In Jeremiah 33, God made many promises to His people. Of all the promises, the most delightful one would be the promise concerning the coming of a future king. Verse 15 captures the promise this way: “In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth, and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth.” When did God say He would this king come? It would be during the peaceful period that Jeremiah had just described earlier in verses 10-13. When peace would have been restored, weddings would be joyfully celebrated, and thanksgiving be offered in the temple. Besides, it would be a time when shepherds could once again watch their flocks.
This of course is a prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah King, Jesus Christ our Lord. He came after the nation was restored to Israel. And during the time of His birth, Luke 2:8-11 tell us that “…in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ”
Here in Jeremiah 33:14-18, God had promised a king from the Davidic dynasty would rule over Israel once again. Under His rule, Judah would be saved and Jerusalem would dwell securely. The city under His rule would be entitled: The Lord our righteousness. In verses 17-18, we are told that “David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to prepare sacrifices continually.” These verses talk about the perpetuity of the reign and the priesthood of Christ. There is no denying that Jesus Christ is the king of all ages, and He will reign forever. Then Hebrews 7:17 said this concerning Christ’s priesthood, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
It is not wrong to say that kingship and priestly duty are also
perpetuated by the followers of Christ. For He has made us kings and priests to of the Kingdom. The Apostle John in Revelation
5:10 has this to say of us who are impacted by Christ’s redemptive works. He exclaimed,
“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.” We are made to reign and rule
with Christ.
If we believers in Christ are kings and priests, how then should
we live out our roles in this life? As kings with Christ enthroned in our hearts,
we have the resources of heaven to break the dominion of sin in our lives. Romans
5:17 puts it this way “ For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of
grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”
Then as priests, Hebrews 13:15 exhorts us to “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” Let us fulfill our function as kings and priests of God's Kingdom
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