This is not in and of itself bad: we are Christian preachers, after all. To these must be added Movers, who takes Jeremiah 33:18, Jeremiah 33:21-25 as later interpolations, and Hitzig, who treats the whole passage as a series of separate additions made in a later age. Commentary on Jeremiah 33:14-18 Last week on Christ the King Sunday, we heard about the reforms of the great King Josiah. ." He is a branch of righteousness, not a usurper, for he grows up unto David, descends from his loins, with whom the covenant of royalty was made, and is that seed with whom that covenant should be established, so that his title is unexceptionable. "Transparent gold" is an impossibility. Jeremiah 33:14-20The New Revised Standard Version. Yeremia a prophet of Judah in 627 B.C., who wrote the book of Jeremiah,a man of Libnah; father of Hamutal, mother of Jehoahaz, king of Judah,head of an important clan in eastern Manasseh in the time of Jotham,a Benjamite man who defected to David at Ziklag,the fifth of Saul's Gadite officers who defected to David in the wilderness,the tenth of Saul . 3. How about all of those "kings" and "priests" which are promised here? For nearly four hundred years, descendants of David had occupied the throne of Judah, and God had promised that it would always be so (2 Samuel 7; Psalm 89). Then we may take the comfort of what we have when God has had his dues out of it. Christ and salvation by him; that mercy promised to the fathers; [Note: Feinberg, p. 591. In those days, and at that time, will I cause a Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. And thats exactly what happened. False prophets were popular, but truth-bearers have been persecuted in every generation, especially the one Jeremiah ministered in. Their nobles have sent their lads for water; 16 In those . The days will come, though they are long in coming. By this, God's own people received a pledge for the re-establishment and renovation of the kingdom of God. In the cities of Judah there will be joy, in the pastures there will be peace, and in the temple there will be the sound of praise to God (10-13).Once more a king of the dynasty of David will rule over Israel, and Jerusalem will be the city of Gods salvation. And yet, our Jewish sisters and brothers have wrestled and reckoned with this verse in their own tradition, and have come to different answers. Christ is our Lord God, our righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption. That's what people are saying today. Jeremiah 33:19. Lectionary Commentary, Jeremiah 33:14-16, 1st Sunday of Advent (Year C), by Dennis Bratcher at Christian Resource Institute. In our text for today, Jeremiah is languishing in a prison attached to the palace of the besieged king (Jeremiah 32:1-3). But that, through the mention simply of Judah and its capital, the ten tribes are not to be excluded from participation in the coming prosperity, may be seen even from Jeremiah 33:14, where "the good word" is referred to Israel and Judah, and still more plainly from Jeremiah 33:24, Jeremiah 33:26, where this promise is made sure to the whole seed of Israel. Jeremiahs many prophecies of judgmentprophecies that have landed him in prisonare coming true. While there are no invading armies on the doorstep (at least not in the North American context), many parishioners will resonate with the fear and hopelessness of Jeremiahs original audience. See Hosea 1:10, c. Hosea 2:15, c. Hosea 6:11, c. Amos 9:14, c., and Jeremiah 3:12, c. The end of the captivity has been foretold by Micah, Micah 7:9, &c. Zephaniah, Zephaniah 3:10, c. and by Jeremiah, Jeremiah 16:15 Jeremiah 23:3; Jeremiah 29:10; Jeremiah 32:37. God has a gracious set of promises that he will fulfill. Note: After the time of exile, Zerubbabel, a descendant of David in the kingly line, became governor of Jerusalem (Haggai 2:20-23; Matthew 1:12,Matthew 1:17), and Joshua, a descendant of Aaron, became high priest (Haggai 1:1). my delight is in her, and sought out, a city not forsaken. We are called to speak a word of hope and promise in a world often filled with fear and uncertainty, even despair. This, though a song of old, yet, being sung upon this fresh occasion, will be a new song. Such is the word of promise and hope in this text. This section consists of a small collection of messianic prophecies. . The seed of Jacob, in their beginning, gloried in this, that they were shepherds (Genesis 47:3), and so they shall now be again, giving themselves wholly to that innocent employment, causing their flocks to lie down (Jeremiah 33:12; Jeremiah 33:12) and to pass under the hands of him that telleth them (Jeremiah 33:13; Jeremiah 33:13); for, though their flocks are numerous, they are not numberless, nor shall they omit to number them, that they may know if any be missing and may seek after it. So he's talking about when Christ comes again and establishes the kingdom that God is going to cause the nation Israel to be again in the land and to be nurtured by the Lord. He is not a man that He should lie. The everlasting love of Yahweh for Israel. Sermon Jeremiah 33:14-16 Time of Fulfillment The Rev. Much like the standard Childrens Sermon answer, where do our minds immediately go when we read about the true branch of David who shall enact justice and righteousness in the land? Both the king and the city will be true expressions of Gods righteousness (14-16; cf. Ezra 1:8; Ezra 2:2; also Ezra 2:40-54; Ezra 8:15-20). But during the Kingdom Age, there will be offerings in Jerusalem. A temporary loss of the throne is not thereby excluded, but only such a permanent loss as would be caused by the family of David becoming extinct, or by the kingdom in Israel either passing over to some other family, or in some way or other coming to an end; see on 1 Kings 2:4. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord . Jesus Christ. So God declaring over and over His continued work upon Israel. would be fulfilled what is after promised. But the burnt offerings were offerings of consecration where you would bring a lamb unto the priest and they would butcher it. He imparts righteousness to his church, for he is made of God to us righteousness; and believers are made the righteousness of God in him. They had gone astray and had willingly become embroiled in the practices and perversions of their pagan neighbours. As a king that shall protect his subjects from all injury. So the meal offering, the same thing. Verses 12-13 Jeremiah 33:23. It is promised that the country, which had lain long depopulated, shall be replenished and stocked again. After long waiting, a branch will sprout. And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me. Jeremiah 31 - The Glory of the New Covenant A. And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first. GLENN PEASE Follow PASTOR Advertisement Recommended Joel 3 commentary GLENN PEASE 233 views 138 slides Jeremiah 37 commentary GLENN PEASE 121 views 71 slides 10. destruction of jerusalem chucho1943 There was peaceful cooperation between them and together they helped to reestablish Israel (Zechariah 6:13). Behold, the days come that I will perform that good thing, In those days will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up to David, And this is the name wherewith ye shall be called, The Lord our righteousness. Genesis 9:9 with Genesis 8:22. attention, and even as calling for admiration. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me. JEREMIAH 33. anointing glory of god prophetic prophetic word rene picota unity Sep 14, 2022. These promises lead us to the gospel of Christ; and in that God has revealed truth to direct us, and peace to make us easy. So here is God's invitation, challenge to Jeremiah, "Call unto Me." before spoken of: or rather, "that best word" F23; the "Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will perform the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. God tells Jeremiah that he has not. Many good words or promises are made before, concerning the spiritual welfare and prosperity of the church; but this is the best of all; this is the better thing provided for saints under the Gospel dispensation, and promised to them, who are meant by the houses of Judah and Israel; for these phrases, as the Jews themselves allow, show that the words belong to the times of the Messiah; and which God, that is true and cannot lie, and who is faithful, that has promised, and is able to perform, will do. pp. Show us signs of your presence: a light in the darkness, a voice in the silence, and a stirring deep within us. So too has Ewald, who says (Propheten, ii. God told Jeremiah that He has not rejected them. "And the word of Jahveh came to Jeremiah, saying: Jeremiah 33:24. Jeremiah 33:14-16 EXEGESIS: JEREMIAH 30-33. The preacher should also acknowledge, however, that like Jeremiah, he or she speaks these words in a time when many are experiencing great loss: loss of job, of security, of home. Israel sat on a trade route between two massive empires, Egypt and Babylon/Assyria (roughly modern-day Iraq). "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins, in his own blood, and made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Similarly, in chapter 33, the prophet speaks of the coming restoration, the restoration of normal, everyday life. The meaning of the Prophet is, that God would at length render evident the power of his word, by fulfilling it. The preacher would do well to speak about that historical situation so that the words of promise and hope are heard in all their power. Again we have proof that when radical critics wish to expunge some verse or some chapter from the Bible, it is merely because they cannot understand the passage; and for many of them, their failure is due to their apparent ignorance of everything in the New Testament. Promised what? 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. (Revelation 20:6). 4. Moreover the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, Consider thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the LORD hath chosen, he hath even cast them off? This is a prophet imprisoned by his own government because he keeps prophesying doom. But taken together, the verses tip us toward a sense of kinship, a promise of God which is fulfilled in multiple ways and which includes ever more than we could possibly imagine. So God's promises now of restoration of the nation of Israel. Well, Christ himself said of the Twelve Apostles, "Ye shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19:28), a reference, of course, to the spiritual authority of the Apostles in God's Church. Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD ( Jeremiah 33:19-20 ); Now is God going to turn off Israel? Orthodox rabbi and Jewish mystic. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness. But to do good and to communicate forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased" (Hebrews 13:15-16). As a righteous king, righteous in enacting laws, waging wars, and giving judgment, righteous in vindicating those that suffer wrong and punishing those that do wrong: He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. He afterwards speaks of the kingdom of Israel, and of the kingdom of Judah, to intimate that he would be merciful to the whole people, though the ten tribes had been for a long time separated from the tribe of Judah, and from the half tribe of Benjamin, as it has been stated elsewhere. This if betokens the impossible; man cannot alter the arrangement in nature for the regular alternation of day and night. Or, "are coming" {t}; future times are respected; yet such as Jeremiah 33:14 Commentaries: 'Behold, days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. And that is its power. Any reasonable person can see that the city is doomed. u "verbum bonum", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius. All will admit the total impropriety of associating a name like that with the literal earthly Jerusalem. The worst has not yet happened, but it is inevitable. This then relates to the apprehensions of men when he says, I will rouse, or establish, my good word, He afterwards adds, which I have spoken; by which clause he confirms the doctrine of Jeremiah, for he shews that he was its author, and that Jeremiah brought nothing from himself, but faithfully testified of his mercy and of the liberation of the people according to the commission he had received. Now because it seemed incredible that a people, reduced as now they were, should ever recover such a degree of peace and plenty as this, here is subjoined a general ratification of these promises (Jeremiah 33:14; Jeremiah 33:14): I will perform that good thing which I have promised. forever: Yeshua, Jesus, God saves. Jeremiah was a sensitive man who wore his heart on his sleeve. God responds to this lament with a promise of redemption and healing for Israel (Jeremiah 33:6-18). The promise in Jeremiah 33:14-16 has already been given in substance in Jeremiah 23:5-6, and in our verses it is only formally extended, and thereby made more prominent. The general idea contained in the words "the Levites," placed first, is more clearly defined by the apposition "the priests," and restricted to the priests of the tribe of Levi. Notice there's no mention here of sin offerings. Yes, yes, I know that we all celebrate the New Year on January 1, but because we are Christians, and because we still attend church on Sunday . This intimates, 1. Proud member It was just an offering of fellowship. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites who serve me. But careful listeners will hear that when God promises to raise up a true ruler, the ultimate actions of this king are justice and righteousness for the whole land, not just the people. Jeremiah 33:20. 4 for thus ], "Days are coming" (Heb. The confirmations of these promises, which follow them in Jeremiah 33:19-26, are each introduced by separate headings, perhaps not merely to render them more prominent, but because the Lord revealed them separately to the prophet; but it by no means follows from this that they are later additions, without any connection. The wealth of the country, after their return. "Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great and hidden things, which you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3). 10 million Ukrainians without power because of Russia. language. 1176. Professor and Elva B. Lovell Chair of Old Testament, A resource for the whole church from Luther Seminary. The literal interpretation which sees here a promise, not of One Davidic King alone, namely the Messiah, "but a series of Davidic descendants to occupy the throne of David"[8] is incorrect. Verse 1. I. And if we accept one (verse 17) as fulfilled prophecy, should we not also accept the other (verse 18)? Let us then learn to embrace his promises, so that none of us may look for this or that, but know that then only he will be propitious to us, when we lean on his word. The narrative lectionary is a four-year cycle of readings Read more. He had been praying about it, but then God said, "Call unto Me, and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things, which you know not." These divine arrangements in nature are called a covenant; because God, after the flood, gave a pledge that they should uninterruptedly continue, in a covenant made with the human race; cf. - The very same promise is given to the Levitical priests, i.e., the priests of the tribe or family of Levi ( as in Deuteronomy 17:9, Deuteronomy 17:18; Deuteronomy 18:1, etc.). All might seem lost, but God still is faithful. Salem Media Group. The Hebrew word for saved is yasha . Five hundred years after God saved the Judeans from their Babylonian exile, a child would be born, and his parents would name him Yeshua, or Jesus, meaning God saves.. A promise in prayer. When the true sacrifice for sins, even Christ our Lord, died upon Calvary, the whole institution of animal sacrifices perished forever, never to be renewed. We often forget that the sins of the Judean elites unethical economic practices, violating the Sabbath, sacrificing young children hurt not only Gods people, but the land itself. , to cause to sprout of grow, corresponds to the figure of the , under which the Messiah is represented in both passages. He has promised to send a descendent of David to be their Messiah - and He is to be called, The Lord My Righteousness: "Call to Me and I will answer you - Call to Me and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know." My Prayer Heavenly Father, thank You that You are a good and faithful God Whose Word stands fast forever and ever. To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, "I will cause a Branch of righteousness to arise unto David ". Jeremiah 33:14. They are demolishing houses and palaces in order to obtain materials to strengthen the city walls against the enemys battering rams. Civil and religious power will work together for the good of his people as God intended (19-22).When God punishes Israel and Judah, some people claim that he has rejected them. Ed. thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them. 15 In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. 23583 Coordinates: 314641N 35149E / 31. Consequently, it was in constant danger of being conquered, subjected, even destroyed. times of the Messiah; and which God, that is true and cannot lie, hinneh yamim baim) has appeared 16 times so far in Jeremiah referring to coming judgment on Judah and the surrounding nations. But from this manner of speaking, a useful doctrine may be deduced: for we are thus reminded that the promises of God are not always so manifest, that their effect or accomplishment is evident to us, but on the contrary they may appear to be dead and void. (w) "Verbum optimum", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Schmidt. Note, Nothing is more the praise and honour of a people than to have God the glory of it, the glory both of the power and of the goodness by which it is effected; they shall praise him both as the Lord of hosts and as the God who is good and whose mercy endures for ever. Jeremiah 33:14-16: After the Chaos Ends Jeremiah preaches that the end marks a beginning. For thus saith Jehovah: David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; neither shall the priests of the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt-offerings, to burn meal-offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.". In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that telleth them, saith the LORD. And that is a theologically sound way of reading this passage from Jeremiah. When God renders punishment on Israel and Judah, some hold the notion that He has rejected them. And the burnt-offerings what about them? that good thing that came out of Nazareth: the good Shepherd that Historically, of course, the Davidic line did not return to the throne, so passages like this (and its parallel, Jeremiah 23:5-6), were in time interpreted to be speaking about the coming ideal ruler, the Messiah. The mention of Jerusalem instead of Israel is connected with the general scope of our prophecy, viz., to comfort the covenant people over the destruction of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 33:4.). ii. The house of David might be cut down, but God is able to bring life out of death. ( Jeremiah 33:20-24 ). It was threatened (Jeremiah 7:34; Jeremiah 16:9) that the voice of joy and gladness should cease there; but here it is promised that they shall revive again, that the voice of joy and gladness shall be heard there, because the captivity shall be returned; for then was their mouth filled with laughter,Psalms 126:1; Psalms 126:2. The danger is when such readings lead us to discard the Old Testament as irrelevant after Christ, and with it the people of faith who still claim it as ultimate testimony: namely, the Jews. It shall not be a habitation of beggars, who have nothing, but of shepherds and husbandmen, men of substance, with good stocks upon the ground they have returned to. King Josiah was one of the most celebrated rulers of Judah's history. Not only shall Israel have priests, but priests out of the tribe of Levi, which was chosen by God for the sacerdotal office, as the medium of communicating His gracious gifts. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD ( Jeremiah 33:4-11 ). They are those who participated in the "first resurrection." In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land ( Jeremiah 33:12-15 ). The transference of the name Jahveh Tsidkenu from the sprout of David to the city of Jerusalem is connected with the fact, that the name only expresses what the Messiah will bring to the people (see Jeremiah 23:6); the righteousness which He works in and on Jerusalem may, without changing the substance of the thought, be attributed to Jerusalem itself, inasmuch as Jerusalem reflects the righteousness which is bestowed on her by the Messiah. And exactly what are those spiritual sacrifices? And now, in this passage, Jeremiah speaks of the restoration not simply of daily life (as momentous as that is), but also of one of the chief signs of Gods favor, the restoration of the Davidic line. II. w "Verbum optimum", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Schmidt. God will fulfill His promises for He is In this prophecy, too, mention is made of the priests alone. In this chapter in Jeremiah, the stunning reversal of fortune that God promises is not only for Israels benefit, but for the land itself. 114-16; and Jensen, p. Jeremiah 33:14 New International Version 14 "'The days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. Jeremiah now shews why God had promised that there would be a quiet habitation for shepherds, so that no one would by force take away their flocks. It may be helpful here to pause over the verse 16 word saved for a moment. The same proclamation is given today to us, inheritors of Jeremiahs task. Presently desolate Jerusalem and the cities of Judah would experience joy and thank God because He will have restored their fortunes as they had been formerly. There shall be religious joy there; temple-songs shall be revived, the Lord's songs, which they could not sing in a strange land. Also, read the description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation's last two chapters. A verse by verse commentary on Jeremiah 33 dealing with God promising to restore His people to the land where they will again have His blessings. It shall not be a habitation of soldiers, not shall there be tents and barracks set up to lodge them, but there shall be shepherds; tents; for they shall hear no more the alarms of war, nor shall there be any to make even the shepherds afraid. The assistant pastor quite sure of himself said, "I'll do much of my socializing in groups, there is safety in numbers.". "Ye (Christians) are a spiritual house, a royal (or holy) priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1Peter 2:5). . For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Glorious promise of God. The Jewish Messiah, the Christian Messiah July 10, 2021 Prophecies by Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, and others about a messianic figure who assists in . It may be read, more agreeably to the original, This is he who shall call her, The Lord our righteousness. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is the name whereby she shall be called: Jehovah our righteousness. Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers. This makes sense when we recall from Ezekiel 17:22-24. the prophecy of the transfer of the Davidic throne from Judah to Israel. Today we hear the story of the prophet Jeremiah, who was born in Josiahs time, but went on the prophesy during the darkest times of Judahs history. Jeremiah 33 Commentary | Already Promised To begin, in verse 14, the Lord points to the fact that he's already promised this kind of thing before. The prophetic word from God was realized in the person of Jesus Christ, the person that the disciples, the apostles, and the early Christian authors believed was the Davidic king who would sit on the throne of Israel nay, the throne of heaven! There shall be common joy there, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; marriages shall again be celebrated, as formerly, with songs, which in Babylon they had laid aside, for their harps were hung on the willow-trees. The first danger is reading the New Testament into the Old Testament in a way nullifies or negates the original text. Verse Jeremiah 33:14. "At the same time," says the LORD, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people." Thus says the LORD: "The people who survived the sword Found grace in the wilderness The word of God, when it denounces all kinds of death, and contains nothing but terrors, is always good, if goodness be taken for what is just and right; and hence God, by Ezekiel, reproves the Jews, because his word was bitter to them, and says, Are the ways of the Lord crooked and thorny? Chapter 33 1 Jeremiah was still confined to the Court of the Guard when the word of Yahweh came to him a second time, as follows, 2 'Yahweh who made the earth, who formed it and set it firm -- Yahweh is his name -- says this, 3 "Call to me and I will answer you; I will tell you great secrets of which you know nothing. In the change from to in Jeremiah 33:14, we must not, with Hengstenberg, seek a real difference; for in Jeremiah these prepositions often interchange without any difference of meaning, as in Jeremiah 11:2; Jeremiah 18:11; Jeremiah 23:35, etc. Happy New Year! Wait a minute. Imprisoned for angering the king by speaking Gods truth to royal power (Jeremiah 32:3-5), Jeremiah has been lamenting to the Lord that the city will fall, and that God will do nothing to help. How might you broaden your sermon about redemptive hope to include all of Creation, and not just humanity? But God's promise was true. Jeremiah 33:14 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord Or, "are coming" {t}; future times are respected; yet such as would quickly come; five or six hundred years more, and then would be fulfilled what is after promised. Voices of praise unto the Lord as they come into the temple again offering the sacrifices of praise. They sang together in praising the Lord, because he is good, for his mercy endures for ever. The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall have this name of the Messiah so much in their mouths that they shall themselves be called by it. : Yoh 3:14-18) Perjanjian Lama: Kejadian Keluaran Imamat Bilangan Ulangan Yosua Hakim-hakim Rut 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Raja-raja 2 Raja-raja 1 Tawarikh 2 Tawarikh Ezra Nehemia Ester Ayub Mazmur Amsal Pengkhotbah Kidung Agung Yesaya Yeremia Ratapan Yehezkiel Daniel Hosea Yoel Amos Obaja Yunus Mikha Nahum Habakuk Zefanya Hagai Zakharia Maleakhi The nation never experienced fully all the blessings that Jeremiah pictures in this chapter. And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honor before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it. It is the same then as though he had said, that the favor of which he predicts could not be laid hold on, except the faithful held their minds in suspense, and patiently waited until the time of the promised deliverance came. In the midst of darkness, light is about to break in. In short, the true application of prophetic truth is, that we never lay hold on, and really embrace the promises of God, except we look forward to the days that are coming, that is, except we patiently wait for the time prefixed by God: and further, except our faith leans on the promises, when they seem to he dormant, it is not firm, and has no roots or foundations; for as the root which nourishes the tree is not seen, but lies hid in the earth, and as the foundation of a house is not visible to our eyes, so ought our faith to be in like manner founded, and to drive deep roots into Gods promises, so that its firmness may not be in the air, nor have a visible surface, but a hidden foundation.
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