Jeremiah 33:11

33:1-13 Those who expect to receive comforts from God, must call upon him. Promises are given, not to do away, but to quicken and encourage prayer. 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. All who by sanctifying grace are cleansed from the filth of sin, by pardoning mercy are freed from the guilt. When sinners are thus justified, washed, and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Holy Spirit, they are enabled to walk before God in peace and purity. Many are led to perceive the real difference between the people of God and the world around them, and to fear the Divine wrath. It is promised that the people who were long in sorrow, shall again be filled with joy. Where the Lord gives righteousness and peace, he will give all needful supplies for temporal wants; and all we have will be comforts, as sanctified by the word and by prayer.

The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness,.... Such is the voice of the Gospel to all sensible sinners; whose eyes are opened to see their lost estate; whose ears are opened to hear the joyful sound: whose hearts are opened to attend to the things spoken in it; who are humble and contrite, wounded and broken in spirit, and have a spiritual understanding of things given them: to these the Gospel preached is glad tidings of great joy; since it contains in it the doctrines of peace and pardon through the blood of Christ; of justification through his righteousness; of rest in him, and salvation by him. It is a voice of joy and gladness to all believers in Christ; since hereby they hear of Christ whom they love; they hear of the love of God in him, and of the love of him to them; it is food to their souls; and when found, under the hearing of it, it is the joy and rejoicing of their hearts; and whereas they are continually sinning in thought, word, or deed, the doctrine of pardon must be joyful to them. Moreover, this may be meant of the voice of those that come to the church of God, with songs of joy and gladness, for electing, redeeming, calling, pardoning, and justifying grace; the voice of young converts, and of all them that rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh; see Isaiah 35:10 ; and why may not the ordinance of singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, be included?

since those are enjoined to be sung, and are sung in Gospel churches, Ephesians 5:19 ; the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride; which, literally understood, is expressive of great joy and happiness; as the contrary signifies great calamity and distress; see Jeremiah 7:34. It may be understood of such who are in such a natural relation to one another; and yet their voice may intend their joining together in spiritual praise to God. Moreover, by the "bridegroom" may be meant Christ, who has espoused his people to himself, and is their husband, and behaves as such towards them, in all tenderness, care, love, and affection; and his voice was heard in Judea's land as the bridegroom; John heard it, and rejoiced at it, and so did many others; see Matthew 9:15, John 3:29; and the Gospel indeed is no other than his voice; and a soul quickening, soul comforting, and soul alluring, and charming voice it is.

11 . Give thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for his mercy endureth for ever ] liturgical forms used in the Temple services. See 1 Chronicles 16:34 ; 2 Chronicles 5:13 ; 2 Chronicles 7:3 ; 2 Chronicles 7:6 ; Ezra 3:11 ; Psalm 106:1 . sacrifices of thanksgiving ] See on Jeremiah 17:26 . I will cause the captivity of the land to return ] See note on Jeremiah 32:44 .

The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, {i} Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captives of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD. (i) Which was a song appointed for the Levites to praise God by, 1Ch 16:8 Ps 105:1 106:01:00107:01:00118:01:00136:01:00Isa 12:4

(11) The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness . . . —The words gain greater emphasis as being those which the prophet had himself used ( Jeremiah 7:34 ; Jeremiah 16:9 ; Jeremiah 25:10 ) in foretelling the desolation of the city. He points, as it were, by implication to the fulfilment of the one prediction, as a guarantee that the other also will, in due season, have its fulfilment. Praise the Lord of hosts . . .—The words were used as the ever-recurring doxology of the Temple-services (Ezra 3:11; 2Chronicles 7:6; 2Chronicles 20:21; Psalm 136:2-3; 1 Maccabees 4:24). The Courts of the Temple, now hushed in silence, should once again re-echo with the Hallelujahs of the Priests and Levites. The “sacrifice of praise” (the same phrase as in Jeremiah 17:26; Psalm 56:12) may be either “the sacrifice which consists in praise,” or the “sacrifices of thanksgiving” of Leviticus 7:12, which were offered in acknowledgment of special blessings. The ground of the thanksgiving in either case would be that the Lord had “turned again the captivity” of Jacob. The phrase was a familiar one, as in Psalm 14:7; Psalm 53:6; Deuteronomy 30:3. The words “as at the first” (literally, as at the beginning) do not refer to any previous restoration, like that of the Exodus from Egypt, but to the state before the exile.

Praise the Lord ... - The customary formula of thanksgiving in many of the later Psalms, and from its occurrence in 2 Chronicles 5:13 ; 2 Chronicles 7:3 , 2 Chronicles 7:6 ff probably a regular part of the liturgical service of the temple. Shall say ... shall bring the sacrifice of praise - Or, say ... as they bring praise, i. e., a thank-offering (see the marginal reference) into the house of the Lord At the first - Before the captivity, and when still unpolluted by the sins which have brought upon it so heavy a chastisement.

The sum of this verse is, that those that should be carried into captivity should return, and upon their return they should be in their former states; both as to civil transactions, they should again marry and give in marriage; and as to civil and spiritual joy, they should publicly praise the Lord as they were wont to do in the words of David, Psalm 106:1 107:1 118:1 136:1 , (we have a record in holy writ of the fulfilling of this prophecy upon the laying the foundations of the second temple, Ezra 3:11 ) and offer sacrifices of thanksgiving. See Nehemiah 12:27 .