Devotional Commentary on Jeremiah 33

 

It is fitting to cite Keil 1889 here about the general character of God: “The God who has the power to execute as well as make decrees is quite prepared to give him an insight into His great thoughts regarding the future ; and of this a proof is at once given.” And that is what God said in verse 3 here to Jeremiah “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and strong things that you do not know”. Scholars thought it was an addition by another hand but with Nagelsbach it can be said that this is typically Jeremiah’s style and cutting the Word of God with scissors and wastebasket is not part of Adventist’s reading of the Bible, no matter how conventional it is in current seminaries. Jeremiah likes to quote at times the direct words of God. The Direct Speech citation. What is wrong with that? All of us talk that way in daily conversations. Mother will recall the narratives of their daughters in the kitchen describing her experience after camping. The daughter many times speaks with direct citations of what he or she said. This invitation to make a call reminds me of the song “Operator” sung by Jesse Dixon (online at Youtube) and written and composed by a car-seat upholsterer who is at rest in the Cleveland Memorial Gardens, William Spivery who wrote the song in the early 1950’s in his early twenties. "Operator, information, give me Jesus on the line". “Call to Me and I will answer you…”

 

Still in prison the Lord’s word is not finished yet. The Lord refers to the destruction of Judah and all the houses (verse 4). History will destroy them. Closer to Jeremiah the Chaldeans would come with war (verse 5). It is because of their bags of evil they clung to and did not want to give it to God to get rid of their guilt and thus they wearied the patience of God.

 

So when history has taken its toll on this cyclic clinging to sinful habits and thoughts, guilt and deceiving enjoyments, shortlived happiness, then restoration will come. Eternity would bring changes: “I will bring healing, I will cure them, I will reveal to them a greeting of peace and truth” (verse 6).

 

Hengstenberg (cited by Keil 1889 page Book II page 63) came to this verse and point out for him this difficulty: “that the hope of restoration has an obstacle in the natural man who strives to obscure and to extinguish it.” What Hengstenberg is actually saying is that eternity was in reach of their lives but they messed it up again and “eternity” words had to be delayed. I am laying words in Hengstenberg’s mouth that he did not say. That is the consequences of these words of his. My own view is that God is maybe not talking short-term here but eschatological language.

 

God will build them up “like at first”. This first for me is the Garden of Eden first. That is why one finds the Genesis 1 word here “bereshith” “In the beginning” (verse 7).

 

Now starts eternity words: “I will purify them of all their iniquity” (verse 8) and this is a complete clean slate that is active the day Jesus will complete His Most Holy ministry of the Investigative Judgment in Heaven and the Door of Mercy closes, the Sealing by the Holy Spirit completed. It is biblical, it was sometimes recognized here and there by the Rabbis of the Middle Ages, it was recognized by other denominations’ scholars and by Ellen White in the Spirit of Prophecy and also Adventism. The program I mean. The application here is made by myself.

 

The saved remnant of spiritual Israel shall be “to Me for a name of joy, for praise and for glory to all the nations of the earth who will hear all the good that I do for them and fear and tremble because of all the good and because of all the peace that I do to it” (verse 9). When the remnant resurrected meet up in the air at the Second Coming, the left behind evil ones in all nations shall see, fear and tremble especially. “Mountains fall on us” they will say.

 

There shall be in the desolate areas of the spaces of history (verse 10) “the sound of mirth and the sound of joy” and Wedding couples will say: “Thank the Lord of Hosts, for the Lord is good, for His loving-kindness endures forever, bringing a thanksgiving offering to the House of the Lord.” All because of the Edenic restoration action of the Lord in future at the Eschaton (verse 11). Critics will say: “thanksoffering” and “House of the Lord” that is the Persian period language. It is our language today too and no animals are offered in church and neither is our church a temple.

 

Farmers will again have their aninal husbandry (verse 12). They will again count their sheep (vese 13). Edenic farming is going to be without pesiticides and a pleasure to enjoy. “Behold days are coming” that the Lord will establish/set up the good Word (some translated ‘thing’ for hadabar) that He spoke (verse 14).

 

For David shall the Lord “cause to grow” “a plant of Righteousness” (Christ) and He (Christ) shall execute justice (with the Hell event exterminating all evil by eradicating it) and set up righteousness in a newly created heaven and earth (verse 15). Christ is from the House of David and will be King of Kings at this point set up by His Father who functions this way by Eternal decision between the Trinity regarding the salvation business engine. Each has His part to play and still do. Targum Jonathan to the Prophets, Redak, and Metzudath David all considered this verse to refer to “the King Messiah, who will be descended from the Davidic line”. The Middle Age Rabbis had an eye for the Last Generation Theology.

 

[New] Jerusalem [that comes from Heaven to earth for the Battle of Armegeddon and Hell event after the Millennium when the mountain split in two as Zechariah 14 explains] shall dwell securely and this is the name that He shall call it: “the Lord is our righteousness” (verse 16). The Targum made “The Lord is our righteousness” processional and translated in Aramaic: “and merits will be done to us from before the Lord, in it [Jerusalem]”. It is for them not just a nameplate but a visible experience in the city.

 

Eternity promise or words follow here: “There shall not be cut off from David a man sitting on the throne of the house of [spiritual] Israel” (verse 17). There is no Davidic king currently in Jerusalem and not after the return in captivity. The Rabbis of the Middle Ages knew that we are here in the Eschaton. Sitting in exile in Spain in the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries under Arabic rule they had no other option than to come to this conclusion. There commentaries were even written in Arabic, the lingua franca of those days. Where was Jerusalem then?

 

No more shall there be an interruption of the Levitic offering system “all the days” [eternity jargon]. This is eschaton language. Christ our High Priest did His job in completion of all Atonement and Atonement at the arrival of Eternity seizes to be necessary so Christ is all-sufficient and no-one can interrupt or “cut off” this excellent Levite on our behalf in Heaven, forever (verse 18).

 

It is just as impossible to stop this promise or actions of God in the eschaton described here, as it is impossible to stop the day and stop the night from happening in our times (verse 20). And also verse 21. If Christ is the eternal King of Kings, then forever He reigns into eternity and thus the throne of the Davidic line will never be unoccupied. The TULIP designers of the Calvinistic Orthodoxy by Theodore Bezae should look at this verse since no more “new Satans” will originate after eternity starts. This is the promise here by God. So it is unnecessary to try to “fix” heaven for God by making men on earth and those in heaven just puppets and robots created with no will but predetermined by God.

 

Countless will the seed of David and the continuation of Christ our High Priest be unto eternity (verse 22). Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. “My King is Righteous”.

 

Among the exiles of the bad figs in 586 BCE they blame God that He destroyed the two families by the Exile in Judah to exist “any longer [`od] before them” (verse 24). But here is the argument to Jeremiah by God: if day and night can be changed not to exist then also will His promises for the eschaton as outlined above about restoration in Edenic fashion not exist (verse 25-26).

 

Dear God

We are part of these promises because we are part of spiritual Israel and what they had to do to get rid of their bags of guilt and sin and evil habits are also extended to us. Forgive us all our sins. In Jesus Name. Amen.