raised up the Babylonians, or sometimes referred to as the Chaldeans, and has revealed to His prophet Jeremiah that because Judah has gone after idols, mistreated the poor and needy, and not only failed to keep His commands, but have totally lost them, He is going to send the nation of Babylon to take Judah into exile. The outlook is not good. And it is entirely just. Judah absolutely deserves this outcome. Yet, it is in these chapters called the book of promise in Jeremiah that we see God reveal that even though these bad things will happen to them, God will not forget them and will restore them. He will bring them peace and hope. My prayer for tonight is that we see that this same promise God gives to Jeremiah and the people of Judah is also given to us, 2,000 plus years later. So, with that being said, if you are willing and able, please stand with me and direct your eyes downward as we read our passage for tonight.

Starting in verse 1 it says, “The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard: 2 “Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: 3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. 4 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah that were torn down to make a defense against the siege mounds and against the sword: 5 They are coming in to fight against the Chaldeans and to fill them with the dead bodies of men whom I shall strike down in my anger and my wrath, for I have hidden my face from this city because of all their evil. 6 Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. 7 I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. 8 I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. 9 And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it. 10 “Thus says the Lord: In this place of which you say, ‘It is a waste without man or beast,’ in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or beast, there shall be heard again 11 the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord: “ ‘Give thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!’ For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the Lord. 12 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: In this place that is waste, without man or beast, and in all of its cities, there shall again be habitations of shepherds resting their flocks. 13 In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb, in the land of Benjamin, the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, flocks shall again pass under the hands of the one who counts them, says the Lord.”

Thank you, you may be seated. And once you are seated, I want to ask you to join me in prayer as we begin discussing our word for tonight. “Lord, as we study your word tonight, I pray that your word would be nourishment to our souls. Use this time to reveal your truth to us. Speak through me and remove any distractions that could take our eyes off of your word. I pray also that the result of our time together tonight would be your name magnified and glorified in each of our lives. I pray all this in your Holy Name, amen.”

This passage picks up where we left off. Jeremiah is in prison for proclaiming what God has said. Even though Jeremiah is at one of his lowest moments, God has not left him. Even when Jeremiah is imprisoned, God speaks to him with assurance and an invitation to call upon Him.

1. Pray in Hardships

Jeremiah 33:1-3

See what it says in the first three verses with me, The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard: 2 “Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: 3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah has been rejected by his own people. While being obedient to God’s call on his life, he was imprisoned for preaching something Judah did not like to hear. Their pride and hardened hearts turn on Jeremiah. Let me ask you, how do you think you would respond? Odds are you will not be imprisoned by your own country for your obedience. But how do you respond when the things that are near and dear to you go poorly? You hate the job you worked so hard to get, and you question why you even got that degree. You lose a friend or loved one. Your relationship that you just knew was going to be the person you spend the rest of your life with ends. Your family rejects you for your faith. You lose a child. You receive a phone call about those test results, and it turns out they found some cancer. Someone you love is battling with an addiction that is killing them.

Life is heavy. We have all felt the weight of some of these things. And to be honest, I am not sure we should be that surprised by that. This world is filled with sin. Sin that we cannot overcome. Our response cannot be to work harder, find a new job, save more money, or isolate ourselves. Our passage is clear what our response is. We must be on our knees, praying to God. Verse 3 says “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” A life with the Lord is a surrendered life. The Lord sees Jeremiah when he is at his lowest. A beggar at best in an evil nation that would rather see him imprisoned and killed than speak the word of God. Yet, while he is locked up and judgment for Judah is near, God sees him and invites him to call on the Lord. There is no other hope for Jeremiah, and no other hope for you and I. Like Jeremiah, we can find hope through communication with God, knowing that He listens even in dire circumstances and invites us to seek His wisdom and strength through prayer.

It is when Jeremiah calls on the Lord that He reveals His plans for healing and restoration.

2. Promises of Healing and Restoration

Jeremiah 33:4-6

God is not blind to the sin and destruction going on all around. God acknowledges the destruction around them yet promises healing and health. God knows our brokenness. This judgment that is coming on the people is well known by God because he sent it. Notice that in verse 5, Judah is preparing to fight the Babylonians or Chaldeans, but it is God who is striking down the Jews. Why? Because of all their evil. He sees our sin. It is an unimaginable offence to a holy and wonderful God. In the land that He has blessed them with, they have committed great evil. The just price for that sin and evil is death. God is angry and has wrath for these sins, and He is acting justly to punish them in this way. And to bring this close to home, we are just as guilty and sinful. Yet, here we are, alive and well. Breath in our lungs, a roof over our heads, and there is no enemy army outside our doors. Why do we have this peace when we can see that the punishment should really be destruction? Though God is destroying them, it is not the end. Draw your eyes to verse 6, “Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. 7 I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. 8 I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. 9 And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.” God’s plan in this destruction is not to just judge Judah for their sin, but to cleanse them of their sin. We can see clearly from this passage the real price of sin. To live in this sin is to bring about your death and destruction. You will find no way out of it in your job, family, friends, money, resume, home, spouse, kids, or your good works. What is our escape from this sin?

Jeremiah 7 says, “34 And I will silence in the cities of Judah and in 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 become a waste.” We can see in chapter 33 that God is restoring and healing the very things that He justly destroyed. In His judgment, He silences the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, which means to rejoice. The land is a waste, and the voice of the bridegroom and the bride are silent. These are not permanent. Read verse 10-11 with me, “10 “Thus says the Lord: In this place of which you say, ‘It is a waste without man or beast,’ in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or beast, there shall be heard again 11 the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord: “ ‘Give thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!’ For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the Lord.” What He justly judged is being restored. And the temptation is that we read this passage and think that if we can just get by, we will eventually be fine, and He will give us back all that we have lost. However, I am convinced that this passage and restoration is about Christ. I am convinced of this because when the resurrected Christ met some of His followers on the road to Emmaus, it says that, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke 24:27

If that is the case, then Paul must be right when he writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy, saying, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” 2 Timothy 3:16

And if that is the case, then I am convinced that this bridegroom and bride are not just any ordinary bridegroom and bride, but they are Christ and His Church. In Luke, when the Pharisees ask Jesus why His disciples do not fast, He says, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” Luke 5:34-35

Jesus here is identifying Himself as the Bridegroom of His people, the Church. If that’s the case, then this passage takes on a whole new meaning. This is more than a passage about Judah being given back the promise land and no longer under the yoke of Babylon; it’s about God’s people receiving the true promise of Christ. This is not just a passage about the restoration of Jerusalem and the kings and temple. This is about the true King from the line of David who will go before His people and offer Himself as a sacrifice for their sins. This is not about the earthly fortunes of a nation but the eternal fortunes of knowing Christ. The hope, peace, and restoration given to Jeremiah is not an earthly one. It is an eternal one, only found in Christ Jesus. Your job, spouse, mom, dad, brothers, sisters, friends, degree, bank account, or nation will never be enough for you. You will only be satisfied and have purpose for your life when you are surrendered to Christ. Love, joy, peace will only take over the mess of our lives when we surrender our lives to Him. Through Christ, we too can experience reconciliation with God, becoming living witnesses to His grace and faithfulness. Perhaps these verses invite us to envision a future filled with joy and thanksgiving, even when the present seems bleak. When the sickness of this world beats down on us, when we feel the weight of sin, there is a savior we can turn to that wants us to cry out to Him.

3. Peaceful Pastures Promised

Jeremiah 33:12-13

The chapter ends by showing us a picture of a peaceful pasture. In a land that was once a waste, there is a Shepherd, tending to His flock. Our lives in sin are a desolate waste. No redeeming qualities. No hope or life to be found. But the Lord of Hosts, which is a powerful statement which means YHWH of Armies, He will fill the land with His sheep, or the bride, or church, or people, you and me, and the Good Shepherd, or Bridegroom, or King, Christ will tend to them. In the Peaceful Pasture, we will find rest for our souls. He counts us, knows us each, loves us dearly, and never loses a single one of us.

My plea tonight is that you would join the flock in the pasture. Do not continue to live in the sin and destruction that will justly come to you if you continue in your sin. It is far better to live with Jeremiah in the jail cells of this world than to be eternally separated from Christ the Lord. Christ will one day return for His bride, the Church. Not all will be saved. But He is rich in mercy, and there is still time to find peace for your soul. In 1873, the hymn writer Horatio Spafford wrote that “My sin oh, the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.” In a moment, we will sing. I pray that if you are here tonight, still bearing your sin, carry it no longer. There is a savior who is powerful to save. His death covers the price of sin for all His sheep. However, you must lay down your life for the Savior who gave His life for you. Place your faith in Him and be saved. Let’s pray.