John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 33:14

"Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will perform that good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and concerning the house of Judah." — Jeremiah 33:14 (ASV)

Jeremiah now shows why God had promised that there would be a quiet habitation for shepherds, so that no one would by force take away their flocks. For God declares that his promise would not be void, as its effects would shortly be evident, even when his mercy was known by the ten tribes and by the kingdom of Judah.

Hence he says, The days shall come; for it was necessary for the faithful to look further than to their present condition. As they were then exposed to slaughter, though the unbelieving still entertained vain hopes, yet the children of God saw a thousand deaths, so that terror almost inevitably drove them to despair. In their exile, they saw that they were far removed from their own country, without any hope of a return.

So that the Prophet might still support these, he bid them to extend their thoughts to a future time; and he had set, as we have seen before, seventy years. It is as if he had said that the favor he predicted could not be grasped, unless the faithful held their minds in suspense and patiently waited until the time of the promised deliverance came.

Coming then are the days, and I will rouse, or as some render it, and I will establish; and both meanings are suitable. For קום kum, means to rise, but here in an active or transitive sense, it means to cause to rise. However, its meaning is sometimes to establish, and sometimes to rouse, so as to make that appear which was previously hidden.

This way of speaking is aptly used for the promises of God, for they seem for a time to be dormant without any effect, or seem to disappear or vanish. Hence, the stability of the promises then appears and is seen when God raises them up, as they were previously hidden and concealed from the faithful. The Prophet's meaning is that God would at length make evident the power of his word by fulfilling it.

But from this way of speaking, a useful doctrine may be deduced. We are thus reminded that the promises of God are not always so manifest that their effect or accomplishment is evident to us; on the contrary, they may appear to be dead and void. When this is so, let us learn to exercise faith and patience, so that our souls may not tremble, though God’s promises may not every moment manifest their power by being actually fulfilled.

In short, the true application of prophetic truth is that we never grasp and truly embrace the promises of God unless we look forward to the days that are coming, that is, unless we patiently wait for the time set by God. Furthermore, unless our faith leans on the promises when they seem to be dormant, it is not firm and has no roots or foundations.

For as the root which nourishes the tree is not seen but lies hidden in the earth, and as the foundation of a house is not visible to our eyes, so our faith ought likewise to be founded and to drive deep roots into God’s promises, so that its firmness may not be in the air, nor have a visible surface, but a hidden foundation. This then is the meaning and the proper application of this doctrine.

But God calls it his good word, because he had promised to be the deliverer of his people. The word of God, when it denounces all kinds of death and contains nothing but terrors, is always good, if goodness is understood as what is just and right. Hence God, by Ezekiel, reproves the Jews because his word was bitter to them, and says,

Are the ways of the Lord crooked and thorny? You are awry, he says, and not my word. (Ezekiel 18:25)

But here the goodness of the word is to be understood as the deliverance of the people. For when God shakes the despisers of his Law with terror, his word is called evil on account of its effect. At the same time, as I have already said, whether God offers us his favor and mercy, or denounces vengeance on the unbelieving, his word is always good and right, though it may not be pleasant. This then relates to the perceptions of men when he says, I will rouse, or establish, my good word.

He afterwards adds, which I have spoken; by this clause he confirms the doctrine of Jeremiah, for he shows that he was its author, and that Jeremiah brought nothing from himself, but faithfully testified of his mercy and of the liberation of the people according to the commission he had received. We are at the same time reminded that we are not to hope presumptuously for anything, unless God has spoken. Let us then learn to embrace his promises, so that none of us may look for this or that, but know that only then will he be propitious to us, when we lean on his word.

He afterwards speaks of the kingdom of Israel and of the kingdom of Judah, to intimate that he would be merciful to the whole people, though the ten tribes had for a long time been separated from the tribe of Judah and from the half-tribe of Benjamin, as has been stated elsewhere.