By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher
Text: Jeremiah
33:14-26
Jeremiah 33:25-26
Thus says the Lord: If
I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of
heaven and earth, 26considered then I
will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one
of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I
will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.”
(ESV)
A leak regarding a pending
Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade has been the topic of the news this week. The
truth of the matter is that should this ruling reverse Roe v. Wade, it will not
make abortion illegal but allow each state to decide the legality of abortion. The
tenth amendment of the constitution reserves decisions on anything not
specifically mentioned in the body of the constitution to the states. Since there
is no specific mention of abortion in the Constitution or any of its amendments,
a reversal of Roe v. Wade places the determination of the legality of abortion
with the states where it constitutionally belongs.
As a Christian, I believe in
choice for God has given everyone a free will to choose for even though Christ
died to forgive humanity of their sins, to receive forgiveness one must choose to
receive forgiveness, something I will discuss later in this piece. As a
Christian, I also believe in the sanctity of life, including the life of the
unborn who are formed in their mother’s womb (Psalm
139:13). Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers who courageously gave birth
and work to nurture and raise their children in Godliness.
Those living in a protracted
period of exile were probably feeling discouraged or even depressed, wondering
if the period of exile would ever end. In hindsight, we know the exile did end
with the decree of King Cyrus granting and funding the return of the Jews to
their land (Ezra
1:1-11). However, the context of Jeremiah
33:14-26 is before the decree of King Cyrus and was designed to bring hope
to discouraged people living in exile. However, it also has application to the
lives of every individual living in the exile of sin for it speaks of a coming
High Priest and King who will rule with righteousness from the lineage of King
David (Jeremiah
33:14-16). In addition to restating the promise of one of the lineages of
David ruling on the throne for eternity (1
Kings 2:4), God also declares there will also be a high priest offering
burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrifices unto God. Blessed with
hindsight, we know these two individuals are one person, Jesus Christ (Hebrews
9:11-14).
The Lord then gives Jeremiah
another word that addresses why God cannot break his covenant with Israel and
Judah which includes an eternal priesthood and a descendant of David on the
throne. The Lord says that for him to break his promises to Judah and Israel,
He would have to break his covenant with day and night causing day and night
not to occur at their appointed time (Jeremiah
33:19-21). Jeremiah
33:22 speaks of the number of descendants of David and the number of
Levitical priests ministering to the Lord. Since the Descendant of David and
High Priest mentioned in Jeremiah
33:14-16 are the same person, Jesus Christ, the great numbers mentioned are
a not only a reference to a growing Jewish population after the exile but also
a reference to the great number of people coming to accept Jesus as Savior
throughout the Church age.
Jeremiah receives another Word
from the Lord regarding people who are saying that the Lord has rejected the
clans of Israel and Judah that despises the people into no longer being considered
a nation (Jeremiah
33:23-24). The Lord addresses this belief by once again stating that
rejecting his covenant with Israel and Judah would require rejection of His
covenant with day and night and the fixed order of the earth. This fixed order
is vital to the survival of all living things on the earth for it determines the
seasons and the time of planting and harvesting crops (Genesis
8:22; Psalm 104:19). Rejection of God’s promises of an eternal priesthood
and a descendant of David on the throne would devastate the integrity of God
since the promises of God to Israel can be broken by God, making God
untrustworthy. Fortunately, God has mercy on His people, promising to restore
their fortunes (Jeremiah
33:26)
In Jeremiah
33:17-18 God restates His promise that Israel and Judah will always have a
descendant of David on the throne and a priest offering burnt offerings, grain
offerings, and sacrifices to God on their behalf. Jesus fulfills both roles in
our lives. Jesus is our great high priest who once and for all offered Himself
as a sacrifice for our sin (Hebrews
4:14-16). Jesus is also our king, the King of Kings who will rule with a rod
of iron when He returns (Revelation
19:11-16). However, even though Jesus will return to rule the nations with
a rod of iron, the priestly sacrifice of Himself on the cross gives individuals
a choice of eternal life with God (John
3:16) or eternal separation from God (John
3:17-18).
The default position for humanity
is eternal separation from God for we are all born in sin and are under the
death penalty for sin (Romans
3:23; 6:23). However, Jesus has given humanity another option, eternal life
with Him through His grace (Ephesians
2:8-9) by dying on the cross for humanity’s sin even though he never sinned
(2
Corinthians 5:21). Romans
10:9-10 tells us that we are saved by professing our belief in the death,
burial, and resurrection of Christ forgiving our sins. If you have never done
so, I urge you to do so now by praying with me,
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my
sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe you died, spent
three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord
of my life.
May God challenge and bless
everyone reading this post.
No comments:
Post a Comment