Jeremiah 33:3

 

The context of Jeremiah 33:3 is interesting.  If you pull it out of its context it can be interpreted very mystically, with promises of the voice of God revealing secret things to our hearts.  While that’s intriguing, its not really God’s point. 

 

When God said this to Jeremiah, Jerusalem was in ruins.  Under siege from by the Babylonians, God describes Jerusalem later in the chapter as “a waste”.  Jerusalem, as a city under siege was in a desolate, desperate, and ugly place.  People were starving.  People were dying.  God had “hidden his face” from Jerusalem.

 

From the desolation, from the destruction, from the misery, God would raise up his city once more “to bring it health and healing” and reveal “abundance and prosperity” (Jer. 33:6).  Even though Israel’s sin was great and caused the destruction playing out before their eyes, God would cleanse them from the guilt of all their sin and rebellion (Jer. 33:8-9).

 

They couldn’t see it now, but it was coming.  Nothing in their current situation pointed to it but it was to be revealed in the future in ways they couldn’t comprehend.  Their job was not to figure out HOW God would work, only believe he would DO WHAT HE PROMISED.

 

The burden God presented to Israel through Jeremiah is our burden today: God promises, will we believe?

 

Will we?