A PROMISE FULFILLED

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.’”

“‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; He will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’”

For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before Me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.’”

Jeremiah 33:14-18

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I have been writing from the Old Testament for years now and it has been such a fulfilling journey in going back and revisiting the start of creation and then God’s relationship with His people, full of ups and downs, righteous works and sinful acts of wickedness, and blessings and judgments. For in the Old Testament, we find people like you and me, people who are sinners struggling to try and get it right in life, sometimes succeeding while other times utterly failing.

In the end translation, whether in the days of Jeremiah or here in the 21st century, two truths remains the same:

1. None of us can stand before God innocent of sin and undeserving of His destruction and wrath.

2. With this, everyone needs a Savior because there is no possible way we can save ourselves.

God knew it more than 2,000 years ago and He knows it today. This is why He rendered the promise found in today’s scripture passage from Jeremiah 33, a promise that brought hope (and still brings hope) to a people in need of it. Look again at these words here:

“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.’”

“‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; He will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’”

For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before Me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.’”  Jeremiah 33:14-18

Note that God is telling His people of a time still yet to come, a time when He will bring more than just restoration, as He has promised earlier in this chapter. For restoration is only for the moment but salvation is forever.

God said it Himself. He was going to bring a “righteous Branch” who would do what is just and right in the land and be in the line of the beloved King David (Matthew 1:1-17). He would be a coming redeemer of God’s people who would be called “The Lord Our Righteous Savior” or in shorter form, Jesus, the name God gave to Joseph and Mary to be given to His Son (Matthew 1:21-25).

And as we look at the life of Jesus, we see God’s promise fully fulfilled. Jesus did come in perfect righteousness to not only save all mankind from sin but to also to serve the people of God through selfless service as He taught, healed, drove out demons, and even resurrected during His earthly ministry. His destiny was to die, paying the price for the sins of all people, and then be resurrected in power by God, ascending to sit in authority over all creation until that day when He returns to take His faithful disciples to live with Him and the Father forever.

To remind us about this promise made in Jeremiah’s day, Jesus, speaking on behalf of His Father, said these words:

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Essentially, God is reminding us of His promise fulfilled, that when we believe in Jesus, several things happen which relieve us from the two truths mentioned prior in this devotion.

For none of us can stand before God innocent from sin and undeserving of His destruction and wrath but when we believe in Jesus, we have a great Intercessor who steps into the judgment scene to inform God. His Father, that He has already paid the price for the sins of the accused. And at that moment, a sinner becomes pardoned and is assured a place eternally with God and Jesus forever.

This leads to the second truth that we can’t save ourselves but we have a Savior who can. God so loved us that He did not wish for us to perish and so He sent His Son Jesus to our rescue. All we need to do is believe in Him and we will be saved.

Friends, think about where we would be had it not been for Jesus, hopeless and destined for doom.

After doing this, give thanks to God for His promise which was fulfilled in His Son Jesus, the only One who can save, the only One who makes a way for us to be with the Father forever (John 14:6)

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
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