“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares 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. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
35 Thus says the Lord,
who gives the sun for light by day
and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
the Lord of hosts is his name:
36 “If this fixed order departs
from before me, declares the Lord,
then shall the offspring of Israel cease
from being a nation before me forever.”
37 Thus says the Lord:
“If the heavens above can be measured,
and the foundations of the earth below can be explored,
then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel
for all that they have done,
declares the Lord.”
38 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when the city shall be rebuilt for the Lord from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah. 40 The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the Lord. It shall not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever.” Jeremiah 31: 31-40
Jeremiah 31: 31-40 The New Covenant
…8But God found fault with the people and said: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 9It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not abide by My covenant, and I disregarded them, declares the Lord. 10For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.… Hebrews 8: 8-10
Behold, the days are coming - This looks forward to the days of Messiah, the Seed as promised, the spotless lamb, the ram in the thicket, the Way that it all becomes possible, the truth walking among men, taking on the cloak of humanity, and giving His life so that we may find life in Him, buried with Him in His death, and resurrected with Him unto new life.
I will make a new covenant - God's covenant promises to Abraham could not be fulfilled against God's Holy nature. Each covenant is significant in revealing God's eternal plan of redemption.
Throughout the Bible, God reveals His plan of redemption through a series of covenants. After the extended story of the fall and ruin of humanity in Genesis 1-11, the story of the covenants begins.
· The Abrahamic Covenant promised to Abraham and His covenant descendants a land, a nation, and a blessing to extend to all nations (Genesis 12:1-3).
· The Mosaic or Sinai Covenant gave Israel the law, the sacrifices, and the choice of blessing or curse (Exodus 19).
· The Davidic Covenant that promised an everlasting dynasty, a perfect ruler, and the Promised Messiah (2 Samuel 7).
· God’s plan of redemption through the covenants is completed and perfected in the New Covenant. Over the span of Old Testament passages that announce the new covenant (especially Ezekiel 11:16-20, 36:16-28, and 37:21-28), we see the promises of gathered Israel, of cleansing and spiritual transformation, and the reign of the Messiah. - E W
Not like the covenant that I made with their fathers - It is interesting to reflect upon the sour grapes of the last post, an argument that would never work for me, for I have never been without sin myself. Moses gave them the law on Mt. Sinai, and the people agreed to walk in it. It seemed simple and straight forward, do this and you shall live.
…7Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people, who replied, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” 8So Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” 9Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,… Exodus 24: 7-9
My covenant that they broke, though I was their husband - Quickly and true to their nature, exposing a much deeper need. Moses had just received the hard copy, chiseled by God upon stone, and he could not make it down the mount before the contract was broken.
Observe, It was God that made this covenant, but it was the people that broke it; for our salvation is of God, but our sin and ruin are of ourselves. It was an aggravation of their breach of it that God was a husband to them, that he had espoused them to himself; it was a marriage-covenant that was between him and them, which they broke by idolatry, that spiritual adultery. It is a great aggravation of our treacherous departures from God that he has been a husband to us, a loving, tender, careful husband, faithful to us, and yet we false to him. - Matthew Henry
I will write it on their hearts - This is God's decree, a work of the Holy Spirit made possible by the atoning work of the Son. He lived the life we could not live, fulfilling the law to it's full measure, died the death necessary to pay the wages of sin. It is His righteousness which is imputed to us, since no one stands before God and lives. He is holy, so what place would darkness have before such light, and He is eternal, in infinite opposition to sin, so how does the flammable approach a consuming fire?
…9Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. 10Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me.… Psalm 51: 9-11
…25I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. 26I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.… Ezekiel 36: 25-27
God writes his law in the hearts of all believers, makes it ready and familiar to them, at hand when they have occasion to use it, as that which is written in the heart, Prov. 3:3. He makes them in care to observe it, for that which we are solicitous about is said to lie near our hearts. He works in them a disposition to obedience, a conformity of thought and affection to the rules of the divine law, as that of the copy to the original. This is here promised, and ought to be prayed for, that our duty may be done conscientiously and with delight. - Matthew Henry
For they shall all know me - How marvelous the veil has been torn in two. We have a High Pries, Jesus Christ the righteous, so don't be fooled by popes and priests which are not. God is calling those who believe His children, His neighbor, so come knock, come ask, come be taught of the Lord, read His words and teach them to your children.
Notably, this relationship with God had a personal aspect (they all show know Me). “Probably the most significant contribution which Jeremiah made to religious thought was inherent in his insistence that the new covenant involved a one-to-one relationship of the spirit. When the new covenant was inaugurated by the atoning work of Jesus Christ on Calvary, this important development of personal, as opposed to corporate, faith and spirituality was made real for the whole of mankind. Henceforth anyone who submitted himself consciously in faith to the person of Christ as Saviour and Lord could claim and receive membership in the church of God.” (Harrison)
I will remember their sin no more - He will remove it, it is paid for by the complete and perfect gift of His Son, Who in no way was lacking.
…16As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!” Matthew 3: 16-17
…18Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance—who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion? 19He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast out all our sins into the depths of the sea. 20You will show faithfulness to Jacob and loving devotion to Abraham, as You swore to our fathers from the days of old.… Micah 7: 18-20
35-37. Who gives the sun for light - It is God Who is the maker, He Who has programmed the heavens, the seasons, placed the stars, and commanded the waters.
…3For Jesus has been counted worthy of greater glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4And every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5Now Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be spoken later.… Hebrews 3: 3-5
…17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”… Matthew 16: 17-19
The foundations of the earth can be explored - Men cannot walk or fly to the places mentioned, ours is a very surface understanding, and the eye cannot take it all in at once, nor measure it's end.
It is impossible to conceive that God could state this principle in any stronger way. The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have an enduring role in God’s plan of the ages until the end of the age. - E W
Anymore...forever - Something to look forward to. First Part
“This cannot mean the city built after the return from Babylon, for two reasons: 1. This is to be much greater in extent; 2. It is to be permanent, never to be thrown down, Jeremiah 31:40. It must therefore mean, if taken literally at all, the city that is to be built by them when they are brought in with the fulness of the Gentiles.” (Clarke)
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