Jeremiah 33:17-26: a reflection

17For the LORD 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.” 19The LORD’s word came to Jeremiah, saying, 20“The LORD 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.’” 23The LORD’s word came to Jeremiah, saying, 24“Don’t consider what this people has spoken, saying, ‘Has the LORD cast off the two families which he chose?’ Thus they despise my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.” 25The LORD 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.”

God gives Jeremiah a striking assurance of the certainty of his promises. He has promised that David will always have an heir, and that his covenant with his people will stand; and to show how sure this is, he binds it to the fixed order of creation: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night do not come at their appointed time, then my covenant with David my servant may also be broken. As surely as day follows night, God's promise will hold.

Notice the measure of certainty God chooses: the covenant of day and night. Every morning the sun rises; every evening it sets; the order of day and night has never once failed. And God says his promise is as unbreakable as that. If you could stop the dawn from coming, then, and only then, might God's covenant fail. His promises are as reliable as the sunrise, as fixed as the ordinances of heaven and earth.

That certainty is meant to steady us. God's promises are not fragile or uncertain, liable to fail; they are as sure as the rising of the sun. And this promise to David found its fulfillment in Christ, the son of David whose throne endures forever, the sure king in whom all God's promises are yes. When you doubt whether God will keep his word to you, look at the sunrise: as surely as day comes after night, God's promises hold. Rest on promises as reliable as the dawn, made by a God whose covenant is as unbreakable as the order of day and night. What he has promised is as certain as tomorrow's sunrise; trust it, and him.

Lord, to assure Jeremiah of your faithfulness, you bound your promise to the fixed order of day and night: only if the dawn could be stopped from coming could your covenant fail. Steady me with that certainty. Every morning the sun rises; the order of day and night has never once failed; and you say your promises are as unbreakable as that. Thank you that your word to me is not fragile or uncertain, but as sure as the sunrise. And thank you that your promise to David found its fulfillment in Christ, the son of David, the sure king in whom all your promises are yes. When I doubt whether you will keep your word to me, help me look at the dawn: as surely as day follows night, your promises hold. Help me rest on promises as reliable as the sunrise, made by a God whose covenant is as unbreakable as day and night. Your word is as certain as tomorrow's dawn.