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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
33:1-26 God Will Honor the Davidic Covenant. God always keeps his promises, and here he promises to direct the future (vv. 1-5), heal the land (vv. 6-13), and fulfill the Davidic covenant (vv. 14-26).
33:2 God the Creator (10:16; 32:17), who formed and established the earth, makes the promises that follow. His word was as powerful in Jeremiah's time as in Gen. 1:1-2:3. His promises cannot fail; they are as firm as the earth.
33:3 Call. See 29:12. I will answer. Because of his love and grace. hidden things. Future things that God will now reveal. You is singular, addressed specifically to Jeremiah, but this great promise also has wider application to all the people of God, particularly as they call out for understanding and he gives them understanding of his word and his purposes in their lives.
33:4 Cities under siege often tore down buildings, using the stones and wood to reinforce the city walls against battering rams that attackers carried up siege mounds.
33:5 God reveals that all current efforts to repel Babylon will fail. Because of its evil deeds, God will fill Jerusalem with dead bodies. He has declared the future.
33:6-8 God promises health and healing for Jerusalem's "wounds"--its devastation, disgrace, and sin (30:16-17; see 33:7-8)--but first he will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin.
33:9 Jerusalem was once a cautionary tale for other nations (cf. 15:4; 24:9; 29:18), but in the future it will be a testimony to God's goodness.
33:10-11 voice of gladness. Jeremiah correctly prophesied that joy would cease when Jerusalem was made desolate (7:34; 16:9; 25:10). But now he prophesies that joy will be restored, with worship being the most important joy (30:19; Ps. 107:22; 136:1-26).
33:12-13 See 32:14-15. Raising sheep was a major part of the ancient Near Eastern economy. The return of shepherds and flocks signifies renewed prosperity.
33:15 Branch. The Davidic messianic offspring (cf. Isa. 4:2; Zech. 3:8; 6:12). execute justice and righteousness. A key role God and his Messiah play (Isa. 9:7; 11:5; Jer. 23:5-6; cf. 22:3, 13, 15).
33:16 The Messiah's coming will mean salvation for Judah and Jerusalem. The city will be so changed that it will be called: "The Lord is our righteousness," the name given to the Messiah in 23:6.
33:17 The Branch's coming will fulfill God's promise to David of an eternal kingdom (2 Sam. 7:16; 1 Chron. 17:11-12); see note on Jer. 22:29-30.
33:18 The Messiah's coming will also mean that the covenant with Levi (Mal. 2:1-9) will be kept. The Messiah will be both king (2 Sam. 7:16) and priest (Ps. 110:4).
33:19-21 See 31:35-37. Like the new covenant, God's covenant with David and Levi will endure forever. This does not contradict the NT teaching about a new covenant (31:31), for Christ fulfills the promise that one of David's descendants will always reign over the house of Israel.
33:22 Like Abraham's descendants, the offspring of David will be innumerable (Gen. 15:1-6), for believers in the Messiah will be innumerable. They will share the Messiah's inheritance (Rom. 8:17). They will also serve as God's priests (Ex. 19:5-6; Isa. 66:21; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9). my servant. Like Moses (Num. 12:7), David was God's servant in that he was God's undershepherd for Israel, God's means of writing revelation, and God's close friend. The Messiah was to be the greatest servant (see note on Isa. 42:1-9).
33:24 these people. The nations who observe what has happened to Israel and Judah. These observers think God has despised and rejected the two clans that he chose (i.e., Israel and Judah).
