Jeremiah · chapter 33 of 52
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Jeremiah 33 is the Lord's second word to Jeremiah while he is still imprisoned in the court of the guard. God invites him to call on him, promises to heal and cleanse his people, restore joy to Jerusalem and raise up a righteous Branch from the house of David. His covenant with David and with the Levites is as firm as his covenant with day and night.
This chapter closes the Book of Consolation (chapters 30-33). Jeremiah is still shut in, the city is besieged and destruction is near, yet God speaks of the future. The promise of the righteous Branch also appears in Jeremiah 23:5-6, and here it is widened with the guarantee of the covenant with David and with the Levitical priests.
While Jeremiah is still imprisoned in the court of the guard, the word of the Lord comes to him a second time. The God who made the earth invites him: call to me and I will answer you, and I will show you great and hidden things you do not know. The houses of the city and the palaces of the kings will be torn down to defend against the Babylonians and will be filled with corpses, because the Lord has hidden his face because of the people's wickedness.
Yet the Lord promises to bring healing and medicine, to reveal peace and truth, to restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel and to cleanse them from their sin. Jerusalem will be for him a name of joy, praise and glory, and the nations will fear because of the good God does for her. Where there is now desolation the voice of joy will be heard again, the voice of the wedding, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings, and there will again be pastures for shepherds and their flocks.
Days are coming when the Lord will fulfill his promise: he will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, who will execute justice and righteousness in the land. Jerusalem will be called The Lord Is Our Righteousness. David will never lack a descendant on the throne, nor the Levitical priests a man to offer sacrifices. The Lord affirms that his covenant with David and with the Levites is as sure as his covenant with day and night; he will multiply the offspring of David like the stars of heaven. And he will not reject the offspring of Jacob, but will restore their fortunes.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Lord invites Jeremiah to call to him and promises to answer and show him great and hidden things he does not know. God speaks to a prisoner with no way out, and opens a door of prayer and revelation.
God promises to bring health and healing, to heal his people and give them abundant peace and truth. He takes up the image of the incurable wound of 30:12-17: healing does not come from outside but from the God who punished and now restores.
In those days the Lord will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, who will execute justice and righteousness. Christians see here a promise fulfilled in Jesus, the descendant of David who brings justice and salvation.
God's covenant with day and night cannot be broken, and neither can his covenant with David. The order of creation serves as a guarantee: if day and night keep their order, God will also keep his promise.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Still imprisoned in the court of the guard. — Jeremiah 33:1
Answer: To call to him, and he will answer and show him great and hidden things. — Jeremiah 33:3
Answer: Cleanse it and forgive their iniquities. — Jeremiah 33:8
Answer: The voice of joy and gladness, of the bridegroom and the bride, and of those giving thanks in the temple. — Jeremiah 33:10-11
Answer: A righteous Branch, who will execute justice and righteousness in the land. — Jeremiah 33:15
Answer: His covenant with day and night, which cannot be broken. — Jeremiah 33:20-21
Jeremiah 33:3 is a much loved verse, and its context makes it deeper: God invites a prisoner in a besieged city to pray. When we feel shut in by circumstances, the Lord still invites us to call. In a class or small group you can share situations in which you prayed with no way out in sight and what God did afterward.
The chapter also shows that God does not abandon his promises. By resting the certainty of the covenant on the order of day and night, he encourages us to see each sunrise as a reminder of his faithfulness. Ask God to help you rest in promises you have not yet seen fulfilled.
With the righteous Branch, the city called The Lord Is Our Righteousness and the everlasting covenant, the Book of Consolation reaches its peak. In chapter 34 the book returns to the reality of the siege and King Zedekiah, who must hear Jeremiah's warning once more.
He is the descendant of David whom God promises to raise up to rule with justice. Christians believe this is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the son of David, and that his kingdom includes justice and salvation for all who believe in him.
In context they are the promises of restoration that follow in the chapter and that Jeremiah did not yet know. It is not a guarantee of receiving secrets on any subject, but a promise that God answers and reveals his purpose to those who call on him.