Scripture Reading(s)
Jeremiah 31:27-34
31:27 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals.
31:28 And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD.
31:29 In those days they shall no longer say: “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”
31:30 But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge.
31:31 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
31:32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt–a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD.
31:33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
31:34 No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
Reflections
The promise that is being made here goes beyond just redeeming Israel. This is a message that is for the entire world, a message that is brought by Jesus Christ, it is the message of the Gospel. This message is available to all of us, to those who will hear it and accept it.
God is longing to remove our sin and replace it with a pure heart. He longs to offer a loving and forgiving hand of forgiveness in order to restore us back to Him. Despite our sinful nature, God still desires to shows us Grace in order that we might be saved from eternal punishment. His redemptive plan on the cross is what opened up the gateway for us to repent of our sin and be made new again.
This passage points to God’s past faithfulness in dealing with the nation of Israel. Through His ever lasting love, He then extended that hand of faithfulness towards us as well. The promise of a new covenant became available to the entire world and that is something that we should praise God for everyday with our whole hearts.
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
God spoke of the coming new covenant that He would make with His people and the rest of humanity. Especially in the later prophets, who wrote during the Babylonian exile, God used to deliver the message of a new law that would be coming. This law would be written on the hearts of men and they Spirit of the Lord will live within them.
Be encouraged knowing that we are living in the promised era. Do not be distracted by the worries of this world. Rather, rejoice in know that the we are living in God’s promise and nothing we can do will separate us from the love of God. He is our protector and no man or kingdom will rise or fall without His doing. He has everything worked out, including your own fears and worries.
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