Old Testament - Jeremiah 32-33 - October 19, 2022

10/19/2022 – Jeremiah 32-33

Chapter 32 starts with King Zedekiah putting Jeremiah into prison, because Jeremiah had prophesied that Zedekiah would be taken captive and Jerusalem would be conquered by the king of Babylon. 

While Jeremiah was in prison, his cousin came to him and asked him to buy property in their family’s ancestral homeland, which was near Jerusalem. The Lord had already told Jeremiah that this would happen (v 7), and that is what the Lord wanted him to do. The Lord explained to Jeremiah that purchasing this land was a symbolic witness that the Jews would someday return from captivity and possess the promised land once again. (v’s 15, 43-44)

So Jeremiah is in prison. He has told everyone that Babylon will conquer them. He has completed every task the Lord has given him, and then in this bleak time, Jeremiah goes to the Lord in prayer: “Ah Lord God! Behold, thou hast made the heaven and earth by thy great power and stretched out arm and there is nothing too hard for thee: Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands…Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings….” (v’s 17-19) He continues in his prayer going back over all the ways the Lord had worked to help the Israelites.

When Jeremiah finishes his prayer, the Lord then speaks to him: “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me? (v27) Once again, the Lord goes over all the wicked ways the Israelites had gone, and He goes over the hardships that they have now, and tells them times for them will get worse. 

Then the Lord goes on to tell them what will happen after they have finally recognized their errors and when they finally turn to the Lord again, ready to return to following His commandments. From  v  36 through 43 the Lord describes how the Israelites will then be blessed. The Lord loves us so much, and is always ready to help us return to Him. He now explains what He has in store for the Israelites once they return to Him: “And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear [honor] me for ever, for the good of them and of their children after them” (v’s 38-39). Regardless of what we have done, Christ is always ready to heal us and to bring us closer to Him, and to feel His warmth and His love.

Chapter 33 continues explaining what will happen to the Israelites: “Judah and Israel shall be gathered; Christ the Branch of righteousness is promised; The seed of David shall reign forever.”  V 3 tells us that the Lord comes to Jeremiah a second time. Jeremiah is still in prison. He tells Jeremiah: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” He reminds Jeremiah to keep in touch with Him and He goes on to explain the hard times that they will go through, but then He, once again, tells them of the good that will come to them as they come unto Him: He will                    

“Gather them” (32:37                         

“Cause them to dwell safely” (32:37)

“Bring upon them all the good that I have promised them” (32:42)

“Cure them” (33:6)

“Reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth” (33:6

“Build them” (33:7)

“Cleanse them from all their iniquity” (33:8)

“Pardon all their iniquities” (33:8)

That is love!


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