Study notes
People often call these four chapters "The Book of Consolation," a highlight in Old Testament revelation. Unlike the many judgment messages Jeremiah gave his people, these messages are full of hope and promise a wonderful future restoration.
The messages of hope in these chapters are about God blessing his people. That would happen after the time of judgement was over. Jacob’s family line would be brought back to their land. They would live faithful to God as his people. He would be the only God they worshipped and served. This would allow them to enjoy the covenant blessings.
God would give them peace, rest, safety and security. God would heal them and give them health and success. He would freely share with them his tender and faithful love. Their king would be the Branch from David’s family line. This king would do what was fair and right. The people would worship God in the ways that he had taught them. The priests and Levites would make sure of this.
God had described how his people’s sin was carved on the tablet of their hearts. He had said this in a judgement message recorded in Jeremiah 17:1. In these messages of hope he said something else would be written on their hearts. God promised to write his law on their hearts. This was how God would make a new covenant with his people. The law of the Mount Sinai covenant had been written on stone tablets.
Having God’s law written on their hearts was a way of describing something. It meant that God’s people would truly know who God is. Knowing God would make them able to understand clearly what sin and evil were. Then they would make the choice to say no to evil and yes to God. They would worship, serve and obey him. This is what God had always wanted for human beings.
Sin and evil would remain a problem for God’s people. But they would trust God to take care of this problem. God would take care of it by forgiving their sins and their evil ways. Unlike the judgement messages, these messages of hope were pleasant for Jeremiah. He bought a piece of land as a sign. It was a sign that God’s people would buy and sell land again in the future. It was a sign that God’s promises in the messages of hope would come true.
Jews recognised that some of the promises came true after the exile. They came to understand that some of the promises would come true in the future. That would happen when the messiah came. New Testament writers showed that Jesus put the new covenant into effect. Jesus made it possible for people to be freed from the power of sin and evil.
As Jerusalem and the king of Judah faced invaders, God gave Jeremiah insight into His long-term plan. The promises would only come true after the destruction. The nation's hope was not in avoiding destruction but in the purification it would bring.
Jeremiah was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace from late 587 BC, during the siege, until Jerusalem fell in August 586 BC (see Jeremiah 32:2).
The Lord based this message on his power as the Creator of everything and the strength of his name.
Zedekiah and his men demolished some buildings to strengthen the city's walls against the Babylonians' siege ramps and swords.
The men were doomed because the Lord had decided to destroy the city.
The Lord promised to cleanse and forgive all their rebellious sins. This promise was the foundation of the new, everlasting covenant (Jeremiah 31:34; 32:38–41).
After the new covenant was established, all nations would see the Lord's blessing on Jerusalem.
Seventy years of exile would come first, but the Lord’s curse (Jeremiah 7:34) would be reversed (25:10–12). Singing would mark the restored worship (Psalm 136:1). This prediction came true in 538 to 536 BC when worship in Jerusalem was restored and the foundations of the Second Temple were laid (Ezra 3).
bride and bridegroom: Compare the earlier prophecies in Jeremiah 7:34 and 25:10.
The Babylonian invasion left the land empty and barren.
the days are coming...In those days: These phrases refer to events beyond the return of the exiles, as mentioned by the Lord's prophets (Isaiah 32:1–2). They point to the New Testament fulfillment of God's plan in Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) and a righteous branch; Isaiah 4:2; 11:1; Zechariah 3:8; 6:12, 13).
He: A single person, not a group, would be a fair judge and bring justice with his decisions.
Continuing the discussion about the flaws in Zedekiah and other kings of David's dynasty (Jeremiah 23:1–5), the Lord revealed the greatness of a future ruler.
The LORD Our Righteousness: Hebrew Yahweh Tsidqenu; see Jeremiah 23:5–6, where this title refers to the Messiah. This name reverses Zedekiah’s name (Tsidqiyyahu, “Righteous is the Lord”). Zedekiah did not live up to his name, but the Messiah would fulfill it.
Zedekiah was the last of David's descendants to rule Judah, but the Messiah, a future descendant of David, will be Israel's king forever.
After the exiles returned to Jerusalem, Levitical priests led worship in the new Temple (Ezra 6:13–22).
Jeremiah shared God's promise. The new agreement with David's descendants and the Levitical priests would be as certain as day following night.
The Lord had rejected individuals, cities, and kingdoms, but he would never abandon his people, who spanned many generations.
Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources