Andy Pittman: Advent Attitude: Hope

Advent Attitude: Hope

Jeremiah 33: 14 – 16.

Introduction

What are your plans for Friday, December 21, 2012? Some people are predicting that day will be the last day of human history…that the world is coming to an end.

There are several theories about how the world will come to an end. Some people claim there is a large planet wandering closer and closer to Earth, and it will get so close to us on December 21 that it will rip our world apart. Other people believe that the sun will align with the center of the Milky Way Galaxy on December 21 and place our planet in the middle of a giant energy field which will cause our North Pole and South Pole to switch places. Other theories include Earth being hit by a large meteor or unusually large solar flares. NASA has a couple of pages on their website dedicated to answering your questions about whether or not the Earth will be destroyed on December 21, 2012.[1]

The reason people are fixated on December 21, 2012 as the last day of history comes from the fact that one of the Ancient Mayan Calendars comes to an end on that day. The Mayan “Long Count” Calendar records dates beginning from the day the Mayans believed creation began up to 5,126 years into the future. December 21, 2012 is the last day on the 5,126 year calendar.[2]

There are three reasons why I am not worried about the world coming to an end on December 21.

First, I brought a couple of calendars to illustrate what I believe will happen. These are calendars that Shauna makes for me every Christmas to hang in my office. Each month has a different set of pictures of our family. One of my calendars comes to an end on Friday, December 31, 2010. The other one comes to an end on Saturday, December 31, 2011. When the 2010 calendar came to an end, I replaced it with the 2011 calendar. I didn’t wait for the end of human history.

Second… How likely do you think it is that there was an ancient society (more advanced than we are today) who had the ability to predict the world would come to an end in 2012? (2012 is 700 years after the end of Mayan civilization.) Or, do you think it is more likely that the Mayan calendar predicted the end of a 5,126 year cycle and the beginning of one big party to celebrate a new 5,126 year cycle?[3]

Third, a biblical view of “the end times” necessarily includes the idea of God creating a New Heaven and a New Earth. There are many different theories on “the end times,” but they all include God doing something new. God will redeem his people and his creation. Things will be just as God originally intended for things to be. God’s people will live in perfect harmony with God, with creation and with each other.

Our Scripture today is one of Jeremiah’s prophecies to the people of Judah. It was spoken at a time when they thought their world was coming to an end. But, Jeremiah spoke words of hope and assurance. God is at work. And, God is making something new.

Jeremiah 33: 14 – 16.

At the time Jeremiah spoke these words, he was in prison. The religious and political leaders did not like what Jeremiah had to say about Judah and their relationship with God. Jeremiah told them they needed to repent, and turn back to God. Their politics and their religion had become corrupted. The people had forgotten about God. And the only solution to their problem was to turn back to God…to do things the way God intended.

Jeremiah spoke out against the way Judah had abandoned the religion of their forebears. The priests were no longer serving as shepherds over God’s people. The priests were only looking out for themselves. The people forgot God’s Law. The people had abandoned God and, as a result, morality had virtually disappeared. The widows and orphans were overlooked. The poor were neglected.

Jeremiah warned the religious leaders that Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed if the people did not repent. This was not a popular message. Jeremiah was ridiculed and persecuted for speaking God’s Word. At one point, Jeremiah was arrested and brought to court. The religious leaders wanted Jeremiah to receive the death penalty. But, a political leader came to his rescue. He was merely placed in prison.

Jeremiah also spoke out against the political leaders who were willing to enter into treaties with Assyria and Egypt. Judah was being squeezed between two world superpowers: Assyria in the north and Egypt in the south. The political leaders were trying to decide which side they wanted to be on. They were willing to compromise their independence and make a political deal with whichever empire they thought would be the safer choice.

Interestingly, Jeremiah told them not to worry about Assyria. They would be taken over by the Babylonian Empire. Jeremiah told them to make peace with Babylon. Because Babylon was the country God was going to use to punish Judah for abandoning God. Jeremiah told them to get out of the city of Jerusalem and to surrender themselves to Babylon. Anyone who stayed in the city would die. Anyone who surrendered to Babylon would live.

While Jeremiah was in prison, all of his prophecies began coming true. The Babylonians were marching onto Jerusalem. The small army from Judah could not stop them. It was obviously only a matter of time before Jerusalem fell, the Temple destroyed, and the people carried off into exile in Babylon.

But, even when the world was falling apart…Jeremiah found a reason to hope in a better future. He even acted out his faith in chapter 32 by purchasing a field. Imagine how silly he must have looked. The Babylonians were holding the city of Jerusalem siege, and Jeremiah bought a field. He was investing in the future.

Jeremiah had assurance, because God spoke to him…

Jeremiah 33: 14… "'The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

In the Old Testament, prophets were the men and women who spoke God’s word to God’s people. The classic formula for a prophet was to begin by saying something like, “Thus says the LORD…” And, that is exactly what Jeremiah did here. Notice that Jeremiah is quoting God’s words. He reminds the people of Judah that a promise is only as dependable as the person who made the promise. The future depends on whether or not God will keep his promise.

The hope Jeremiah preached about was not a return to the “good ole days.” Jeremiah did not promise that God would prevent his people from suffering. In fact, it was just the opposite. Jeremiah warned the people of Judah that their Temple and city would be destroyed one day. He warned them that they would experience extreme suffering. There would be no food in Jerusalem for two years. The streets would be filled with the bodies of those who had died of starvation. The houses would be torn down to reinforce the walls of the city.

BUT… “Days are coming.” There is hope on the other side of suffering. That is a message we need to hear this morning. God’s future is better than the present. God’s future is even better than the past.

God’s future is based on the promises God made in the past. Since, God is the same yesterday, today and forever, we can trust that his promises never fail. God will keep his word.

Perhaps this is the most important thing about hope. The promise is not as important as the One who made the promise. God said, “The days are coming when I will fulfill the gracious promise…” We don’t place our hope in the promise or the preacher. We put our hope on the One who made the promise, because God is capable of living up to his word.

Jeremiah 33: 15… "'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 the next verse, God reminds his people of the specific terms of his promise to them. More than likely, we are supposed to hear God’s words and remember the story of David and the prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 7). When David wanted to build a house for God, God sent Nathan to tell David not to. Instead of David building a house for God, God would build a house for David. There would always be a descendent of David to rule as king over God’s people.

When the Kingdom divided into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, only Judah continued the Davidic line of kings. Of course, now that seems to be in jeopardy. If Babylon defeats Judah, what will happen to King Zedikiah? Will he be killed and replaced by a foreign king? What will happen to God’s promise?

Jeremiah answers these questions by using the phrase “righteous Branch.” On one hand, this could simply mean “a legitimate heir”—a legitimate descendent of David. On the other hand, it might mean something altogether different—a truly righteous king…one who is perfect in every way.

Jeremiah’s original audience would have understood his message as a reference to the end of the Babylonian Exile. They would have interpreted this to mean that God would take care of his people while they were exiled in a foreign land. Then, God would bring them back to their own land and give them another Davidic king to rule over them.

The only problem with this interpretation is the fact that it didn’t exactly work out that way. The people did return to the land after Exile. But, the Davidic line did not resume. This is why we now interpret this as a reference to the Coming Messiah. Jews continue to hope for that Coming Messiah to rule from David’s throne. As Christians, we recognize this as a reference to Jesus—the son of Abraham, the son of David, and the Son of God (cf. Matthew 1).

This teaches us something very important about God and his promises. As I said earlier, a promise is only as dependable as the one who made the promise. The Bible teaches us about the faithfulness of God and gives us the assurance that God can be trusted to keep his promises. However, we need to learn something from Jeremiah and the Jews. God will keep his promises. But, God keeps his promises on God’s terms and in God’s time. We do not get to dictate how and when God keeps his promises. Jeremiah thought God would keep his promise by bringing the Jews back to Judah after seventy years of exile and give them a new Davidic king. But, that is not how God kept his promise. Instead, God waited 587 years to send his Only Begotten Son to be bon in a stable in Bethlehem.

Jesus is the Legitimate Heir of David and the Truly Righteous King!

Jeremiah 33: 16… 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 Righteousness.'

Jeremiah’s prophecy ends with a very curious phrase, “This is the name by which it will be called: The LORD (is) Our Righteousness.” There is a footnote in the New International Version, which tells us there is more than one way to interpret these words. The pronoun “it” could possibly be interpreted as “he.”

If we choose to interpret this as “it,” then Jeremiah is predicting that the city of Jerusalem will one day be known by the name, “The LORD Is Our Righteousness.” However, if we choose to interpret this as “he,” then Jeremiah is predicting that the Righteous King and Legitimate Heir of David will one day be known by the name: “The LORD Is Our Righteousness.”

God’s promise to Judah and Jerusalem is a promise of safety and salvation. Safety and salvation cannot come from a city. Safety and salvation are only possible through Righteousness. Righteousness does not come from the Law or the Temple. Salvation does not come through political powers—by living in a certain city or under the reign of a human king. Salvation comes from Righteousness, and the Lord is our righteousness.

This is remarkable. Jeremiah is telling us that the Legitimate Heir will be perfectly righteous in every way. AND…Jeremiah is telling us that the Legitimate Heir will make his people righteous in every way.

Jesus is the Righteous Branch…the Legitimate Heir of David…the Truly Righteous King. Jesus is our Righteousness.

Jesus is the Truly Righteous King and the only person who is not subject to God’s wrath. BUT…When Jesus subjected himself to God’s wrath, Jesus became our righteousness. Righteousness does not depend on what God’s people can do for God. Righteousness is what God does for us through faith in Jesus. Through faith in Jesus, God makes us right—places us in a right relationship with God.

Conclusion: True Hope and False Hope.

Jeremiah’s message was not popular. He preached about the fall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple, the death of the Davidic king and the exile of God’s people. But, Jeremiah also preached about Hope.

Jeremiah’s understanding of Hope was different from the false prophets of his day. The false prophets told the people that everything was going to be OK. Nothing bad will ever happen to us. We are God’s chosen people. God has to take care of us. God needs us.

False hope teaches that if you will simply have faith in God, all your problems will go away. God will make you healthy, wealthy and wise. God does not allow his people to suffer. Therefore, any difficulty in life is an indication of a lack of faith.

Have you ever heard that message before? I wish that were true. I wish God would simply prevent all his followers from all forms of suffering. I wish that I never had to do funerals for Christians who suffer from long-term illnesses. As long as we live in this world, we will face the sufferings and pain of what it means to be human. False hope says we will never suffer. God’s hope says that God is with us when we suffer and will bring us out better on the other side of suffering. God is at work in the world, creating a better future—better than the present and better than the past…A New Heaven and a New Earth.

Advent is a season of waiting. In one sense, we are waiting for the Coming of Christmas. In another sense, we are waiting for God to fulfill his promise of a better future…the promise which began with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.