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.