Day 228 – Jeremiah 32-34

Talking Points

• King Zedekiah doesn’t like the message from Jeremiah, so he shuts him up in a room in the King’s palace. Do we ever try and do the same thing today? Do we think that ignoring God’s Word or moving it out of view somehow makes it less true?
• Directed by God and as a sign of a great future, Jeremiah buys a field, places the deeds in a pot, and buries them. One day, this land that is under siege and about to be made destitute will again be filled with joy and the bustle of life. This future hope lies secure in God’s promise made to David, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham. God is faithful and His Word is trustworthy.
• The problem with Israel and Judah is found here: “though I taught them, teaching again and again, they would not listen and receive instruction” (Jeremiah 32:33).
• The “righteous Branch” will execute justice and righteousness (33:15). He will also bring salvation and safety. Our hearts were always meant to long for Jesus!

Thoughts

As I was reading this account, this one line stuck out to me: I “will have mercy on them” (Jeremiah 33:26). Isn’t that the crux of it all? That God has mercy on us?

His mercy is shown in His patience. It’s evident as He warns, guides, commands, and teaches. God’s mercy is revealed as He deals with sinful people, allowing them time to turn to Him, revealing His trustworthiness, power, and love, that they would choose Him, and forgiving a repentant heart.

The word used for mercy really means His “covenant-loyalty or covenant-love.” What it means is that God is compassionate and shows us pity out of His faithfulness to His covenant He made. In His faithfulness to His promise with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David, He deals compassionately with Israel. And, in His faithfulness to His covenant made in the blood of Christ, God deals compassionately with sinners, still, offering them eternal life. His faithfulness in the past guarantees His faithfulness for all eternity. His Word is true. His promises are sure. His mercy is found in the salvation we have in Jesus Christ.

“He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13b).

“It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:15-16).