Over the last few articles, we’ve been looking at the definition God gives to the New Covenant, starting with the first allusion to it back in Deuteronomy. Since then, we’ve been working through Jeremiah chapters 30–33, and today we’re finishing up with chapters 32 and 33.

To summarize what we’ve covered: according to God Himself, this New Covenant involves the Torah as it was given to Moses. We also saw that God included the Abrahamic promise of the land; He stated that He would bring the two separated houses of Jacob, The northern Kingdom of Ephraim/Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, back to the land as part of this Covenant. There was also mention of a future messianic promise and the fact that this would come to its fullness in the “Acharit Hayamim,” which means The Last Days/ End Days. The most important part of this New Covenant, though, is that it brings the full forgiveness of sins! There was even more than that, so please check out the previous articles if you missed them, there’s just too much to cover here.

We pick up in Chapter 32 below:

‘1This is the word that came to Yirmeyahu from Adonai in the tenth year of Tzidkiyahu king of Y’hudah, which was the eighteenth year of N’vukhadretzar. 2At that time the army of the king of Bavel was besieging Yerushalayim; and Yirmeyahu the prophet was imprisoned in the guards’ quarters attached to the king of Y’hudah’s palace, 3where Tzidkiyahu king of Y’hudah had imprisoned him after demanding, “How dare you prophesy that Adonai says, ‘I will hand this city over to the king of Bavel, and he will capture it; 4Tzidkiyahu king of Y’hudah will not escape from the Kasdim but will certainly be handed over to the king of Bavel, who will address him face to face, with their eyes meeting; 5and he will lead Tzidkiyahu to Bavel, where he will stay until I remember him,’ says Adonai, ‘and even if you fight the Kasdim, you will fail’?” 6Yirmeyahu said, “This word of Adonai came to me: 7‘Hanam’el, the son of your uncle Shalum, will approach you and say, “Buy my field at ‘Anatot; you have next-of-kin’s right to redeem it; so buy it.”’” 8As Adonai had said, my cousin Hanam’el came to me in the guards’ quarters and said, “Please buy my field at ‘Anatot, in the territory of Binyamin; because you will inherit it, and you have next-of-kin’s right to redeem it, so buy it for yourself.” Then I was certain that this was Adonai’s word. 9So I bought the field at ‘Anatot which belonged to my cousin Hanam’el and weighed out the money for him, seven ounces of silver shekels. 10I signed on the purchase contract, sealed it, called witnesses and weighed out the money for him on a balance scale. 11I took the purchase contract, both the sealed copy with the terms and conditions, and the unsealed copy, 12and gave the purchase contract to Barukh the son of Neriyah, the son of Machseyah, in the presence of my cousin Hanam’el, the witnesses who had signed the purchase contract and the people from Y’hudah sitting by the guards’ quarters. 13In their presence I instructed Barukh as follows: 14“Here is what Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: ‘Take these contracts, both the sealed and unsealed copies, and place them in a clay jar, so that they can be preserved for a long time.’ 15For Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says that one day homes, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.”’

Yirmeyahu (Jer) 32:1-15

At first, it might seem like this doesn’t relate to what we’ve been covering; however, it is very much connected to the promises God has been making about the land in relation to the New Covenant. You see, Babylon is on the verge of sacking the kingdom of Judah, and this is happening at God’s direction because of their violations of His Torah. Yet, despite this, God tells Jeremiah to buy land.

Think about that for a moment, God is telling Jeremiah to buy land with the full knowledge that they are all about to be kicked out! This was God’s way of showing that His promise to bring them back was trustworthy. Jeremiah could put money on it, literally!

Furthermore, this continues to jive with the idea of this coming to full fruition in the end times. We have to remember that after the Babylonian exile, only the tribe of Judah came back to the land in any full measure; that is why the name “Jews” became the mainstay when talking about the people of Israel. But as we’ve established, the Covenant God has been promising is for all twelve tribes—both kingdoms—not just the one represented by Judah. On top of that, Jeremiah never actually returned to the land; he died decades before the return from Babylon. This points us yet again to the Acharit Hayamim (the end days) as the full completion of this promise. Why? Because according to the Book of Revelation, the resurrection of the righteous dead happens first, at the start of the 1,000-year reign during the second coming of Messiah. Jeremiah will return to the land too!

Towards the end of this chapter, God reinforces that Babylon is coming as a result of the majority of His people falling awayit is judgment due to severe sin. Yet, He states that in the very end, He will return the exiles to their land, even mentioning many literal, physical locations as part of this promise. 

’36“Therefore, thus says Adonai the God of Isra’el concerning this city, of which you say that it is handed over to the king of Bavel by sword, famine and plague: 37‘I will gather them out of all the countries where I drove them in my anger, fury and great wrath; and I will bring them back to this place and have them live here in safety. 38They will be my people, and I will be their God. 39I will give them singleness of heart and singleness of purpose, so that they will fear me forever — this will be for their own good and for the good of their children after them. 40I will make with them an everlasting covenant not to turn away from them, but to do them good; I will put fear of me in their hearts, so that they will not leave me. 41I will take joy in them, so as to do them good. I will plant them in this land truly, with my whole heart and being.’ 42For here is what Adonai says: ‘Just as I have brought this complete disaster on this people, so likewise I will bring on them all the good I have promised them. 43Fields will be bought in this land, even though you say about it that it is desolate, devoid of human beings or animals, and given over to the Kasdim. 44Yes, people will buy fields for money, sign the purchase contracts, seal them and call witnesses, in the territory of Binyamin, in the areas around Yerushalayim, in the cities of Y’hudah, in the cities of the hill-country, in the cities of the Sh’felah and in the cities of the Negev. For I will cause their exiles to return,’ says Adonai.”’

Yirmeyahu (Jer) 32:36-44

In case someone still insists that this was in reference to the return from Babylon then let’s look at how God continues this prophecy into this last chapter. As we will see God repeats himself once again. 

Chapter 33:1-13

‘1The word of Adonai came to Yirmeyahu a second time while he was still imprisoned in the guards’ quarters: 2“Thus says Adonai the maker, Adonai who formed [the universe] so as to keep directing it — Adonai is his name: 3‘Call out to me, and I will answer you — I will tell you great things, hidden things of which you are unaware.’” 4For here is what Adonai the God of Isra’el says concerning the houses of this city and the palaces of the kings of Y’hudah which are about to be destroyed and used as siege-works and ramparts, 5where they will come to fight the Kasdim: “These places will eventually be filled with the corpses of people whom I am striking down in my anger and fury, everyone whose wickedness has caused me to hide my face from this city. 6However, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them peace and truth in plenty. 7I will cause the captives of Y’hudah and the captives of Isra’el to return; and I will build them up as I did at first. 8I will cleanse them from all their sins, through which they offended me; and I will pardon all their sins, through which they offended and rebelled against me. 9Then the name of this city will bring me joy, praise and glory before all the nations of the earth that hear about all the good I am doing for them; they will be overcome with fear and trembling at all the good and peace I am securing for it.” 10Here is what Adonai says: “You say that this place is a wasteland, with neither people nor animals in the cities of Y’hudah, and that the streets of Yerushalayim are desolate, without people or animals — no inhabitants. Yet there will again be heard here 11the sounds of joy and gladness and the voices of bridegroom and bride, the voices of those who sing, ‘Give thanks to Adonai-Tzva’ot, for Adonai is good, for his grace continues forever,’ as they bring offerings of thanksgiving into the house of Adonai. For I will cause those captured from the land to return, as before,” says Adonai. 12Adonai-Tzva’ot says, “In this place, which is a wasteland without people or animals, and in all its cities, there will once again be pasture-lands where shepherds can let their flocks rest. 13In the cities of the hill-country, in the cities of the Sh’felah, in the cities of the Negev, in the territory of Binyamin, in the areas around Yerushalayim and in the cities of Y’hudah flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who counts them,” says Adonai.’

Yirmeyahu (Jer) 33:1-13

Continuing the theme that God has set up he says that despite the wasteland that Israel has become that he will renew it and his people when he brings them back and after this, we come to a glorious conclusion that ties a nice bow to this prophecy. 

’14“Here, the days are coming,” says Adonai, “when I will fulfill this good promise which I have proclaimed for the house of Isra’el and the house of Y’hudah. 15When those days come, at that time, I will cause to spring up for David a Branch of Righteousness. He will do what is just and right in the land. 16When those days come, Y’hudah will be saved, Yerushalayim will live in safety, and the name given to her will be Adonai Tzidkenu [Adonai our Righteousness].” 17For this is what Adonai says: “There will never be cut off from David a man to occupy the throne of the house of Isra’el. ‘

Yirmeyahu (Jer) 33:14-17

This is the messianic component in full display within this prophetic promise of the New Covenant. The Branch of righteousness that comes from David. Yeshua the Messiah. He is the one who is of David who will never be cut off the one who will always occupy the throne. This is literal not metaphorical as we have established in the previous articles these are all literal promises, and this next part is the kicker that so many throughout church history have stumbled on. Much of Christian theology denies any place left for the priest within the New Covenant of God, that the temple and animal sacrifices are done, that the only priest is Yeshua with and yet look at what God says next:

’18Nor will there ever be cut off from the cohanim who are L’vi’im a man before me to offer burnt offerings, burn grain offerings and offer sacrifices every day.” 19This word of Adonai came to Yirmeyahu: 20“Here is what Adonai says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that daytime and nighttime no longer come when they are supposed to, 21then my covenant with my servant David also can be broken, so that he will not have a descendant to reign from his throne or L’vi’im who are cohanim to minister to me. 22To the degree that the armies of heaven are past counting and the sand by the sea past measuring, I will increase the descendants of my servant David and the L’vi’im ministering to me.’”’

Yirmeyahu (Jer) 33:18-22

From the first article on, I’ve stated that God’s own words place the Torah at the heart of the New Covenant, which includes a time for animal sacrifices. In the previous chapters, we saw mentions of the Cohanim (the priests), and I didn’t want to say much about them until now so that you can see that God himself actually ties the promise of the Messiah directly to Levites performing daily sacrifices.

This is important because God specifies Levites! Not just any type of priest, but Levitical priests! This isn’t a reference to the heavenly priesthood of Yeshua, but to the earthly, Temple-bound priesthood of the Levites as dictated by God in the Torah. This is God including the Levitical Covenant as one of the components to the New Covenant!

I’ll be writing a separate article on this soon (and will link it here when it’s done), but for now, suffice it to say that animal sacrifice does not negate Yeshua’s sacrifice. These are two different things that serve two very different purposes. Only one can provide eternal life and the complete erasure of sin: the blood of Messiah. This is why the Apostles, including Paul, still took part in animal sacrifices while the physical Temple stood, and according to Ezekiel and other prophets, there will be a physical Temple again during the 1,000-year reign of Messiah.

Please understand, though, that God uses the same language we saw in earlier chapters: unless mortal man can break His design of the universe, His covenant with David and the Levites will not be broken. This is the same language He uses for the New Covenant as a whole throughout the chapters we have been reading. God is expressing that these specific aspects have the same bond as the entire Covenant; the promises to David and Levi are guaranteed. The New Covenant doesn’t negate previous promises any more than the Mosaic Covenant negated the promises given to Abraham regarding the “Seed” who would bless the world, or the land that would be an eternal heritage.

Here we see the fullness of the New Covenant bringing to fruition the promises given throughout all previous covenants and it does so by the work of Messiah on the cross and His return in the end of days! The Church has often taught that the New Covenant negates what came before, but it does no such thing. In fact, many things the Church teaches were “done away with” are actually explicit components of what God promised.

I’ve mentioned before that much of the incorrect theology on this is rooted in Replacement Theology, the idea that God’s promises to His physical people have been transferred to someone else, or that the Church has replaced Israel. I ask that we look at God’s own strong rebuke of this idea. I also ask that those who have held these notions, whether knowingly or not, consider the heart of God and seek to repent and change to align with the will of God on these matters.

’24“Haven’t you noticed that these people are saying, ‘Adonai has rejected the two families he chose’? Hence they despise my people and no longer look at them as a nation. 25Here is what Adonai says: ‘If I have not established my covenant with day and night and fixed the laws for sky and earth, 26then I will also reject the descendants of Ya‘akov and of my servant David, not choosing from his descendants people to rule over the descendants of Avraham, Yis’chak and Ya‘akov. For I will cause their captives to come back, and I will show them compassion.’”’

Yirmeyahu (Jer) 33:24-26

Please pay attention to the theology taught at whatever institution you belong to and see if it aligns with God on this issue or not. I pray that you see God is faithful and that he made literal promises that he will bring to a literal fulfillment.

May God Bless you, and until next time Shalom.