Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament Part Five

By Rev. David Lee Brown

The Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament Part Five, brings us to the prophet Jeremiah as we walk through Biblical messianic prophecy. Today, I will share more Messianic prophecies from the Book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah, also known as the "weeping prophet," was a prophet to Judah from 630 to 580 BC. He was the "weeping prophet" because of his misery and lamentation over Israel's rebellion against God. The Israelites made a habit of rebelling against God. Yet, they are His chosen people, and when they repent, he forgives and forgets their iniquities. So, let's explore a few more of these Messianic prophecies.

The Messianic Prophecy in Jeremiah 30:8-9

"For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them."

Jeremiah was prophesying about the Babylonian captivity of Judah that came in waves of enslavement and deporting people from Judah to Babylon. He said that God would one day emancipate the people of Judah so they could return home. Jeremiah continued by saying Judah would return to YHWH worship, and a King would arise from the Davidic line to rule over them in the future. This king refers to Jesus, who was born King of the Jews and will return from heaven to rule over the world.

The Fulfillment of Messianic Prophecy in Jeremiah 30:8-9

Luke 1:32-33 announces, "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." John 18:37 also shares, "Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice."

Luke announces Jesus as the Son of the Highest who will not only be great (of significant importance) but will also sit on David's throne, or the house of Jacob, referring to Israel. This kingdom will have no end, both geographically and geopolitically.

Then in the book of John, Pilate asks Jesus if He is a King. Jesus responds indirectly by saying, You say that I am a king. In other words, I didn't say I was a king, you did, but then He confirms that He is a King by saying that He was born to that end. That's why He came into the world. He was also here to bear witness. In other words, be an eyewitness to His death, burial, and resurrection. These actions made it possible to be saved by grace through our faith in Christ for our salvation. All those that trust in this truth hear His voice. And as the Good Shepherd, His sheep (we) will comply with His will.

The Messianic Prophecy in Jeremiah 31:15

"Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not."

Jeremiah shares what the Lord said to him. Ramah was a city in the territory of Benjamin, high in the mountains. Rahel (Rachel) was Benjamin's mother, and as she wept for Joseph, when she thought he was dead, she also wept thinking the same fate would befall Benjamin. So, Ramah represents the high places of the Jews, who will lament and grieve over the death of their children and the slavery of many Jewish children. Rachel represents the feminine aspect of the Jews who cannot be comforted because their children were either killed or taken into captivity by Babylon.

The passage also represents the death of the children of Israel at the hands of Herod. He was trying to kill the recently born Jesus by killing all the male babies two years old or younger in Bethlehem and the surrounding region. Jesus's parents were warned to flee to Egypt, so Jesus didn't die, but many children did. In this case, Rachel represents all the mothers who lost children to Herod's evil act of mass murder.

The Fulfillment of Messianic Prophecy in Jeremiah 31:15

Matthew 2:17-18 recalls, "Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not."

After Jesus was born, wise men (scholars/scientists/historians) who knew the prophecies of the birth of the Messiah came. They learned this from the captive Jews in Babylon who had long since been released to restart their lives in Judea. After Herod spoke to the wisemen, he summoned his scholars and demanded to know where the Messiah would be born. They told him the prophets said Bethlehem of Judaea. He specifically said Bethlehem of Judea because there was another town of Bethlehem in the territory of Zebulun. Herod, fearing that he would be deposed, ordered the murder of all the male children two years old and younger in Bethlehem of Judea and the surrounding area. This evil act resulted in the people of Judea weeping inconsolably because their male children were gone (murdered).

The Messianic Prophecy in Jeremiah 31:31-33

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people."

Jeremiah foresaw a day when God would start a new covenant with Israel. We as Christians would be grafted into this new covenant. The new covenant would not be like the old one, combining the Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic covenants. These societal contracts (covenants) were written down to form our Old Testament, which contains the old covenant's written instructions.

The new covenant is delineated in the New Testament, which is not only written down, but also written on our hearts. In other words, when we are saved by grace through our faith in Christ alone for our salvation, we are redeemed, justified, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit is a royal seal placed within us. So, Jesus, the Word of God, is written on our hearts through the indwelling Holy Spirit. All saved and born-again believers willingly belong to God. We are His people.

The Fulfillment of Messianic Prophecy in Jeremiah 31:31-33

Matthew 26:27-28 shares the last supper and the establishment of the new covenant, "And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Mark 14:22-24 and Luke 22:15-20  also share the same information. The following passages also share the new covenant (testament, agreement, contract), 1Cor 11:25; Heb 8:8-12; 10:15-17; 13:20.

The Messianic Prophecy in Jeremiah 31:34

"And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

The Fulfillment of Messianic Prophecy in Jeremiah 31:34

In this new covenant or testament, Jesus's shed blood is the only source of blood from a perfect sacrifice. Jesus's willing sacrifice provided justification (God declares you not guilty), but you are not just justified. In Hebrews 10:17, we read, "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." So, our sins are forgiven and purposely forgotten by God. We are washed clean by the application of the shed blood of Christ, and God no longer holds us accountable for our sins. This statement is true because nothing sinful or stained with sin can enter heaven. Jesus took the burden of all our sins and made it possible for us to enter heaven. In Jeremiah 32:40 and 50:5, this new covenant is also called an everlasting covenant.

The Messianic Prophecy in Jeremiah 33:15-16

"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. 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."

In this verse, Jeremiah talks about Jerusalem of Judea and says she shall be called, "The LORD our righteousness." But notice that the title is not capitalized, and you must also conclude from the context of the chapter that a person will be born into the Davidic line that will also be called "The LORD Our Righteousness" from Jeremiah 23:5-6.

The Fulfillment of Messianic Prophecy in Jeremiah 33:15-16

Matthew provides a genealogy of David in Matthew 1:1-18, concluding with "So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."

This passage declares that Jesus is in the royal lineage of King David, as prophesied. Luke 1:31-33 and Mark 1:1 also provide Christ's lineage and declare Christ's rule will be eternal as the Son of God and our eternal Lord.

Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament Part Five: Final Comments

In this Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament Part Five article, we again see Christ fulfilling prophecies from the Old Testament. Those cited today were prophecies from Jeremiah, that Jesus would be born from the lineage of King David, the prophecy of baby killing in an attempt to destroy the Massiah, the new covenant revealed, the new covenant in Christ will be eternal, and Christ justifies us.

Jeremiah was a Southern Kingdom prophet between 630 and 580 BC. Jesus fulfilled these prophecies. The fulfilled prophecies and the archaeological and extrabiblical evidence make it impossible to question the Bible. The Bible is God's inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God, and I pray that you choose to obey its precepts and morality.