40b Jeremiah and the New Covenant [Jeremiah 31:1–34]
The Bible passage: [Jeremiah 31:1–34]
The Story:
The Lord said, “I will be God of all the families of Israel (Jacob), and they will be My people.”
The Lord appeared to him from far away. “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have continued to extend faithful love to you. I will rebuild you, Virgin Israel.”
This is what the Lord says, “Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the most important of the nations! Proclaim and praise, and say, ‘Lord, save Your people, the remnant of Israel!’
“Look, I will gather them from the corners of the earth! They will come crying, but I will console them. I will lead them to streams of water, by a smooth path, for I am the Father of Israel.
“Nations, hear the word of the Lord. Tell it on far off coastlands! Say, ‘The One who scattered Israel will gather him back. He will watch over Israel like a shepherd guards a flock. They will return and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will glow with joy because of the Lord’s goodness. Their life will be like an irrigated garden. They will no longer go hungry.
“The young women will rejoice with dancing; young and old men will rejoice together. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will console them and bring happiness out of their grief.
“I will give abundantly to the priests; My goodness will satisfy My people.” This is the Lord’s declaration.
This is what the Lord says, “A voice was heard in Ramah, a lament with bitter weeping - Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children because they are no more.”
This is what the Lord says, “Keep your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears.. There is hope for your future and your children will return to their own territory. I have heard my children moaning, ‘Restore me, and I will return, for you, Lord, are my God.’
“Israel is precious to me, my delightful child. When I speak against him, I still think about him. My inner being yearns for him; I truly have compassion on him.
“Set up road markers for yourself; establish signposts! Remember the path you have traveled. Return to these cities of yours.”
This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says, “When I restore their fortunes, they will again say, ‘May the Lord bless you, righteous settlement, holy mountain.’
“Judah and all its cities will live in God’s holy mountain together - I will satisfy the thirsty person and feed all those who are weak.”
At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been most pleasant to me.
The Lord declares, “The days are coming when I will plant the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the offspring of people and animals. Just as I watched over them to tear them down, so will I watch over them to build and plant them. In those days, it will never again be said, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’
“Rather, each will die for his own wrongdoing. Anyone who eats sour grapes - his own teeth will be set on edge.”
The Lord declared, “Look, the days are coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. This covenant will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt - a covenant they broke.
“Instead, this is the new covenant I will make with the house of Israel. I will put My law inside them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. No longer will anyone teach another, saying, ‘Know the Lord’, for they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them. I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sin.”
The Lessons:
- At the beginning, God says that his love is “an everlasting love.” He also says later that He will turn His people’s mourning into joy.
- He tells the people of Judah that they will be gathered back together after their exile.
- God, through Jeremiah, spoke of a new covenant. He was also talking about a new KIND of covenant. Instead of the law being written on stone tablets or on paper, His law would be written on their hearts.
Comments
Post a Comment