The Greatest Hope in a Time of Darkness
The Greatest Hope in a Time of Darkness
Jeremiah 31-25
“Behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.”
The heart of Jeremiah appears dark and foreboding as he pronounces judgment upon Israel. Yet within the book that seems to focus on judgment, we find one of the greatest statements of hope in Scripture. Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, gives a message that becomes the foundation for the entire New Testament. In chapter 31, we find the connecting link between the Old and New Testaments, a link we still regularly celebrate today. It is so central that it forms the basis for the title, “New Testament”.
When Jeremiah arrived on the scene, Israel was in shambles. They had completely forsaken the Law and were facing the certainty of judgment. The Mosaic Covenant was given to Israel as its foundation, enabling them to realize God's blessing. In the Mosaic covenant, God had promised to be their God, and the Law was given to set the requirements that a holy God demanded of those He blessed. It was a promise of untold blessings. The only requirement was that they obey His commands. However, before the dust had settled from God chiseling the Law into the stone tablets, the people were already breaking the Law by turning to idolatry. While Israel experienced periods of revival during the times of the Judges and Kings, by the time Jeremiah came on the scene, the nation was in spiritual and political disarray. The Mosaic Covenant was broken beyond repair because of the sin of the people.
Even as Jeremiah pronounced judgment on Israel in chapter 31, God gives a new promise and new hope to the people. The discipline would be corrective rather than punitive. God would not completely abandon His people. In an incredible act of grace, God promises a New Covenant that will be fundamentally different from the Old Covenant. In Jeremiah 31:27-40, God outlines and contrasts the new covenant with the old covenant. In this passage, we discover seven critical elements of the new covenant. 1/ God promises that the new covenant will bring reconciliation between God and the people of Israel (32-32). Even though the people broke the Mosaic covenant with God, He will not abandon them but will restore their relationship with Him. 2/ Unlike the Old Covenant, in which the Law was written on stone, in the new covenant the Law will be written within them and on their hearts. In other words, the New Covenant will accomplish what the Old could not — the complete transformation of the people. The problem was not with the Mosaic covenant but with the people who refused to live by it. Thus, God will bring about a complete inward transformation so that they will now know Him completely. 3/ The covenant will result in the sanctification and salvation of the people. This will lead to the universal knowledge of God (vs 34), so that all will know Him and experience universal peace and prosperity. Lastly, this covenant will be eternal, for God will dwell with the people (Jeremiah 31:35-37).
In the Old Testament, the covenant was ratified by the sacrifice of an animal to atone for the people's sins and enable them to enter into a relationship with God. But what sacrifice ratified the new covenant? How would the sins of the people be atoned so that they could enter into a permanent relationship with God? This brings us to the New Testament. When Christ died on the cross, he not only paid the penalty for our sins, but he also, through his blood, ratified the New Covenant, and it is this event that we affirm and celebrate when we take communion (1 Cor. 11:23-34; Hebrews 8-10). Christ's death not only established the new covenant for Israel but also secured our salvation, as we are grafted into it (Romans 11:17-24). The hope of Israel becomes our hope as well, and the transformation that God promised Israel, he also promises us. As Old Testament scholar Walter Kaiser points out, “The seventh century was the greatest moment of impending destruction for the nation; yet in the midst of the faithful warnings of God’s servants came one of the most spectacular series of promises of hope.” These promises are what we enjoy and celebrate every time we partake of communion.
Jeremiah 31-25
“Behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.”
The heart of Jeremiah appears dark and foreboding as he pronounces judgment upon Israel. Yet within the book that seems to focus on judgment, we find one of the greatest statements of hope in Scripture. Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, gives a message that becomes the foundation for the entire New Testament. In chapter 31, we find the connecting link between the Old and New Testaments, a link we still regularly celebrate today. It is so central that it forms the basis for the title, “New Testament”.
When Jeremiah arrived on the scene, Israel was in shambles. They had completely forsaken the Law and were facing the certainty of judgment. The Mosaic Covenant was given to Israel as its foundation, enabling them to realize God's blessing. In the Mosaic covenant, God had promised to be their God, and the Law was given to set the requirements that a holy God demanded of those He blessed. It was a promise of untold blessings. The only requirement was that they obey His commands. However, before the dust had settled from God chiseling the Law into the stone tablets, the people were already breaking the Law by turning to idolatry. While Israel experienced periods of revival during the times of the Judges and Kings, by the time Jeremiah came on the scene, the nation was in spiritual and political disarray. The Mosaic Covenant was broken beyond repair because of the sin of the people.
Even as Jeremiah pronounced judgment on Israel in chapter 31, God gives a new promise and new hope to the people. The discipline would be corrective rather than punitive. God would not completely abandon His people. In an incredible act of grace, God promises a New Covenant that will be fundamentally different from the Old Covenant. In Jeremiah 31:27-40, God outlines and contrasts the new covenant with the old covenant. In this passage, we discover seven critical elements of the new covenant. 1/ God promises that the new covenant will bring reconciliation between God and the people of Israel (32-32). Even though the people broke the Mosaic covenant with God, He will not abandon them but will restore their relationship with Him. 2/ Unlike the Old Covenant, in which the Law was written on stone, in the new covenant the Law will be written within them and on their hearts. In other words, the New Covenant will accomplish what the Old could not — the complete transformation of the people. The problem was not with the Mosaic covenant but with the people who refused to live by it. Thus, God will bring about a complete inward transformation so that they will now know Him completely. 3/ The covenant will result in the sanctification and salvation of the people. This will lead to the universal knowledge of God (vs 34), so that all will know Him and experience universal peace and prosperity. Lastly, this covenant will be eternal, for God will dwell with the people (Jeremiah 31:35-37).
In the Old Testament, the covenant was ratified by the sacrifice of an animal to atone for the people's sins and enable them to enter into a relationship with God. But what sacrifice ratified the new covenant? How would the sins of the people be atoned so that they could enter into a permanent relationship with God? This brings us to the New Testament. When Christ died on the cross, he not only paid the penalty for our sins, but he also, through his blood, ratified the New Covenant, and it is this event that we affirm and celebrate when we take communion (1 Cor. 11:23-34; Hebrews 8-10). Christ's death not only established the new covenant for Israel but also secured our salvation, as we are grafted into it (Romans 11:17-24). The hope of Israel becomes our hope as well, and the transformation that God promised Israel, he also promises us. As Old Testament scholar Walter Kaiser points out, “The seventh century was the greatest moment of impending destruction for the nation; yet in the midst of the faithful warnings of God’s servants came one of the most spectacular series of promises of hope.” These promises are what we enjoy and celebrate every time we partake of communion.
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