◄ Jeremiah 33:23 ►
Moreover, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
Study Bible
The word of the LORD
This phrase signifies a divine communication, emphasizing the authority and sacredness of the message. In Hebrew, "word" is "dabar," which implies not just a spoken word but an active, dynamic force. The "LORD" is "Yahweh," the covenant name of God, highlighting His eternal and unchanging nature. This introduction assures the reader of the divine origin and reliability of the message that follows.

came to Jeremiah
The verb "came" suggests an active movement from God to the prophet, indicating that Jeremiah is a chosen vessel for divine revelation. Jeremiah, whose name means "Yahweh exalts," was a prophet during a tumultuous period in Judah's history. His role was to convey God's messages to the people, often involving themes of judgment and hope.

This is what the LORD says
This phrase is a common prophetic formula that introduces a direct quotation from God. It underscores the authority of the message, as it is not Jeremiah's own words but those of Yahweh. This formula is used throughout the prophetic books to remind the audience of the divine source of the prophecy.

You have said
Here, God is addressing the people of Judah through Jeremiah. The phrase indicates that God is aware of the people's thoughts and words, reflecting His omniscience. It sets the stage for a response to their doubts or complaints, showing that God is engaged with His people's concerns.

‘The LORD has rejected the two families
The "two families" likely refer to the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, representing the divided nation of God's chosen people. The term "rejected" in Hebrew is "ma'as," which can mean to despise or refuse. This reflects the people's perception that God has abandoned them due to their sin and the resulting exile.

He had chosen.’
This phrase recalls God's election of Israel as His people, a theme central to the Old Testament. Despite their current circumstances, the notion of being "chosen" underscores God's enduring covenant with them. It serves as a reminder of their identity and God's faithfulness, even when they feel forsaken.

So they despise My people
The word "despise" in Hebrew is "bazah," meaning to hold in contempt or disdain. This reflects the surrounding nations' attitudes towards Israel and Judah, seeing them as abandoned by their God. It highlights the shame and humiliation the people feel, exacerbated by their enemies' scorn.

and no longer regard them as a nation
This phrase captures the loss of national identity and status that the people of Judah experience in exile. The term "nation" in Hebrew is "goy," often used to describe a people with a common identity and purpose. The loss of this status is a profound crisis, yet it sets the stage for God's promise of restoration and renewal, which is a recurring theme in Jeremiah's prophecies.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jeremiah
A major prophet in the Old Testament, known for his prophecies concerning the destruction and eventual restoration of Jerusalem. He is often called the "weeping prophet" due to his deep sorrow over the sins of his people and the impending judgment.

2. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant-keeping God of Israel, who communicates His will and promises through His prophets. In this context, He is the source of the message delivered to Jeremiah.

3. The Word of the LORD
This phrase signifies divine revelation, a message from God that carries authority and truth. It is a common expression in the prophetic books, indicating that the message is not of human origin but from God Himself.

4. Jerusalem
The capital city of Judah, central to the events of Jeremiah's prophecies. It is both the site of God's temple and the focus of His promises of restoration.

5. The People of Israel and Judah
The recipients of God's message through Jeremiah. They are in a state of rebellion and facing the consequences of their actions, yet God promises future restoration.
Teaching Points
The Authority of God's Word
God's word, as delivered to Jeremiah, carries divine authority. It is not merely human opinion but a revelation from the Creator. Believers are called to trust and obey God's word, recognizing its power and truth.

God's Faithfulness in Communication
God consistently communicates with His people, even in times of rebellion and judgment. This demonstrates His faithfulness and desire for relationship. We should seek to listen and respond to God's voice in our lives.

Hope in Restoration
Despite the dire circumstances faced by Israel and Judah, God's message through Jeremiah includes promises of restoration and hope. This reminds us that God's plans for us are ultimately for our good, even when we face difficult times.

The Role of Prophets
Prophets like Jeremiah serve as God's messengers, delivering His word to the people. Today, we can learn from their example by being attentive to God's leading and sharing His truth with others.

The Importance of Context
Understanding the historical and cultural context of Jeremiah's prophecies helps us grasp the full meaning of God's message. We should strive to study Scripture in its context to apply it accurately to our lives.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding the role of a prophet like Jeremiah enhance our appreciation of God's communication with His people?

2. In what ways can we discern and respond to the "word of the LORD" in our own lives today?

3. How does the promise of restoration in Jeremiah 33 encourage us in times of personal or communal difficulty?

4. What are some practical steps we can take to ensure we are listening to God's word with the same seriousness as the people of Israel and Judah were called to?

5. How can we apply the lessons from Jeremiah's life and ministry to our own efforts in sharing God's truth with others?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Jeremiah 31:31-34
This passage speaks of the New Covenant that God will establish with the house of Israel and Judah, highlighting the theme of restoration and renewal.

Isaiah 55:11
This verse emphasizes the power and effectiveness of God's word, which will accomplish what He desires and achieve the purpose for which it is sent.

Hebrews 1:1-2
These verses connect to the idea of God speaking through prophets in the past and now through His Son, Jesus Christ, showing the continuity and fulfillment of God's word.
Sermons
Divine Plans of Action UnalterableHomilistJeremiah 33:20-26
God's Great Day-And-Night EngineG. L. Taylor, D. D.Jeremiah 33:20-26
People
Babylonians, Benjamin, David, Ezekiel, Isaac, Jacob, Jeremiah, Levites
Places
Jerusalem, Negeb, Shephelah
Topics
Jeremiah, Moreover, Saying
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 33:23-25

     1348   covenant, with Abraham

Library
A Threefold Disease and a Twofold Cure.
'I will 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.'--JER. xxxiii. 8. Jeremiah was a prisoner in the palace of the last King of Judah. The long, national tragedy had reached almost the last scene of the last act. The besiegers were drawing their net closer round the doomed city. The prophet had never faltered in predicting its fall, but he had as uniformly …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Things Unknown
"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."--Jeremiah 33:3. GOD'S PEOPLE WILL NEVER THRIVE on anything less substantial than bread from heaven. Israel in Egypt might live on garlic and onions, but Israel in the wilderness must be fed with the manna that came down from heaven, and with the water that gushed out of the rock, when it was smitten by the rod of God. The child of God, while he is yet in his sins, may, like other men, revel in them, …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 46: 1900

Discerning Prayer.
INTRODUCTORY. BY D.W. WHITTLE. To recognize God's existence is to necessitate prayer to Him, by all intelligent creatures, or, a consciously living in sin and under condemnation of conscience, because they do not pray to Him. It would be horrible to admit the existence of a Supreme Being, with power and wisdom to create, and believe that the creatures he thought of consequence and importance enough to bring into existence, are not of enough consequence for him to pay any attention to in the troubles …
Various—The Wonders of Prayer

The Royal Priesthood
Gerhard Ter Steegen Jer. xxxiii. 18; Rev. i. 6 The race of God's anointed priests shall never pass away; Before His glorious Face they stand, and serve Him night and day. Though reason raves, and unbelief flows on, a mighty flood, There are, and shall be, till the end, the hidden priests of God. His chosen souls, their earthly dross consumed in sacred fire, To God's own heart their hearts ascend in flame of deep desire; The incense of their worship fills His Temple's holiest place; Their song with …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

The Best of the Best
"I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys."--Song of Solomon 2:1. THE time of flowers has come, and as they are in some faint degree emblems of our Lord, it is well, when God thus calls, that we should seek to learn what he desires to teach us by them. If nature now spreads out her roses and her lilies, or prepares to do so, let us try, not only to see them, but to see Christ as he is shadowed forth in them. "I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys." If these are the words …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 42: 1896

Nature of Covenanting.
A covenant is a mutual voluntary compact between two parties on given terms or conditions. It may be made between superiors and inferiors, or between equals. The sentiment that a covenant can be made only between parties respectively independent of one another is inconsistent with the testimony of Scripture. Parties to covenants in a great variety of relative circumstances, are there introduced. There, covenant relations among men are represented as obtaining not merely between nation and nation, …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Putting God to Work
"For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen a God beside thee who worketh for him that waiteth for him."--Isaiah 64:4. The assertion voiced in the title given this chapter is but another way of declaring that God has of His own motion placed Himself under the law of prayer, and has obligated Himself to answer the prayers of men. He has ordained prayer as a means whereby He will do things through men as they pray, which He would not otherwise do. Prayer …
Edward M. Bounds—The Weapon of Prayer

Be Ye Therefore Perfect, Even as Your Father which is in Heaven is Perfect. Matthew 5:48.
In the 43rd verse, the Savior says, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy; but I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward …
Charles G. Finney—Lectures to Professing Christians

The Sermon of the Seasons
"Oh, the long and dreary Winter! Oh, the cold and cruel Winter!" We say to ourselves, Will spring-time never come? In addition to this, trade and commerce continue in a state of stagnation; crowds are out of employment, and where business is carried on, it yields little profit. Our watchmen are asked if they discern any signs of returning day, and they answer, "No." Thus we bow our heads in a common affliction, and ask each man comfort of his fellow; for as yet we see not our signs, neither does …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 32: 1886

Twentieth Day for God's Spirit on the Heathen
WHAT TO PRAY.--For God's Spirit on the Heathen "Behold, these shall come from far; and these from the land of Sinim."--ISA. xlix. 12. "Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall haste to stretch out her hands to God."--PS. lxviii. 31. "I the Lord will hasten it in His time."--ISA. lx. 22. Pray for the heathen, who are yet without the word. Think of China, with her three hundred millions--a million a month dying without Christ. Think of Dark Africa, with its two hundred millions. Think …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

Truth Hidden when not Sought After.
"They shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."--2 Tim. iv. 4. From these words of the blessed Apostle, written shortly before he suffered martyrdom, we learn, that there is such a thing as religious truth, and therefore there is such a thing as religious error. We learn that religious truth is one--and therefore that all views of religion but one are wrong. And we learn, moreover, that so it was to be (for his words are a prophecy) that professed Christians, …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

Cleansing.
As there are conditions requiring to be complied with in order to the obtaining of salvation, before one can be justified, e. g., conviction of sin, repentance, faith; so there are conditions for full salvation, for being "filled with the Holy Ghost." Conviction of our need is one, conviction of the existence of the blessing is another; but these have been already dealt with. "Cleansing" is another; before one can be filled with the Holy Ghost, one's heart must be "cleansed." "Giving them the Holy …
John MacNeil—The Spirit-Filled Life

Curiosity a Temptation to Sin.
"Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away."--Proverbs iv. 14, 15. The chief cause of the wickedness which is every where seen in the world, and in which, alas! each of us has more or less his share, is our curiosity to have some fellowship with darkness, some experience of sin, to know what the pleasures of sin are like. I believe it is even thought unmanly by many persons (though they may not like to say …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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