Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20050720.htm

JEREMIAH: STAYING UPRIGHT AMIDST EVIL PRESSURES
Part IX: Prophecies of Judah's Final Consolation
D. Hoping In God's Faithfulness HIMSELF To Fulfill His "Impossible" Promises
(Jeremiah 33:1-26)
  1. Introduction
    1. We can be so deeply stressed over trials we face that we can come to doubt that God plans to continue WANTING to help us, and so resort in futility to trying to help ourselves in our own human strength!
    2. Yet, Jeremiah 33:1-26 shows that even when our faith in Him fails, God always keeps His promises to us:
  2. Hoping In God's Faithfulness HIMSELF To Fulfill His "Impossible" Promises, Jeremiah 33:1-26.
    1. While Jeremiah was still imprisoned by Judah's king Zedekiah (Jer. 33:1 with 32:1-2), and Babylon's forces under Nebuchadnezzar were beseiging Jerusalem's walls, God's word came unto Jeremiah, 33:1.
    2. That word referred to Judah's Lord as the All-Sufficient Creator God, Jeremiah 33:2-3:
      1. God introduced Himself as the Creator Who had formed and founded the earth, the "Jawheh," the "I Am" Who appeared to Moses and delivered Israel from her humanly impossible Egyptian bondage [in accord with His ancient promises to do so, Ex. 2:23-25; 3:14], Jer. 33:2, Kittel, Bib. Hebr., p. 768, 82.
      2. This Lord urged Jeremiah to call unto Him, and He would show him great and hidden truths, Jer. 33:3 NIV. The word usage implies God could give insight into "secrets of the future" that man could not obtain in his own abilities, Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 1175.
    3. The message addressed the faithless, futile efforts by the people to defend themselves from the dreadful Babylonian invaders by dismantling the houses of David's line to erect special defenses, Jer. 33:24, 4-5:
      1. Just as the Babylonian army was about to invade the walls of the city, the stressed people of Judah had come to doubt God planned any more to honor His promises unto them, cf. Jer. 33:24; accordingly, they had given up on the kingdom of David, and dismantled the royal houses of David's seed to erect quick defenses against the seige mounds built up by the invading Babylonian army, Jeremiah 33:4.
      2. Yet, God noted these defensive efforts were futile; the Babylonians would certainly destroy them, 33:5.
    4. In stark contrast to this faithless, hapless human thinking and dismantling activity, God claimed He would eventually reverse this tragic situation, restoring and blessing His people as He had in the past, 33:6-13.
    5. In particular, in CONTRAST to the FAITHLESS and FUTILE LEVELING of the PALACES of DAVID'S line (Jer. 33:4), God would RESTORE DAVID'S KINGDOM by HIS POWER, 33:14-26:
      1. God said He would fulfill His promise to both His people, setting up a "righteous Branch" of David to rule rightly, 33:14-17; indeed, God would re-establish the Levitical ministries, Jeremiah 33:18.
      2. This promise seemed humanly impossible to Jeremiah, for he had already predicted David's royal line through evil Coniah would not have a descendant to prosper on the throne, cf. Jer. 22:30. Yet, WE know the supernatural virgin birth of Christ overcomes this hurdle: since Jesus is of David's line through a lesser Davidic prince in Nathan, but as Christ's adoptive father, Joseph was of Coniah's royal but cursed line, by the marriage of Joseph to Mary, and by Jesus' virgin birth through her, He as David's seed via Nathan bypassed Coniah's curse but gained the right to rule via his mother's union with Joseph, Walvoord, Jesus Christ Our Lord, p. 104. Jesus is that Branch God raised up from David!
      3. God promised this preservation of the original Davidic Covenant and the ministry of the Levitical priests was as sure as were the ordinances of day and night, Jeremiah 33:19-21.
      4. God said He would make David's seed and the Levites like the stars of the sky and sands of the sea that could not be humanly numbered for their large numbers, Jer. 33:22.
      5. These promises countered the faithless doubts in Judah that had arisen with the threat of Babylon's invasion, doubts that God had abandoned His promises and covenants to His people, Jer. 33:23-26.
Lesson: In CONTRAST to the FAITHLESS and FUTILE efforts by the people of Judah to protect themselves by dismantling the Davidic line's palaces in the belief God had given up on His promises to them, GOD promised to FULFILL these unconditional, ancient promises. We know this would come by way of Jesus Christ, a way that was BEYOND the human comprehension of Jeremiah at the time!

Application: When SEVERE trials tempt us to DISTRUST GOD'S INTENTIONS to HELP so that we try our OWN solutions, GOD STILL KEEPS His PROMISES (Ps. 138:8); we best STILL trust Him!