Restored Sounds This chapter picks up directly after the previous with Jeremiah still imprisoned during the siege of Jerusalem. In the midst of everything falling apart, God again promises that restoration will come. There will be “sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom” (Jeremiah 33:11), reversing the prophecy of their silencing earlier (see Jeremiah 7:34, 16:9, 25:10). A new sound will be heard, too: “the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the LORD”. The Covenant-Keeping God “Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The LORD has rejected the two […]

A Questionable Investment “Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.’ Jeremiah 32:8 The story skips ahead to just before the fall of Jerusalem (remember the book isn’t arranged in chronological order) while Jeremiah is imprisoned and the city is under siege. Jeremiah is asked to buy some property not long before everyone is carried into exile. This doesn’t sound like the best time to […]

Rachel Weeps Jeremiah’s prophecy of restoration continues. Just as the Lord had scattered Israel, so he would gather them. In the midst of these uplifting words, he says: This is what the Lord says: “A voice is heard in Ramah,    mourning and great weeping,Rachel weeping for her children    and refusing to be comforted,    because they are no more.” Jeremiah 31:15 This verse may sound familiar because it is quoted in Matthew 2:18. When King Herod tried to kill the baby Jesus by slaughtering all the baby boys in Bethlehem, Matthew says that incident fulfilled this verse. The context of this verse is the image of […]

Restoration After many prophecies of doom and gloom, the prophet shifts his message to what will happen afterward. Jerusalem’s destruction and depopulation will not be the end. The Lord will bring the nation back. The yoke mentioned a couple of chapters ago will be broken: “‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty,    ‘I will break the yoke off their necksand will tear off their bonds;    no longer will foreigners enslave them.Instead, they will serve the Lord their God    and David their king,    whom I will raise up for them. Jeremiah 30:8-9 How can David be their king? Isn’t he dead? David wouldn’t literally be king, of course. It’s referring to […]

A Change of Plans The problem with false prophets continues in this chapter, this time in Babylon. Some false prophets tell their fellow Israelites that it won’t be long before they return home. Jeremiah sends those in exile a letter, reiterating that it will be 70 years before it ends, so get comfortable. Settle down and rebuild your lives in that foreign land. It is in this chapter that a very well-known and beloved passage is found: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope […]

Prophet vs Prophet With the yoke still on his neck, Jeremiah encounters resistance to his message of submission. Hananiah the prophet preaches the exact opposite of Jeremiah the prophet: within 2 years the people and temples vessels will return from Babylon (Jeremiah 28:3-4). Who is to be believed? Both have the title “prophet”! I find it interesting how many times Jeremiah and Hananiah are given their titles of prophet throughout this chapter. Isn’t once enough? The author seems to be going out of his way to highlight this. Hananiah’s false prediction was dangerous. Not only would it not save the […]

Seventy Years In Jeremiah 25:3, the prophet proclaims that he’s been at it for twenty-three years, trying to call the nation to repent. In general, people haven’t listened. Jeremiah has already described the the bad things that were going to happen. However, he adds one additional detail this time: the desolation would last seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11). All except some of the youngest would never see the land again after being carried into exile. This timetable is referenced a couple other times. The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in […]