God Never Breaks His Promises
February 2, 2021
Commentary
The second section of this chapter is introduced the phrase “the days are coming” (v. 14). This refers to both the first and second comings of Christ. At his first coming He would set up His reign in the hearts of believers, at His second coming He would execute justice and righteousness throughout the whole earth. Christ is the branch of righteousness sprouting from David the man after God’s own heart (vv. 14-16). As Christ fulfils the role of king, He also fulfils the role of Priest, maintaining constant fellowship with God and mediating for the people (vv. 17-18). Now that Christ is our High Priest, all believers are priests of God, and we can come before Him personally.
God gave two assurances that He would keep His covenant promises. Each assurance began with the same introductory phrase, “The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah,” (vv. 19, 23); and each used God’s “covenant of day and night” to illustrate the permanence of these institutions. Only if man could break God’s covenant with the day and…the night (Gen. 1:14-19) could he break God’s covenant with David and His covenant with the Levites who are priests. That is, God’s covenants with these groups were as fixed as the natural order of the universe.
There were people who were claiming that God had so rejected the two kingdoms that He would no longer regard them as a nation (vv. 24-26). They felt that Israel’s and Judah’s sin had invalidated all God’s covenant promises so that He was no longer obligated to fulfill them. God responded to this argument by reaffirming His commitment to His covenant promises. The covenants with Abraham and David were not conditioned on the people’s obedience but on God’s character. They could be as sure of this as the fixed laws of heaven and earth.
Application
I am thankful that God cannot and will not break His promises. Because of that I am sure that God is preparing a home for me in heaven where I will spend all eternity with Him.
Jeremiah 33:14– 26 (NET)
14 “I, the Lord, affirm: ‘The time will certainly come when I will fulfill my gracious promise concerning the nations of Israel and Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will raise up for them a righteous descendant of David.
16 Under his rule Judah will enjoy safety and Jerusalem will live in security. At that time Jerusalem will be called “The Lord has provided us with justice.” 17 For I, the Lord, promise: “David will never lack a successor to occupy the throne over the nation of Israel. 18 Nor will the Levitical priests ever lack someone to stand before me and continually offer up burnt offerings, sacrifice cereal offerings, and offer the other sacrifices.”’”
19 The Lord’s message came to Jeremiah another time: 20 “I, the Lord, make the following promise: ‘I have made a covenant with the day and with the night that they will always come at their proper times. Only if you people could break that covenant 21 could my covenant with my servant David and my covenant with the Levites ever be broken. So David will by all means always have a descendant to occupy his throne as king and the Levites will by all means always have priests who will minister before me. 22 I will make the children who follow one another in the line of my servant David very numerous. I will also make the Levites who minister before me very numerous. I will make them all as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sands that are on the seashore.’”
23 The Lord’s message came to Jeremiah another time: 24 “You have surely noticed what these people are saying, haven’t you? They are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two families of Israel and Judah that he chose.’ So they have little regard that my people will ever again be a nation. 25 But I, the Lord, make the following promise: ‘I have made a covenant governing the coming of day and night. I have established the fixed laws governing heaven and earth. 26 Just as surely as I have done this, so surely will I never reject the descendants of Jacob. Nor will I ever refuse to choose one of my servant David’s descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Indeed, I will restore them and show mercy to them.’”