Promises, promises.

Jeremiah 33:14-16

Context
In 1 Chronicles 17, the prophet Nathan claims that God promises Solomon's "throne shall be established forever." It did last longer than most in small Near Eastern countries, but forever is a long long time, and in Jeremiah's day Jerusalem was conquered and the monarchy collapsed.

Listening to the writer
Despite massive evidence to the contrary, Jeremiah claims that God's promise to the house of David will be kept. A ruler shall come to execute "justice and righteousness" in the land. The Hebrew words translated "justice" and "righteousness" are "mishpat" and "tsedaqah", two key concepts used by the prophets. "Mishpat" refers to decision-making, "tsedaqah" to doing what is right, especially with respect to providing & caring for people.

Listening to God
Nathan makes some very specific promises for God in 1 Chronicles 17, among them that the people of Israel will "be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall wear them down no more, as they did formerly." The Brick Testament (a well-done telling of Scripture stories using Legos - but done with a jester's touch) calls this passage in Chronicles "God Makes Promises He Won't Keep."
Are there any "promises of God" from Scripture, from churches, from your prayers, or elsewhere that you count on? Is there any evidence that God is/is not keeping these promises? Why do you believe them - that they are really from God, and/or that God will keep them?

In verses 17 and following, Jeremiah emphasizes that the promise is really about hope: there is still a Davidic line, and there are still Levites, even though there is no throne for the king and no temple for the priests. When you claim a promise from God, is it primarily about hope for a future, or for the here and now?

The destruction of Jerusalem caused a great revision of Israel's understanding of God and the Davidic promise. Have tragic circumstances ever forced you into modifying your understanding of who God is or what God has promised?

Spend some time in meditation on the hope you have for the future.

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