God’s Promises Never Fail! (Jeremiah 33)

Scripture reading – Jeremiah 33

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* Please note that words and phrases in brackets are the author’s amplification.

Our chronological study of the Scriptures brings us to Jeremiah 33, where we find Jeremiah, a prisoner of King Zedekiah (Jeremiah 33:1). For what cause was the prophet of the LORD “shut up” in prison? He was imprisoned for daring to speak the word of the LORD and to prophesy all that was revealed to him. Jeremiah testified against the king and nation, declaring that all that would come to pass was due to the people’s sins (Jeremiah 32:2-5).

I remind my fellow readers that times have not changed. Desperate men take desperate measures, and King Zedekiah was no exception. With the Babylonian army outside Jerusalem’s walls, it was clear that all Jeremiah had foretold was coming to pass. Rather than humbling himself, Zedekiah, proud and foolish, unlawfully imprisoned the prophet. As the author of Proverbs 29 observed, “When the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn” (Proverbs 29:2).

Jeremiah 33

Who is the LORD? (Jeremiah 33:1-3)

Fortunately, the book of Jeremiah reminds us that even while imprisoned, the LORD did not forsake His prophet. He continued to put His Word in Jeremiah’s heart (Jeremiah 33:2). The LORD came to His prophet and reminded him that He is “Yahweh,” the God who makes and keeps covenant with His people (Jeremiah 33:2).

The same God who has the power to create (Jeremiah 33:2) will keep His promises, hear, and answer prayer (Jeremiah 33:3). The LORD encouraged Jeremiah, saying He would show him “great and mighty things, which [Jeremiah knew] not” (33:3).

The Character of the LORD (Jeremiah 33:4-13)

The LORD assured Jeremiah that He was just and that His judgment was sure. While the king and the leaders of Jerusalem strengthened their defenses, Jeremiah was told that the battlements would fail and that their homes would be filled with the dead (Jeremiah 33:5).

Yet God would not forsake His people, and the prophet foretold the day when Judah would be delivered from captivity and restored to the land (Jeremiah 33:6-7). On that day, the LORD declared that He would not only restore His people but also “cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me” (Jeremiah 33:8).

The nations of the earth would witness Judah’s restoration and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The heathen would look upon God’s blessings in awe and “fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity” He had poured out upon them (Jeremiah 33:9). Although God’s judgment would leave Judah desolate and its cities in ruins, He would nonetheless promise that the day would come when the towns and villages of Judah would be filled with the sounds of joy and youthful voices (Jeremiah 33:10-13).

The Coming Messiah King (Jeremiah 33:14-26) 

Some in Judah rejected the prophecies about the coming of a Messiah King. They discouraged the people and argued that the God of Israel had forsaken them (Jeremiah 33:24). The LORD answered the naysayers and declared:

“Behold the days come…that I will perform that good thing which I have promised …¹⁵In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. ¹⁶In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:14-16).

Only One could fulfill that Messianic prophecy: He is Jesus Christ! Only Christ is of the lineage of David (born of the virgin Mary, who was of David’s line, and adopted by Joseph, who was a “son of David,” Matthew 1:1, 20). Christ alone is the altogether Righteous One. When He comes again, He will rule in justice and save His people (Jeremiah 33:15-16). On that day, Christ will reign forever (Revelation 19:16; 22:16) and serve as the Mediator and Intercessor for His people (Hebrews 7:24-28).

Closing thoughts –

How sure are God’s covenant promises? They are as certain as the rising and setting of the sun (Jeremiah 33:19-21, 25). The same God who set the seasons and times for the sun’s rising and setting will fulfill His covenant. What did that mean for Jeremiah and those who would be led away as captives of Babylon? The LORD promised, “I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them” (Jeremiah 33:26). 

Believer, tyranny abounds in our world, and I am reminded that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). I cannot think of a nation, including my own United States, that lacks evidence of wicked leaders in high places. How will you respond when government agencies seek to silence you and dare you to speak the Word of the LORD?

Friend, may the rising and setting sun remind you that God’s promises never fail.