November 9th, 2012
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Who's In Charge Here?

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Mighty Lord God, today, I gladly join the cosmic chorus of praise and worship offered to You.

Read Jeremiah 33:1-26

[1] While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the LORD came to him a second time: [2] “This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it-the LORD is his name: [3] ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ [4] For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege ramps and the sword [5] in the fight with the Babylonians: ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath. I will hide my face from this city because of all its wickedness. [6] “‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. [7] I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before. [8] I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. [9] Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’ [10] “This is what the LORD says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.” Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more [11] the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the LORD, saying, “Give thanks to the LORD Almighty, for the LORD is good; his love endures forever.” For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the LORD. [12] “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolate and without people or animals-in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks. [13] In the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand of the one who counts them,’ says the LORD. [14] “‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. [15] “‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. [16] In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteous Savior.’ [17] For this is what the LORD says: ‘David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, [18] nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present 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 no longer come at their appointed time, [21] then my covenant with David my servant-and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me-can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. [22] I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.'” [23] The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: [24] “Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The LORD has rejected the two kingdoms he chose’? So they despise my people and no longer regard them as a nation. [25] This is what the LORD says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth, [26] then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.'”

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Meditate

“His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour; the bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower” (William Cowper, 1731-1800).

Think Further

Again, the reassuring word of the Lord comes to Jeremiah while he remains imprisoned. The word reassures him both of the sovereignty of the Lord and his purposes and power working for Israel’s restoration. God, not Babylon, has brought about the judgment and so he will also bring forgiveness, restoration and new blessing. There will be the restoration of joyful family life and social interaction; there will be prosperity; there will be true and faithful worship. The program is clearly dependent on “a righteous Branch … from David’s line” (15) who is called “The Lord Our Righteous Savior” (16), and is clearly identified in the New Testament as Jesus, Messiah, Savior and Lord.

Jeremiah’s emphatic affirmation of God’s faithfulness to his covenant promises highlights a subject that has been debated through the whole history of the church. “Have you not noticed that these people are saying…” can apply to all the long and sad history of the church’s frequent triumphalism in its relationship with the Jewish people (23,24). Paul devoted three chapters of his letter to the Romans (9-11) to it. He thought it important enough to return to it in Romans 15:7-13, with his affirmation of Jesus as “a servant of the Jews” as a tenet of God’s truth. The debate has often become polarized in arguments between Replacement Theology (the church is the new Israel), Two Covenant Theology (one covenant for Christians through Jesus and the other for Jews through the Torah) and sometimes uncritical Christian Zionism. One day God will make it all clear!

A right understanding of this important subject is not just about Israel and the church. It is about God’s faithfulness to his promises, and about how we understand the doctrine of assurance.

Apply

How do you understand God’s faithfulness to his promises and the doctrine of assurance? What area of your life does it affect?

Closing prayer

Covenant-keeping God, I rest in Your promises to me and to Your people. You will never let me down and never let me go.

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