THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
I have ten grandchildren, and I find myself repeating some of the same things my dad would say to me. For example, I’ll sometimes hear one of them complaining about something that happened at school, and I’ll hear: “That’s just not fair!” In those moments, I echo what my father said to me: “Who said life would always be fair?”
I’m guessing you’ve heard that too. And if you’re a parent, I’m guessing you’ve also said it.
Life isn’t fair! It’s frustrating when we see people with poor character and questionable morals seem to get ahead in life; meanwhile, those who seek to do right often fall behind. Such events might cause us to think that God is not fair. Why doesn’t He punish the unrighteous and reward the righteous?
We are not the first ones to raise that question. God showed us much about Himself through the prophet Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 33, God revealed Himself as Our Righteousness; in so doing, He helps us deal with those “unfair” moments.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Jeremiah 33:3-5
3 Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know. 4 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the houses of this city and the palaces of Judah’s kings, the ones torn down for defense against the assault ramps and the sword: 5 The people coming to fight the Chaldeans will fill the houses with the corpses of their own men that I strike down in my wrath and rage. I have hidden my face from this city because of all their evil.
Nearly a hundred years after Assyria had taken the ten northern tribes of Israel into captivity (see 2 Kings 17:6-18), Judah also stood on the brink of collapse. Jeremiah was God’s spokesman during the latter part of these tumultuous years. His ministry began during the reign of the good king Josiah, who was profoundly moved when he rediscovered the Word of God. As a result, Josiah restored the temple and revived worship. (See 22:8-13; 23:4-25.) Unfortunately, the revival and reform which occurred during Josiah’s reign ended abruptly after the young king’s untimely death. (See 23:29-30.) Spiritual decline led to rapid moral decay and oppression; violence and political unrest were the order of the day.
We pick up the narrative over twelve years later, during the reign of King Zedekiah. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was Judah’s primary nemesis. Zedekiah sent two priests to Jeremiah asking the prophet to inquire to the Lord on their behalf. (See Jer. 21:2.) The prophet’s response was an unexpected warning: God was going to use the Chaldeans to bring judgment upon His own people. (See vv. 4-7.) The Lord invited Judah to display the fruits of repentance and be restored (see 22:3-4), but Zedekiah and the people ignored the warning of the prophet and rejected the kindness of the Lord. Zedekiah imprisoned Jeremiah in the guards’ courtyard, in an attempt to silence the prophet. Jeremiah told Zedekiah he would soon see Nebuchadnezzar face to face because he would be taken captive to Babylon. (See 32:1-5.)
What captures your attention
about God’s character in these verses?
The people of Judah must have wondered how to understand Jeremiah’s message in light of God’s promises and purposes for His own people. Had not God promised to establish David’s throne forever? (See 2 Sam. 7:10-16.) Yet the people brought this on themselves through their own disobedience and sin!
God disciplines us just as He disciplined the people of Judah, but His purpose is to bring us back to Himself—and even into a closer walk with Him. God invites us to call to Him. We find the answers we seek and the hope we need when we call to Him. Then He reveals to us “great and incomprehensible things you do not know.”
The “incomprehensible things” God would reveal remind us our knowledge is limited but God’s knowledge is unlimited. God desires to answer the prayers of His people, but we must first cry out to Him.
Jeremiah had an even more dramatic word from God. God would raise up a Righteous Branch from the line of David, a King who would bring judgment and justice to the earth. He would be called “The LORD Is Our Righteousness” (Jer. 23:6)—Yahweh Tsidkenu.
Jeremiah 33:6-8
6 Yet I will certainly bring health and healing to it and will indeed heal them. I will let them experience the abundance of true peace. 7 I will restore the fortunes of Judah and of Israel and will rebuild them as in former times. 8 I will purify them from all the iniquity they have committed against me, and I will forgive all the iniquities they have committed against me, rebelling against me.
The bad news is eclipsed by the good news that follows. God now would extend mercy to them—mercy that would result in health, healing, and an abundance of peace and truth. Both Judah and Israel would be brought back from captivity and reunited.
But the very best news of all was that God would deal with their sin. God Himself would bring health and healing, and the past sufferings of the people would be replaced by “the abundance of true peace.” This unusual phrase suggests a lasting peace.
How have you
experienced God’s restoration?
God also promised His people would return to their land and rebuild the nation as it was before the two kingdoms were divided. While God’s judgment of sin is just, His mercy and kindness are abundant. His restoration of His people would be complete.
This good news culminates in the promise that God would deal with their sin problem. The Lord used three words to describe sin:
- Iniquity. A word rooted in the idea of twisting or bending.
- Iniquities. A word that shares the same Hebrew root as the first, but it carries the idea of missing the mark.
- Rebelling. A term that means to resist authority or to rise in opposition against a ruler.
Despite the rebellion of God’s people, His desire was to forgive and restore. The problem of our sin and rebellion is one that runs throughout the Bible, but alongside it is the testimony of God’s desire to redeem and restore. The depravity of humanity is clear, but equally clear is God’s solution. We want things to be just and right. We want life to go well—and so does God! Yet in those moments when it doesn’t seem that life is either just or right, we should remember that God is at work!
Jeremiah 33:14-16
14 “Look, the days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration— “when I will fulfill the good promise that I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a Righteous Branch to sprout up for David, and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely, and this is what she will be named: The Lord Is Our Righteousness.
By announcing, “Look, the days are coming,” Jeremiah declared the time was near at hand when the people would see the fulfillment of “the good promise” for both the house of Israel and the house of Judah. The promise concerned the restoration of the Davidic line. God would make things right!
How do the promises
in these verses point forward to Jesus?
Righteousness is not just a description—He is a Person! “The LORD Is Our Righteousness.” God would “cause a Righteous Branch to sprout up for David,” who would “administer justice and righteousness in the land.” Of course, this “Righteous Branch” referred to the coming Messiah.
The name of God that affirms His righteous character will also become the name of Jerusalem because the city will take on His character. Jerusalem would be restored and become what God always intended it to be—a city marked by righteousness. (See Isa. 1:26, 62:2-4; Jer. 3:17.)
Paul spoke of his own “righteous” accomplishments based on his strict adherence to the law. In Christ, he saw those accomplishments as mere rubbish. (See Phil. 3:4-7.) Why would this religious man consider his own righteousness as rubbish? “Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith” (vv. 8-9).
On those days where life doesn’t go right, trust that God will ultimately make all things right. He will bring His righteousness to bear on all things, including the lives of those who follow Him.
How can our actions and attitudes
demonstrate that we follow God who is our righteousness?
LIVE IT OUT
God is Our Righteousness. How will you let that truth make a difference in your life? Choose one of the following applications.
- Confess. Because God is righteous, He stands apart from sin. Enter into a relationship with Him, or restore your fellowship with Him, by confessing any sin in your life.
- Trust. Life is not always fair. Even when it feels like the wrong side is winning, God will have the final say. In the meantime, trust Him. He loves you, and in His righteousness, He will make things right.
- Stand. The trend in our culture is to believe we can each have our own definition of righteousness. Instead of becoming a standard to ourselves, Jesus is the standard for righteousness. Stand with Him and stand for Him in doing and proclaiming what is right.
We all have plenty of examples of life not being fair. Thankfully we know all will be made right in the end by Jehovah Tsidkenu, God Our Righteousness.
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Teacher Notes
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Life isn’t fair! It’s frustrating when we see people with poor character and questionable morals seem to get ahead in life; meanwhile, those who seek to do right often fall behind. Such events might cause us to think that God is not fair. Why doesn’t He punish the unrighteous and reward the righteous?
“BUT THAT’S NOT FAIR!!”
Ever screamed that as a kid? (Yeah, me neither.)
As kids, we just know there are rules for fairness—somewhere. Mention the fairness doctrine and a lot of folks assume you’re getting theological. But there is no fairness doctrine in Scripture.
- Be glad there is no fairness doctrine in the Bible.
- God offers us something far better than fairness.
I’ll come back to these two ideas, but first, let me tell you where you might have heard about the fairness doctrine.
“That other car passed me, but you
pulled me over. That’s not fair!”
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Television. It used to be a FCC ruling for your TV. Broadcasters were expected to expose us to a variety of viewpoints. They were to devote a portion of their airtime to controversial topics, and with those topics they were to present different viewpoints. Through talk shows, editorials, or news stories, the stations were expected to treat all sides of an issue fairly. The policy was removed in 1987, and that decision is still debated. Did the fairness doctrine help or hurt the first amendment right to free speech?
_______________________________
If you want fairness, write Congress. Or ask your mom to cut equal size pieces of pie. But don’t ask God.
You don’t want fairness from God.
I always enjoy the Readers’ Digest, particularly its section entitled, “Laughter: The Best Medicine”. Some years ago, it contained a story about a scientist who told God He was no longer needed. The scientist told God, “We’ve advanced so far in science and technology that we can do everything for ourselves. We don’t really need you any longer.” God challenged the scientist to a man-making contest, using the exact same materials with which God made the first man. The scientist laughed and said, “No problem!” He bent down and scooped up some dirt. God interrupted him and said, “Not so fast, buster! Go get your own dirt!”
People today mock the idea of God making a man from the dust, but it’s really not so incredible when you realize God made the dust, too! Unfortunately, many people today are just like the scientist in the story. They think we’ve become so clever and inventive that we no longer need God. The truth is, we depend on God for everything – even the air we breathe. If He were to withdraw from us, we would really be in trouble.
Unfortunately, the people of Israel had decided they no longer needed God. They abandoned Him to worship idols and, as a result, God turned His back on them. When the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem, God was not willing to protect the Israelites as He had in the past. Jeremiah warned the people of this coming judgment, but not all of his news was bad. Someday God would allow the people to return to their homeland. More importantly, God would someday send a Redeemer to Israel to restore the people to a right relationship with Him.
I. A Promise of Rejection
Jeremiah 33:3-5
3 Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know. 4 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the houses of this city and the palaces of Judah’s kings, the ones torn down for defense against the assault ramps and the sword: 5 The people coming to fight the Chaldeans will fill the houses with the corpses of their own men that I strike down in my wrath and rage. I have hidden my face from this city because of all their evil.
What was happening here with Judah? Why was God hiding His face from Jerusalem?
- God was rejecting Judah - A promise of rejection. “Call unto me” – Many people use this verse to justify “name and claim it” theology, but they overlook the context. 1. The blessing would only come after God’s judgment.
- The Northern Kingdom had already been judged by this time. The Southern Kingdom of Judah would soon face a similar fate. The judgment would be temporary, but it would be severe. The Babylonians would invade the city. People would tear down their own houses to build defenses. Many would die in the process, and others would be taken captive.
- The Israelites had brought it on themselves. They had abandoned the true God. God was no longer hearing their prayers (Jer. 2:26-28; 7:16). Sometimes God’s worst judgment is to give people what they want. God still takes sin seriously. Jesus and the writers of the New Testament often spoke very vividly of the judgment and the wrath of God. Not even followers of Jesus can openly defy God and get away with it (Hebrews 12:4-8).
Point: God Will Display His Wrath Against Evil - The wicked are subject to God’s wrath and judgment. Sometimes God’s worst judgment is to give people what they want.
II. A Promise of Restoration
Jeremiah 33:6-8
6 Yet I will certainly bring health and healing to it and will indeed heal them. I will let them experience the abundance of true peace. 7 I will restore the fortunes of Judah and of Israel and will rebuild them as in former times. 8 I will purify them from all the iniquity they have committed against me, and I will forgive all the iniquities they have committed against me, rebelling against me.
God promised rejection, punishment, and His wrath earlier. What is He promising here and why?
- He promised restoration. God’s judgment would only be temporary. He would bring healing to the land. The people would be allowed to return home. The temple would be rebuilt. (Ezra and Nehemiah)
- Judah and Israel would return home.
- Some consequences of their sin still remained. Except for a brief period under the Maccabees, Israel never again enjoyed real independence until the 20th century. b. God does not always undo the damage of sin. • When I was growing up, my family had a good friend who was a quadriplegic. He had gotten that way from driving drunk. Some years later he came to know the Lord, and he became a very active member of our church. God forgave his sins, but he was still in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
What is the greatest promise here?
- He would forgive their sins. They didn’t deserve forgiveness but God is merciful. No amount of good works will change the fact that we’ve sinned. God deals with us not according to what we deserve, but according to His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:3-7). God emphasized that He would forgive all their sins.
Points: God Will Purify and Forgive His Children - The same God who appears to show no mercy to the wicked promises restoration and wholeness to those who repent. God replaces the sufferings of past sin with new life and abundant peace. The discipline of the Lord can be used by Him to prepare us for a new, blessed relationship with Him. Though we have sinned, He perfectly cleanses; though we have rebelled, He abundantly pardons. God does not always undo the damage of sin.
III. A Promise of Redemption
Jeremiah 33:14-16
14 “Look, the days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration— “when I will fulfill the good promise (I will perform that good thing) that I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a Righteous Branch to sprout up for David, and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely, and this is what she will be named: The Lord Is Our Righteousness.
God will punish sin, but if we repent, He promises to restore. What is He promising here?
- Redemption - A promise of redemption. God promised He would “perform that good thing”. The context suggests He was referring to His promise of the Messiah. “The Branch of righteousness” – Jeremiah had used this term in an earlier prophecy (Jeremiah 23:5). Other prophets used the imagery of a “Branch” in reference to the Messiah (Isaiah 11:1; Zechariah 3:8; 6:12).
What will this Righteous Branch do? What does this mean?
- The Messiah would “execute judgment and righteousness”. He would take God’s judgment on Himself (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24). He would bestow God’s righteousness on others. Some of these promises will not be fulfilled until Jesus returns. Unrighteousness still abounds in our world. God will create a new earth untainted by sin (Revelation 21:1-4). The wicked will be duly punished. Jerusalem still faces conflict and danger. It will be a place of complete safety and security (Rev. 21:24-27). Some believe these promises of peace in the Old Testament will be fulfilled in the Millennium. Though I do hold a premillennial view of Christ’s return, I’m convinced that the majority of these prophecies refer to the New Jerusalem (Isaiah 65:17). The city will be called “the Lord our righteousness”. This means it will be a place of complete righteousness, and it will exist for the glory of God (Revelation 21:23). Yahweh Tsidkenu
Points: God Will Administer His Justice and Righteousness - The Lord will do what He promises in His own time. The Lord always does what is just and right.
In what ways should our daily lives be affected by the fact that the Lord is our righteousness?
Bible: God would restore Jerusalem, not because the people cried, but because it was part of His ultimate plan. The Babylonian disaster did not change God’s purposes for His people. Although Jerusalem would be destroyed, it would be restored (after the 70-year captivity and in the end times when the Messiah will rule). God’s justice is always tempered by His mercy. Vs.1 God assured Jeremiah that he had only to call to God and God would answer. God is ready to answer our prayers, but we must ask for His assistance. Surely God could take care of our needs without our asking. But when we ask, we are acknowledging that He alone is God and that we cannot accomplish in our own strength all that is His domain to do. When we ask, we must humble ourselves, lay aside our willingness and worry, and determine to obey Him. Vs. 3 These verses refer to both the first and second coming of Christ. At His first coming He would set up His reign in the hearts of believers; at His second coming He would execute justice and righteousness throughout the whole earth. Christ is the “righteous Branch” sprouting from David, the man after God’s own heart.
I said earlier…You don’t want fairness from God.
Isn’t it only right and fair that if a person breaks the law, he gets punished? When we see a person get off Scott-free, we cry foul. We want justice. Why? Because that’s being fair.
If God were fair, He would just give us what our sins deserve. He is a God of righteousness and justice, and sin will be dealt with. So, if all we want is fairness, we should expect death and eternal destruction. Because that’s what we deserve—and that’s fair. But God also offers what? - grace. God loves us deeply, but that does not mean He will simply dismiss our sin. His righteousness and justice will not allow that. So, God paid the penalty for our sin Himself. Jesus took the punishment we deserve as His own.
That’s hardly fair! No, it’s not. That’s grace.
In our cries for fairness, we can be sure of this:
“God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed” (Ecc. 3:17).
“Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism” (Col. 3:25).
In other words…that God will ultimately make all things right.
But there is a way out of what’s fair—the justice and punishment you deserve.
Turn your sins over to Christ. Confess them. Repent. Turn from them. Trust in Christ and His death on your behalf. Let His forgiveness sweep over you and remove every sin. And when your sins are gone, so is the justice you deserve. Jesus took it all. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Pet. 3:9).
That’s not fair; that’s grace.
We all have plenty of examples of life not being fair. Thankfully we know all will be made right in the end by Jehovah Tsidkenu, God Our Righteousness.
Hope to see you on Sunday!
In His Love,
David & Susan
