Advent Bible Study - Jeremiah 33.10-16

Jeremiah 33.10-16 – Bible Study

Jeremiah is known as the prophet of doom and gloom. His name is synonymous with miserable, critical pessimism.

Yet late in his active life, God gave him a new message – a message of hope and forgiveness and restoration to come after the period of exile. Chapters 31 to 33 of Jeremiah contain some of the most encouraging passages in the whole of the Old Testament!

Ironically, this change in Jeremiah’s mission happened during the siege of Jerusalem, just when people were beginning to realize his prophecies of doom had been correct.

Q1 Can you think of a time when you had to give somebody a warning that unless they changed their ways they were heading for serious trouble? How did this make you feel? Was your warning heeded?

Q2 The siege of Jerusalem had gone on for about a year and a half. What do you know about sieges? What would conditions have been like?
(Lamentations 4.4-10, traditionally by Jeremiah, gives an idea).

Read Jeremiah 33.10-11

Q3 In his prediction of a return of joy and gladness to Jerusalem and Judah, Jeremiah refers to weddings and worship? What is so powerful about these images? What kind of faith and hope do we express in wedding celebrations and in worship?

Jeremiah had of course previously predicted an end to wedding joy in 7.34, 16.9 and 25.10.

Q4 What other action expressing confidence in the future did Jeremiah carry out in Chapter 32?

He now goes on to give another powerful example of the coming transformation.

Read verses 33.12-14

Q5 How do these verses add to the picture of restoration? How do they encourage hope? Is there an echo of Psalm 23 here?

Q6 What promise is God referring to in verse 14? (See also verse 17 and 2Samuel 7.16). How does this relate to Psalm 72, which we looked at a few weeks ago in the study of Christ the King?


Now read Jeremiah 33.15-16

Q7 Who is the righteous Branch in verse 15? Would your answer be different if you were Jewish and not a Christian?

Q8 What qualities will characterize the reign of this ‘righteous Branch’? Do we see the fulfillment of this promise now, or will it come in the future?

Finally a couple of general questions

Q9 What kept Jeremiah going through 40 years of extremely unpopular prophecy? Is unpopularity a virtue?

Q10 Are we open to the possibility of receiving a change of direction and a new mission from God after many years of heading in the same direction? How can we stay tuned in and make sure we don’t miss the call?