Daily Devotions
Jeremiah
"I will cause the captives of the land to return"
Text: Jeremiah 33:11
THE PLANS OF GOD FOR ISRAEL REVEALED III
The LORD expressed understanding of how the people felt. He knew what they were saying too. Deep down, many were feeling distressed and unbelief was very deep.
“Thus says the LORD: ‘Again there shall be heard in this place—
of which you say, ‘It is desolate, without man and without beast’—
in the cities of Judah, 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 those who will say:
‘Praise the LORD of hosts,
For the LORD is good,
For His mercy endures forever’—
and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD.
For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,’ says the LORD.”
Jeremiah 33:10-11
1. “Thus says the LORD: ‘Again there shall be heard in this place—
of which you say, ‘It is desolate, without man and without beast’—
in the cities of Judah, in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate,
without man and without inhabitant and without beast'”
a) What the people were saying:
i) “It is desolate, without man and without beast”.
ii) “In the cities of Judah”
iii) “In the streets of Jerusalem”
iv) The cities were uninhabited, by man or beast!
b) God assured Jeremiah
i) The cities would be rebuilt.
ii) They must exercise faith in what God had said.
2. “The voice of joy and the voice of gladness,
the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say”
a) Voices of joy and gladness would be heard again.
b) Happy voices of the brides and grooms would be heard in the cities once more.
3. “Praise the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for His mercy endures forever”
a) People would speak of God’s goodness again.
b) They would offer worship to the LORD of hosts.
i) For His goodness bestowed.
ii) For His enduring mercies.
4. “‘And of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD.
For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,’ says the LORD”
a) There would also be “the house of the LORD”.
b) The people would be able to offer the sacrifice of praise once again.
c) The LORD would cause the captives in the land of Babylon to return.
i) The LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt into the Promised Land.
ii) He would do this once again.