Aug 23

I got hung up on today's reading. It took me a while to search out my answers, which I'll come to in a moment. But after my search, I re-read the passage. And I realized that I missed some really beautiful passages the first time around while I was stuck on one passage. First the gems:

The New Convenant: Of course, with the benifit of looking from this side of history, we now know what the New Convenant is. Luke 22:20 THIS is the New Convenant IN MY BLOOD. I've heard those words thousands of times at communion and other time. But it really struck me in a new way today. With God, a convenant is ALWAYS, sealed in blood (remember Abraham walking between the two halves of the animal). Of course, I've known that for a long time also......but it just really struck me today. I wonder how many times the disciples (who also knew exactly how a covenant is made) wondered afterward: "How could we have not seen what was going to happen?" (the upcoming crucifixion). It also struck me in the passage this is also a conenant TO ISRAEL. I've written before about the mistake of 'replacement theology' (that God has 'replaced' Israel with the church). This is THEIR convenant and we have the extreme privelage of being grafted in to it them (Rom 11:24)

Israel Will Always Be Special: Jeremiah 31:35-37  I love this passage. Esecially since we've been hearing so much about Israel's rebellious ways. It seems to come at just the right spot to reconfirm His love for them. Praise God that many Jews are now embracing Yeshuah (Jesus) as the Messiah. By the way, the word we use "Christ" is not part of His 'name'. It  is His title- The Annointed One (or Messiah)

Now to the troublesome passage- Jeremiah 33:16-17. Obviously, in the previous verses, the "Righteous Branch from David's line" is Jesus, and the explains verse 16 of how "David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne......" What confused me was verse 17 about the Levites never fail to have a man to stand before him to offer continual sacrifices (since obviously, they have no temple and have not sacrificed in 2000+years)

I don't know if I'm 100% satisfied with the answers but I did come up with 2 "best answers".
 1) In verse 18 the priests, who are Levites, represent true Christians, who sacrifice their wills as well as bring others to God by preaching the Gospel. 1 Peter 2:9 calls these Christians a royal priesthood. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
2) There has never been a failure of Levites eligible perform sacrifices (even though they have not done it continually). This is true even today, as they make preperations to build the 3rd temple. Of course there is more to being 'elibible' than just being from the tribe of Levi. But the fact that there are Levites still in existance and ready to serve is miraculous.