1Moreover Yahweh’s word came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still locked up in the court of the guard, saying, 2“Yahweh who does it, Yahweh who forms it to establish it—Yahweh is his name, says: 3‘Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great and difficult things, which you don’t know.’ 4For Yahweh, the God of Israel, says concerning the houses of this city and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are broken down to make a defense against the mounds and against the sword: 5‘While men come to fight with the Chaldeans, and to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have killed in my anger and in my wrath, and for all whose wickedness I have hidden my face from this city, 6behold, I will bring it health and healing, and I will cure them; and I will reveal to them abundance of peace and truth. 7I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel, and will build them as at the first. 8I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against me. I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against me and by which they have transgressed against me. 9This city will be to me for a name of joy, for praise, and for glory, before all the nations of the earth, which will hear all the good that I do to them, and will fear and tremble for all the good and for all the peace that I provide to it.’”
10Yahweh says: “Yet again there will be heard in this place, about which you say, ‘It is waste, without man and without animal, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without animal,’ 11the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, ‘Give thanks to Yahweh of Armies, for Yahweh is good, for his loving kindness endures forever;’ who bring thanksgiving into Yahweh’s house. For I will cause the captivity of the land to be reversed as at the first,” says Yahweh.
12Yahweh of Armies says: “Yet again there will be in this place, which is waste, without man and without animal, and in all its cities, a habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. 13In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the South, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hands of him who counts them,” says Yahweh.
14“Behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that I will perform that good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and concerning the house of Judah.
15“In those days and at that time,
I will cause a Branch of righteousness to grow up to David.
He will execute justice and righteousness in the land.
16In those days Judah will be saved,
and Jerusalem will dwell safely.
This is the name by which she will be called:
Yahweh our righteousness.”
17For Yahweh says: “David will never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel. 18The Levitical priests won’t lack a man before me to offer burnt offerings, to burn meal offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.”
19Yahweh’s word came to Jeremiah, saying, 20“Yahweh says: ‘If you can break my covenant of the day and my covenant of the night, so that there will not be day and night in their time, 21then my covenant could also be broken with David my servant, that he won’t have a son to reign on his throne; and with the Levitical priests, my ministers. 22As the army of the sky can’t be counted, and the sand of the sea can’t be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant and the Levites who minister to me.’”
23Yahweh’s word came to Jeremiah, saying, 24“Don’t consider what this people has spoken, saying, ‘Has Yahweh cast off the two families which he chose?’ Thus they despise my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.” 25Yahweh says: “If my covenant of day and night fails, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, 26then I will also cast away the offspring of Jacob, and of David my servant, so that I will not take of his offspring to be rulers over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for I will cause their captivity to be reversed and will have mercy on them.”
Your Prayers will rise Like Incense Up to the Throne Room of God
Blowing the Trumpet at the Altar
Time references are so that we, as humans, can have some understanding of what we’re reading. What we find here is a pregnant pause. This is the calm before the storm. And then the blowing of the trumpets begins.
The trumpets referred to here may be the Shofarot used for various purposes in Israel. They were used to call Israel to war (Numbers 10:1-10) and to proclaim freedom (Leviticus 25:9). Likewise, the trumpets could be like the brass Roman trumpets with which John and the readers are familiar. There were 7 angels before the throne, and an 8th angel took a censer and threw it on the earth. During this entire time of judgment, the first thing that happens is that the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints is brought before God, and all of these prayers mingled with fire are cast upon the earth. These prayers for justice are now being answered. Think of all of the prayers of the faithful as they have undergone persecution, and God is going to answer each and every one of those prayers. These are prayers for justice, and justice is coming. They will bring wrath upon the earth.
As I was preaching this in our study of Revelation, I wanted to impress on the congregation how pervasive our prayers are and how God truly hears them. I called a deacon at a local Catholic church, and he gave me some incense. On Sunday morning, I put it down in front of the pulpit and lit it in a censer. It was a tiny bit of incense. Within 3 minutes, the molecules of that smoke had permeated every part of our sanctuary. Even the people working in the sound booth could smell the incense. Those in the front several rows began fanning the smoke away from their nostrils. It was a tiny bit of incense. I used this illustration that our prayers do not go unnoticed by God. They do not go into a great abyss where they are unseen and unheard by God. He hears every prayer that we pray. I don’t know how He hears the prayers of billions of people at once, but He does.
Many books have been written about prayer. They purport to discuss why and how we should pray. They wrestle with the thought that God has His purposes and designs for everything in the universe. Can our prayers really change God’s mind? Does He really hear every prayer that is prayed? At the bottom of it all, I believe we should pray because God tells us to pray. And, He listens. I have heard all of the Sunday School discussions about prayer. It is often said that we should just pray long enough until our prayers line up with God’s will. As stated, I really don’t know how all this works, but I do know these truths. “16 Always rejoice. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 WEB) This is a mandate in the Old and the New Testament. 3 ‘Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great and difficult things, which you don’t know.’(Jeremiah 33:3 WEB) Prayer is God’s mandate to help us to deal with things that are beyond our control. It is our means to inform Him of what He already knows, but what is important to us. It is just a glorious gift He has given to us with the assurance that He hears us, no matter when we pray, how we pray, or in what language we pray. 6 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 WEB). Reader, just pray. It will rise like incense into the throne room of heaven, and God will know exactly the condition of your heart.