Sunday, November 12, Lesson: Jeremiah 31:27-34; Time of Action: 587 B.C.; Place of Action: Jerusalem

Transcription

1 Sunday, November 12, 2017 Lesson: Jeremiah 31:27-34; Time of Action: 587 B.C.; Place of Action: Jerusalem Golden Text: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people (Jeremiah 31:33). I. INTRODUCTION. Even though we don t use the word covenant much, the basic meaning is a contract or an agreement. In the case of biblical covenants, they were not negotiated between equals, as might be done in a contract dispute when management and labor sit down at the bargaining table. Instead, God offered a covenant relationship to His people; they could accept it or reject it, but it was nonnegotiable. Although there are several covenants mentioned in the Bible, the difference in this week s lesson is between the old covenant that came through Moses to the nation of Israel, and the new covenant offered through Jesus Christ to the whole world.

2 II. LESSON BACKGROUND. Jeremiah was a young priest of Anathoth in the tribe of Benjamin. The Lord called him as his messenger to Judah in the thirteenth year of the reign of King Josiah in about 627 B.C. He is often called the prophet of doom because God declared that his ministry was to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant (see Jeremiah 1:10). Destined to be a prophet of doom from the beginning, Jeremiah was forbidden by God to marry so that he could fully devote himself to the task of preaching God s judgment against Judah (see Jeremiah 16:1-13). Jeremiah is also called the weeping prophet (see Jeremiah 9:1; Lamentations 2:18). He was extremely depressed at times because the people refused to hear his message (see Jeremiah 20:7). As a result, he tried to hold back from prophesying God s message. But he learned that the word of the Lord was like a burning fire shut up in my bones. So he had no choice but to proclaim the harsh message of God s judgment (see Jeremiah 20:8-9). A good portion of the prophet s message would include predicting the fall of Judah and Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians (see Jeremiah 25:9-11). God gives the reason why He would judge His people. It was because both the current generation and their ancestors had followed other gods, forsaken the Lord, and did not keep His laws (see Jeremiah 16:11-13). So in chapter 30, Jeremiah predicts that Israel will experience the future Great Tribulation (the time of Jacob s trouble), but God would deliver them. Then in

3 chapter 31, Jeremiah prophesied that as a result of Israel s deliverance form the Great Tribulation, joy would replace sorrow (see Jeremiah 31:6-13). At that time, they will be restored to peace and honor, and joy and great plenty (see Jeremiah 31:14). Their sorrow for the loss of their children will also end (Jeremiah 31:15-17). They will repent of their sins, and God will graciously accept their repentance (see Jeremiah 31:18-20). Then the people will be multiplied and increased, as will their children and their cattle (see Jeremiah 31:21-25). The revelation given to Jeremiah concerning the new covenant came while he was in a dream state concerning the millennium (see Jeremiah 31:26). This is where our lesson begins. III. A NEW HOPE FOR A UNIFIED ISRAEL (Jeremiah 31:27-30) A. Israel s restoration (Jeremiah 31:27-28). 1. (vs. 27). Our first verse says Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast. The phrase Behold, the days come was a common prophetic way of indicating that the Lord was still speaking of a future time. At that future time, God said I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah. The Lord indicated that His words were

4 directed to the house of Israel and the house of Judah meaning the nation of Israel or the northern kingdom, and the nation of Judah, the southern kingdom. Note: Israel and Judah had been divided in 931 B.C. which was God s judgment upon Solomon for willingly following other gods and not keeping the Lord s statutes (see I Kings 11:9-13). During the long period of the divided kingdom, Israel and Judah occasionally fought against each other instead of uniting against their common enemies. The fact that God mentioned both Israel and Judah indicates that God will reunite the two divided kingdoms and restore them to their land. Of course, during the time of Jeremiah, the northern kingdom of Israel, also referred to as Ephraim had already been carried away as captives by the Assyrians in 721 B.C. (see Jeremiah 7:15). Actually, God had divorced the northern kingdom because of their sins. But even after that, the Lord said yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also (see Jeremiah 3:8). Nevertheless, the Lord assured a restoration of a united kingdom of Judah and Israel. The Lord then declared that He would sow or plant the land of Israel with both the seed of man and the seed of beast. This is probably a promise of an increase in the human and animal population once Israel is restored to her own land. With the Lord in charge, a reunited Israelite nation will certainly prosper as never before in history. There was a great difference between what God promised and what the people currently saw around them. Israel, or the northern kingdom, had been conquered and only a remnant, a very small population was left behind

5 by the Assyrians including foreign people brought in by the Assyrians to tend the land. 2. (vs. 28). This verse goes on to say And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the Lord. With the words like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict, the Lord was reminding the people of Judah how He had been guiding their affairs even though not always in the way that the nation had wanted. Because of their past actions, God said He had worked to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict. This describes the judgment that Israel had forced God to bring upon them. But even though the Lord had to discipline and chastise His people, He would not abandon them, for He also indicated that just like He watched over them with His discipline, He would also watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the Lord. In other words, in the more distant future, Israel s judgment will end and her situation will change. The Lord will be with His people to watch over them, to build, and to plant. Of course, this future society will be ruled by the Messiah during the millennium (see Isaiah 11:1-12; 40:9-11). B. A unified Israel s responsibility (Jeremiah

6 31:29-30). 1. (vs. 29). This verse says In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children s teeth are set on edge. Still referring to the future day of restoration with the words In those days, God referred to an ancient proverb (see Ezekiel 18:2) that His people were holding on to. He declared that in that future time they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children s teeth are set on edge. When the people recited this proverb, they were incorrectly maintaining that the suffering they were experiencing was the result of their ancestors sin. In other words, they were accusing God of being unjust because they saw Him as punishing the current generation for the sins committed by their ancestors. Note: To a certain degree, this was true since the judgment God had brought on Israel and would bring on Judah was a result of centuries of sinning by God s people. However, the people were trying to blame their troubles on somebody else. Despite the clear teaching of such scripture passages as Deuteronomy 24:16 and Ezekiel 18:20, Israel had used this false proverb to distort the meaning of Exodus 20:5. It is true that the current generation s sin had brought about God s judgment, but if the current generation had repented of their sins, God said that I will cause you to dwell in this place (see Jeremiah 7:3). In other words, if they changed their ways and turned back to God, He would not remove them from their land. However, as history shows, that would not be the case.

7 2. (vs. 30). In this verse the Lord said But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge. The previous verse 29 states what Israel said before the millennium; but here we have the truth that Israel will believe and recite in the millennium when they will be a regenerated people. No longer will they say the fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children s teeth are set on edge. In the future, God s enlightened people will recognize that God is totally just and that every one shall die for his own iniquity. It will become very clear that God was dealing justly with each individual, holding each one personally accountable for their own sins. The Lord confirmed this by rephrasing the false proverb saying every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge. God has always held each person responsible for his or her own sin. To teach anything else opens the mind to further errors like fatalism, irresponsibility, insensitivity to sin, and believing that God is unjust. IV. A NEW COVENANT FOR A UNIFIED ISRAEL (Jeremiah 31:31-34) A. God s revelation (Jeremiah 31:31-32). 1. (vs. 31). This verse says Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant

8 with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah. Again, the prophet said Behold, the days come, saith the Lord (see Jeremiah 31:27). As already mentioned, it refers to a future time of restoration for Israel. Many prophets often received messages from God about the future, but they were never told when the messages would come to pass. For sure, God may tell us what He s going to do, why He s going to do it, and even how He ll do it. But He will never tell us when He will do anything. When God will do something is for Him to know and only Him. However, here God was confirming to Jeremiah that there will come a time when He will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah. In that future day, the Lord declared that He would make a new covenant with His people, both Israel and Judah. The fact that God referred to both Israel and Judah confirms that in the future, the nation will be reunited as one through the new covenant. A covenant is a binding agreement between two parties that gives the obligations they have to one another. This covenant is called new because it is a later covenant than the Mosaic covenant that God made with His people after delivering them from Egypt (see Exodus 24:3-8). A new covenant was needed because the old one, the Mosaic covenant, could not accomplish in the Israelites what the Lord desired of them. Note: The usual Hebrew expression for making a covenant was to cut a covenant. This expression comes from the ancient practice of slaughtering animals, cutting them in half and having the two parties of the covenant walk between them (see Genesis 15:7-21). Although this practice was not always followed literally, its

9 description continued to signify the sealing of a covenant by the shedding of blood. God made covenants that were both conditional and unconditional. In conditional covenants, God says I will do this, if you will do that. This means that in a conditional covenant, if one party does not live up to their end of the agreement, the other party does not have to live up to their end. The Mosaic covenant was a conditional covenant (see Exodus 19:5-8). In an unconditional covenant, God says I will do this. The keeping of an unconditional covenant was dependent on God s faithfulness only. It would remain in effect no matter what the other party did. The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant (see Genesis 12:1-3) meaning that Abraham had no obligations in the fulfillment of the covenant. The fulfillment of the things promised in an unconditional covenant is dependent on God alone. The term new testament is used in the Bible for the new covenant to refer to God s dealings with Christians (see Matthew 26:28; Luke 22:20; I Corinthians 11:25; II Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 9:15). However, it should be noted that the covenant made to Israel is not fulfilled by the church. The blessings promised to the church are different from those promised to Israel. The new covenant or new testament is based on the death of Jesus Christ and is entered into by faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, we as individual Christians participate in the new covenant, but its ultimate fulfillment is in the people of Israel with whom the covenant was made. The fulfillment will occur at Christ s second coming, the time the Apostle Paul anticipated when he wrote about

10 the day when all Israel shall be saved (see Romans 11:26). 2. (vs. 32). In this verse the Lord continued to say Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord. God declared here that the new covenant He will establish with His restored people of Israel is not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. In other words, God was saying that the new covenant in Jesus Christ that He will make with Israel will be different from the Mosaic covenant. This was the covenant that God made with their fathers or the ancestors of the current Israelites to whom Jeremiah was preaching. The Lord had taken their ancestors by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. This is a picture of God s personal love and care for Israel at that particular time (see Deuteronomy 1:31; 32:9-12; Isaiah 46:3-4; Hosea 11:3). After God did all of this for His people, unfortunately He still had to say my covenant they brake. Even after demonstrating His love for Israel, they broke the Mosaic covenant or the first covenant. Even as Moses was receiving the law at Mount Sinai, the people were already breaking it by worshiping a golden calf (see Exodus 32:1-8). From that day to Jeremiah s day they had violated every command in the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments) and ignored every prophet s call to repent. As a result, Judah was about to be exiled. The Israelites had broken God s law

11 in spite of the fact that the Lord was an husband unto them, saith the Lord. God described Himself as a husband to Israel using the figure of a marriage contract (see Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 3:20). This is really the way the Lord viewed the first covenant. Note: There was nothing wrong with the law; it came from a perfect God and its standards were good and applicable to Israel s needs (see Romans 7:12-14). The fault lay in the sinful nature of the people themselves, which despite their knowledge of good, inclined them to do evil instead (see Romans 7:13-20). In other words, the people lacked the inner spiritual ability to keep the law. Also, the law had no power to change lives (see Galatians 3:21), enabling them to overcome temptation. In Paul s words, the law was weak through the flesh (see Romans 8:3). The law revealed God s will, but it didn t provide the power to carry it out (see Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:10-12). The law was perfect, but the people were not perfect. The law could only expose their sin (see Romans 7:7). B. A unified Israel s reformation (Jeremiah 31:33). This verse continues to say But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. Now God tells Jeremiah what kind of covenant He will make with the house of Israel which is another indication that Israel

12 and Judah will again be one nation and identified once again as Israel. The phrase After those days refers to the millennial age when the whole nation of Israel will be converted and accepts the Messiah (see Zechariah 12:10). The Apostle Paul spoke of that day saying And so all Israel shall be saved (see Romans 11:26). As previously noted (see comments on verse 32), the old covenant given at Mount Sinai was perfect, but the people were not capable of keeping it (see Romans 7:12-14). What was needed was an internal change so the people could obey God. This internal change would come by the new covenant. The Lord then said I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts. The Mosaic covenant emphasized external works, but the new covenant emphasizes an internal heart condition. Moses, speaking to the Israelites said And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? (see Deuteronomy 4:8; 11:32). The words before you literally mean before your faces. Therefore, in contrast to God s law which was set before Israel, the new covenant that God described here as my law will be in Israel s inward parts or within their minds. Then the Lord said that He would write it (His law) in their hearts. The old covenant was written on tablets of stone (see Deuteronomy 10:1-2) and later in a book (see Deuteronomy 31:24-25; II Kings 22:8). Even though the people were told to keep God\s law in their hearts (see Deuteronomy 6:6), they failed to do so. Laws alone cannot change the heart. Only God s Spirit can do that (see II Corinthians 3:3). It is the internal work of the Holy Spirit that makes the new covenant effective (see Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:26-29). Note: A person with a heart

13 condition may be given a pacemaker. It will help the heart function more effectively, but it does not provide a cure. However, a heart transplant (if there were no rejection factors), gives a person with an unhealthy heart the opportunity to continue life with a different heart. Like all covenants, the new covenant had to be ratified by means of a death (see Hebrews 9:16-22). So God s plan for correcting the defect of the old covenant did not involve changing the holy, just, and good law (see Romans 7:12), but instead it involved performing spiritual surgery of regeneration in the hearts of the Israelites. The basis for this transformed life in Israel is not stated here, but it is the same as that which transforms men and women into Christians today. It is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who both removed guilt and imparts divine life to the believing sinner (see Galatians 2:19-20). When Jesus returns, a remnant of Israel will turn to Him for cleansing and forgiveness (see Zechariah 12:10-13:1). In that day the inner transformation or change that Jeremiah spoke of will be a reality. By giving the people new hearts, God will enable them to maintain a covenant relationship with Himself (see Jeremiah 24:7), so He stated that He will be their God, and they shall be my people. Of course, this was always God s intention. He took Israel for Himself while the people were still in Egypt (see Exodus 6:7), but His full possession of them awaited their obedience to His commands (see Leviticus 26:3-12). Having God s Word written in their hearts will reveal that the repentant Israelites of the future are truly God s people and that they have made Him the Lord of their lives. The old covenant tried to control conduct,

14 but the new covenant changes character so that people can love the Lord, and one another, and want to obey His will. C. A unified Israel s redemption (Jeremiah 31:34). Our final verse says And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. It is difficult to imagine a time when evangelism won t be a priority for God s people. But when Jesus returns, the Lord said And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord. In other words, during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ, people will not have to teach their neighbors and relatives to know the Lord thus receiving salvation. The word know here refers to personal knowledge of the Lord received by grace through the Holy Spirit (see John 6:45; I Corinthians 2:9-12). There won t be any need to preach the gospel during the millennium because God said for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord. This means that all people, especially a remnant of Israel, from the least important to the most important, will know the Lord. This knowledge of the Lord won t be restricted to the intellectual elite, or a spiritual inner circle, or a high social class. Everyone will enjoy intimate knowledge of the Lord (see Isaiah 11:9; 54:13; Joel 2:28-29).

15 This will also include Gentiles who enter the millennial kingdom as well. Note: Under the old dispensation, the Israelite was included in the old covenant because he was born of Hebrew parents and was circumcised on the eighth day (see Genesis 17:9-14; Leviticus 12:3; John 7:22). Already a part of the old covenant, the child had to be taught what it meant to know the Lord as he grew up. However, under the new covenant, those who are a part of the covenant already know the Lord, for in order to participate in the new covenant, one must make a conscious decision to accept and follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour (see Acts 2:36-41; 16:30-34). Jesus likened this to a new birth (see John 3:1-7). Christians are included in the new covenant not just because we were born, but because we were born again! When the Jewish people as a nation experience this new birth, the Lord promised they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them. The reason that God gave for redeemed Israel being able to know God intimately and universally was for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. God linked knowing Him to the forgiveness of sin. From the New Testament, we learn that the death of God s Son, Jesus Christ, provides the only basis for God s forgiveness and redemption of sinners. The old covenant s law could not save anyone; nor was it intended to do so. It could only humble and condemn those who broke it. But the new covenant provides not just that sin will be forgiven, but that it will be blotted out from God s memory (see Hebrews 10:16-17). In the future, the Jewish remnant will be cleansed to do God s will (see Ezekiel 36:25-28; Romans 11:26-27). Note: The nation of Israel as a whole

16 is not currently enjoying the benefits of the new covenant because the people have rejected the Messiah and have been blinded to the truth (see Romans 11:7-10). However, Paul wrote that at Christ s return all Israel shall be saved For this is the covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins (see Romans 11:26-27). In faith, the people of Israel will turn to their Messiah and they will be saved by the grace of God (see Zechariah 12:10-13:1). Then a believing Israel will enter into the blessings of the earthly millennial kingdom of Christ. While our lesson text sees the new covenant applied to Israel and Judah, it is also the basis for Gentile salvation. Jesus death provided salvation for all peoples. When Israel as a nation rejected God s offer of salvation, His offer went out to the Gentiles, many of whom (including you and me) welcomed and received it (see Acts 28:28; Romans 9:30-31). But when the full number of Gentiles has been gathered in, Israel will accept the new covenant (see Romans 11:25-27). V. Conclusion. The new covenant was initiated by God. It begins in His heart and reaches out to ours. It offers us hope and a future through His love. The lesson this week dealt with the great hope and future God s people enjoy because of the new covenant He initiated. The interesting fact is that our God was willing to make this covenant with us even

17 though He knows our sinfulness and that we may not always keep our side of the bargain. He loves us and has secured our hope in Him. And because of God s grace and mercy, His law is now written on our hearts. ***The Bible Expositor and Illuminator, Union Gospel Press***