Friday 23 December 2022

Psalm 30

Background

There are many Old Testament passages which were spoken by prophets (people given a message from God) to the people of their time, yet which also seem to have a wider application. Christians believe that a number of these point to Jesus and this reading from Jeremiah is one such passage. 

Jeremiah prophesied during the years of the political collapse of the state of Judah, a time of immense human suffering. When Jerusalem fell and the leading citizens were taken into exile in Babylon in 587 BC, Jeremiah was permitted to remain, due to his prophetic preaching and because he advocated surrender to King Zedekiah. 

Most of what Jeremiah had to say about the Davidic kingship (the line of kings descending from King David) was negative; many kings had exploited and oppressed the people and Jeremiah did not believe the people should put their faith in them. The two prophecies contained in these verses are the exception. Jeremiah prophesied of a day when a righteous king would be raised up from David’s line. He would fulfil the promises attached to the Davidic dynasty and would bring justice and righteousness, salvation and safety. 

Central to the identity of the Jewish people is the memory of the Exodus, the time when they were slaves in Egypt, and when God sent Moses to lead them to freedom and to a land of their own. Jeremiah prophesied a time when they would instead tell the story of how the Lord led them out of exile in Babylon. They would once again live in their own land. 

Although there was a partial return of the exiles to Jerusalem in 538 BC, an expanding number of Jews were scattered among the nations. The full and complete message of hope in this prophecy was not experienced in Jeremiah’s time but it was kept in view and was a feature of Jewish hope throughout the later Old Testament period. This prophecy, among others, led many Jews to look for a future Davidic Messiah or Saviour, who God would send. Jesus is seen by Christians to be the ultimate fulfilment of Jeremiah’s prophecy. 

To Ponder:

•  In what ways do you think Jesus’ kingship was different to the kings of Jeremiah’s time?
•  Jeremiah prophesied the reign of a king who would execute justice and righteousness in the land. Why not spend some time looking at the resources produced by the Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT)? A collaboration of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church, they work together for peace and justice. 

Prayer

Loving God, when times are hard, I thank you for people who lift up my gaze and give me cause to hope. Amen.