November 28: Jeremiah 33:14-16
Key Verse: Jeremiah 33:14
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will fulfil the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.
Devotion:
Jeremiah had many dire prophecies which the people had every reason to be afraid of; they were facing a dire period during which the armies of Nebuchadnezzar were descending on Jerusalem and many people were going to be captive to the Babylonians. But these few verses show the people some hope, not for the immediate future which is most certainly death for many, but for the future when a Saviour is going to come!
How sure was Jeremiah? He bought a plot of land right before the Babylonians were invading; not because he had hope it may be safe on his own land, but as a demonstration of the hope for the future of the Judeans. This was like a demonstration by him for the people to see how sure the hope in the future was!
Just as Isaiah had prophesied, this prophecy was to say someone would come who was of the lineage of David. People must have been distraught during the Babylonian Exile because they saw the end of the Davidic dynasty – they thought it was the end of the line of David. But God’s promises are built on the truth which would eventually come out at the end of the time of exile.
These words are often hard to hear for us at this time of year, not just because we have much shorter days and winter is fast approaching, but because of the many losses people do face at this time of the year. But the hope these words give us can still give us hope for today too. We too are called to share words of hope at this time more than normal – we too need to give people hope of a good future with God!
Points to Ponder:
What hope do you find in your bible?
Will you share that hope with someone?