We would like to read from the book of Jeremiah, chapter 33. We will read from verse 1.
And the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the guard, saying,
Thus saith the Lord that doeth it, the Lord that formed it to establish it; the Lord is His name:
Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and will show thee great things, and difficult, which thou knowest not.
Verse 6:
Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them; and I will reveal unto them abundance of peace and truth.
And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first.
And 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 against Me, and whereby they have transgressed against Me.
And this city shall be to Me for a name of joy, for a praise and for a glory, before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them; and they shall fear and tremble for all the good and for all the peace that I procure unto it.
Thus saith the Lord: Yet again there shall be heard in this place, whereof ye say, It is waste, without man and without beast, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast,
the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that say, Give thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for His lovingkindness endureth for ever; and of them that bring sacrifices of thanksgiving into the house of the Lord. For I will cause the captivity of the land to return as at the first, saith the Lord.
Verse 15:
In those days, and at that time, will I cause a Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and He shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is the name wherewith she shall be called: The Lord our righteousness.
For thus saith the Lord: David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before Me to offer burnt-offerings, and to burn meal-offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.
And the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord: If ye can break My covenant of the day, and My covenant of the night, so that there shall not be day and night in their season; then may also My covenant be broken with David My servant, that he shall not have a son to reign upon his throne, and with the Levites the priests, My ministers.
As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured; so will I multiply the seed of David My servant, and the Levites that minister unto Me.
Jeremiah was shut up in the court of the king’s guard. This was because the king was displeased with his prophecy. Jeremiah had prophesied that Jerusalem would be destroyed and that the king would be taken into captivity. The king was so unhappy with his prophecy that he shut him up.
You know, this is often true even today. When we hear the Word of God and we are not happy with it, when it does not seem to suit us, we try to shut it up instead of humbling ourselves before the Word of God and repenting. We try to shut it off completely.
You may shut up the prophet, but you cannot shut up the Word of God. Jeremiah was imprisoned in the court, but what he prophesied came to pass very quickly. It was the tenth year of King Zedekiah at that time, and in the eleventh year Jerusalem was taken and the captivity began.
While Jeremiah was shut up in the court of the guard, the Word of the Lord came to him in great measure. Oftentimes, when we are free and everything is smooth, we may not have much of God’s Word. But it often happens, when we are in affliction, distress, and surrounded with problems, that the Word of God comes to us in great measure.
In affliction, we are, as it were, enlarged. So here you find that when Jeremiah was shut up, the Word of God came to him in great measure. Evidently, Jeremiah must have been very much exercised in his heart.
He had prophesied the captivity of Judah and Israel, and because of that he was shut up in prison. Now, was he bitter because of this unjust treatment dispensed to him? Thank God, the prophet was not bitter. He was still exercised in his heart toward the nation.
He was not like, for instance, Jonah. After Jonah prophesied that God would destroy Nineveh unless they repented, they did repent. Jonah sat on a mountain overlooking the city, waiting for it to be destroyed. When God did not destroy the city, he was so unhappy with God.
Jeremiah prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem, and yet he was not just waiting there passively for judgment to come. Nor did he look forward with expectancy that it should happen. Instead, Jeremiah was exercised in his heart before God, looking to God and wondering, “What will God do next? Will there be any hope?”
Jeremiah was not a prophet of doom. He prophesied much judgment, but he was not a prophet of doom. He was exercised before God. He looked at the nation and the people. He had done everything he could. He called them to repentance, but they would not repent.
He was helpless in the sense that his voice was silenced. He was not able to go out and prophesy and preach. What could he do?
Dear brothers and sisters, if we are shut in from all sides, if things seem hopeless and helpless and we cannot do anything, what can we do to help? Remember one thing: the way of prayer is always open.
Jeremiah was not able to prophesy publicly, and yet the Word of God came to him and said, “Call unto Me, and I will answer thee.” There is still something you can do, and that is to pray.
Brothers and sisters, how we thank God that we may be put into an environment in which we seem completely shut in, where there is nothing we can do. But it is a call to prayer. When there is nothing you can do, this is the time you should be on your knees.
The Lord said, “Call unto Me, and I will answer thee.” That is a promise. God said, “You call, and I will answer.” God is always faithful to His promise.
You know, sometimes we do pray, but when we pray, we do not believe that He will answer. We are just going through the motions. If that is the case, then our prayer will be unanswered.
But when we pray, when we call upon the name of the Lord, we have a precious promise that He will answer. Therefore, we should pray with faith.
As you find in 1 John 5, we are told that this is our boldness, this is our confidence: if we pray according to His will, He will hear us. He will.
Of course, when God answers, it may not be exactly what you ask for. You may ask for something, but He may give you something else. Nevertheless, He will answer, either yes or no. And no is an answer too.
I think I mentioned before the story about Amy Carmichael, that sister greatly used by God in India. When she was a child, she believed in the Lord, and she had a childlike faith.
It so happened that she had brown eyes, and she was not happy about it. She wanted blue eyes. So one night she prayed. She asked God to change the colour of her eyes from brown to blue, and she prayed believing that God would answer her.
When she went to bed, the next morning she got up and immediately went to the mirror. She expected that her eyes had changed from brown to blue. Unfortunately, they were still brown. She felt let down—a real letdown. Of course, she forgot about it.
But many years later, she went to India as a missionary. God used her to rescue girls from the temple. These girls were bought, or even given to the temple, to be raised as prostitutes in a Hindu temple. She had to go into the temple to rescue these little girls.
So she put on Indian dress and dressed like an Indian woman so that she could enter the temple. Then she realized that if she had blue eyes, she would be discovered. Because she had brown eyes, she could enter unnoticed.
Later she said that God did answer her prayer, but God’s answer was no.
Now, brothers and sisters, the Lord said, “Call unto Me, and I will answer thee.” This is God’s promise. If you call on Him, He will answer. Just believe that He will answer, though sometimes His answer is no, not always yes.
Now, is there any contradiction between what you ask for and what He gives? There is no contradiction. We may ask for what we feel, for His glory, we should have. That is perfectly all right.
You remember the apostle Paul. He had that thorn in his flesh, and because of the thorn in his flesh, he was reduced to weakness. To him, this would affect his ministry as he moved among unbelievers. He felt it would not be a glory to God.
Because of that, he asked the Lord to remove that thorn from him. He prayed three times, believing that God would answer him. God did answer, but God’s answer was no.
God answered, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” He wanted the thorn removed so that he might be strong, but God’s answer was that the thorn would continue in him, and God’s grace would overcome.
Brothers and sisters, here is a call to us to pray. Whenever you feel helpless, whenever you are in a situation where there is nothing you can do, remember that there is always something open: you can pray.
You can pour forth your heart before God. You can discharge your burden by prayer. The ministry of prayer is something that can never be shut up. People can shut up your mouth, but they cannot shut up your prayer. God is always waiting there to answer us.
“Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and will show thee great and difficult things, which thou knowest not.”
How did God answer Jeremiah’s prayer? He answered Jeremiah’s prayer overabundantly above what he prayed for. God said, “I will show thee great and difficult things.”
The word difficult can also be translated as “unattainable”—hard things, things that humanly speaking are impossible, things that cannot be reached or obtained. Yet God said, “I will show thee great and unattainable things which thou knowest not.”
If you go back a little to Jeremiah 32, you find that while Jeremiah was imprisoned in the court of the guard in the king’s house, the Word of God came to him and said, “Thine uncle’s son”—that is, your cousin—“will come to thee and ask thee to redeem his property.”
Sure enough, his cousin came to the court and said, “Jeremiah, you are the kinsman-redeemer. I am poor. I have to sell my property. Now you are my closest relative, and you have the right of redemption. Therefore, you should redeem the property for me—that is, buy it—so that the property may not go outside the family.”
So Jeremiah bought that property. It was property in Anathoth, a city of priests. That was where Jeremiah came from. It was a city of priests.
Jeremiah gave the money and had all the agreement and contract signed. At that time, there was one open deed and one sealed deed, with witnesses and everything. Every procedure was followed and finished.
But after it was finished, Jeremiah cried unto the Lord and said, “O Lord, You asked me to buy that property, but that city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans. Not only Anathoth, but even Jerusalem will be taken by the Chaldeans, by the Babylonians. Why do You want me to buy a property that will be taken away even from us Jews? What is that good for?”
And God said, in Jeremiah 32:
Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for Me?
It is true that the city, and even Jerusalem, would be destroyed and taken by the Chaldeans. But God said, “I will turn the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel. They will come back. I will gather them back, and the city shall be inhabited. Lands and property shall be bought and sold.”
Here you find again: “Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and I will show thee great and unattainable things which thou knowest not.” What are these things?
In Jeremiah 33, you find first the turning of the captivity of Judah. Very soon, within a year, Jerusalem would be taken by the Chaldeans, and the Jews would be taken into captivity in Babylon.
But God said, “I will turn the captivity of Judah and of Israel. I will gather them and bring them back. I will cleanse them from the sins that they have sinned against Me. I will even make them a name of joy, of praise, and of glory.”
Is that not wonderful? A people who were to be taken into captivity, sold as slaves because of their wickedness, rebellion, and sins—it seemed to be a hopeless case. It seemed that would be the end of that nation and the end of that people, completely wiped off the map.
Yet God said, “I will turn the captivity,” not because of the people themselves, but because of mercy. God said, “I will turn. I will cleanse. I will make you a name of joy, praise, and even glory.”
Second, God said, “I will not only turn the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, but I will turn the captivity of the land.” Not only the people, but the land.
The land was waste and desolation. Because of the war and the long siege, everything was completely destroyed, and there were no inhabitants. It was like a wilderness. But God said, “I will turn the captivity of the land.”
The land shall be inhabited, cities shall be built, and there shall be shepherds with flocks everywhere. It will be as it was in the beginning: the turning of the captivity of the land.
Third, not only would there be the turning of the captivity of the people and of the land, but God said, “I will raise up a Branch of righteousness unto David.”
There will be a Branch of David. Out of King David, there will be One who is even greater than David, and He will bring in judgment and righteousness. Because of what He will do, the city itself shall be called, “The Lord our righteousness.”
That will be the name of that city. That wicked city will be called, “The Lord our righteousness.” There shall be a King on the throne of David forever, and there shall not be lacking priests, the Levites, to serve.
Fourth, God said that if anyone can break the covenant of day and the covenant of night, then they can break the covenant God made with David and with the Levites.
You know, God set up day and night. It is a covenant. As long as this world exists, there will be day and night in their seasons. God said that if anyone can break the covenant of day and night, then they can break the covenant He made with David and the Levites.
In other words, it is unbreakable. Everything will be fulfilled.
Brothers and sisters, remember that Jeremiah was in prison in the court of the guard. The city was surrounded under the siege of the Babylonians. Within a year, it would all be destroyed, and the people would be scattered.
Yet when Jeremiah called upon the Lord, the Lord answered him and said: the people will return; the land will be inhabited; a Branch of David will be raised up; because of His work, the city shall be called “The Lord our righteousness”; and this covenant shall never be broken.
These are the great and difficult things that God showed Jeremiah. Seventy years after the captivity, a remnant of the Jews returned to Jerusalem. It is true that seventy years later, some of the people came back. They began to rebuild the temple and the city of Jerusalem under Nehemiah, Ezra, and others.
But that was not the full fulfilment. It was only a foretaste of what God had promised to do. Today, the nation of Israel has been restored. The desert has bloomed, and cities are inhabited. But the full fulfilment is yet to come.
It is true that two thousand years ago, a Branch of righteousness was raised up in the house of David in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. But He was rejected. He was not accepted as the Messiah.
But, dear brothers and sisters, because of His work on Calvary’s cross, He will bring righteousness and judgment to the world and to the nation of Israel. One day Jerusalem shall be called, “The Lord our righteousness.”
Israel is temporarily set aside, but one day, when Christ returns, all Israel shall be saved. They shall be priests to all the nations during the millennium. God’s covenant with David and with the Levites cannot be broken. God always keeps His promise.
Think of it. Even at the time of Jeremiah, under all these adverse situations, God showed Jeremiah these wonderful things. But, brothers and sisters, what are they to us?
Certainly, we are not here merely studying history or merely studying a prophecy that concerns other people. This is in the Word of God for our edification. What are all these things to us today, individually and collectively? What are the lessons God wants us to learn?
Our life on earth cannot always be smooth and easy. God has not promised that because we believe in Him, therefore our life will be all rosy. God has not promised that.
As long as we live on this earth, and especially if we want to live godly before God, there will be persecution, problems, trouble, and affliction. But do we need to go down because of our afflictions? Do we need to become bitter because of the treatment we receive from the world? Not so.
Whenever we are shut in, remember, brothers and sisters, the Word of God to us is: “Call unto Me, and I will answer thee.”
Whenever we are pressed, whenever we are surrounded, whenever we are in straits, whenever we feel so helpless that there is nothing we can do, remember: this is a call from God that we should be on our knees and pray.
Just pour out our burdens before God. He will answer us. Not only will He answer us by giving us maybe what we ask for, but He will answer us even overabundantly above.
In what sense? We discover that as we call to Him and He answers, He will not only supply our needs, but He will reveal Himself to us.
Not only will He supply us with things; He will supply us with Himself. He will transform us and conform us to His own image. Can there be anything greater, or humanly more difficult, than that?
Collectively, as the church of God, is it not pressed upon our hearts to see the condition of the church of God today? Some people say that the church today is in ruin. Even if that is true, it is almost like the condition in Jeremiah’s time.
Many cities had already been taken by the Chaldeans, and Jerusalem, which was left, was soon to be taken. Everything was to be waste, ruin, and desolation. There seemed to be no hope.
Is it not true that sometimes we feel this way as we look around at the church today, the church of the living God? Yet the church seems to be in ruin. God’s people are divided. God’s people are taken by the world. The world has the upper hand, as it were, over the church of God. Where is the testimony of Jesus?
Do we feel so helpless? What can we do? Is it because of that that we give up hope? Is it because of that that we give in? Oh, no.
At that very time, God told Jeremiah to buy that property from his cousin. Humanly speaking, that was foolish. Who would want to buy property that would soon be lost to the enemy?
Suppose the enemy is coming to Washington, and perhaps within a year Washington will be lost. Real estate will fall. Basically, nobody will want to buy anything anymore. Who is going to be foolish enough to buy land then?
In other words, when everything seems to be falling apart, this is the time that you should rise up to possess your possession. That is the principle of the overcomer.
Who are the overcomers? The overcomers are those who do not look merely at the present, who are not overwhelmed by what they can see. The overcomers are those who have eyes to see the future, who have eyes to see what God will do and is going to do.
They press on towards the goal. When everybody gives up, this is the time that you go on. You press on. Against the tide, that is true, but that is the sign of being alive.
If you are dead, you will go with the tide. But if you are living, you will swim against the tide towards the goal God has shown you. Nobody can do that unless you catch a vision of what God is going to do.
When Jeremiah received that word, he bought in obedience to God’s word. But then he cried out and said, “God, why do You want me to do such a foolish thing?” And God showed him great and difficult things, and that comforted the heart of Jeremiah.
Oh, brothers and sisters, it is true that everything seems to be falling away. But this is the time that we should rise up and press on to possess our possession, as it were, to redeem our brethren.
If our brethren become so poor as to have to sell their property, let us buy for them and help them. That is the principle of the overcomer.
Remember, God is faithful. One day the New Jerusalem shall appear. No doubt, it is a city which can be called “The Lord our righteousness,” because the shining of the city is the shining of God. The glory of God shall fill that city.
The church of God will be restored, recovered, and brought to that place God first ordained it to be, as it was in the beginning. That is the working of God.
Remember, it is all God’s work. When you read Jeremiah 33, you find God saying, “I will, I will. I will do this. I will do that. I will turn the captivity. I will turn the captivity of the land. I will raise up a Branch. I will keep My covenant.”
God will do all this. The only thing left for us to do is to believe and to obey.
So, brothers and sisters, we hope that we can learn something from this chapter, the Word of God.