August 15 - New Covenant

August 15 - Jeremiah 31:31-38 - New Covenant

The entire Old Testament relates the story of God drawing the nation of Israel close to Him. No matter what they did, no matter how they sinned, God continued to try to bring them into a closer relationship with Him.

Jeremiah prophesied during the years just before Nebuchadnezzar took the Jews in exile. The Israelites had done everything possible to destroy the relationship that God wanted so badly with them. The northern kingdom of Israel had already gone down in flames and now the southern kingdom of Judah was about to do the same. Rather than relying on God to protect them, they had turned to surrounding nations until everything around them was consumed by the Babylonians.

Even though Jeremiah's prophecies were filled with messages of doom, there continued to be promises of a future with the Lord. He continued to want His children to be in relationship with Him. But, the time when all would be restored, was far in the future.

The New Covenant that Jeremiah speaks of is one that will unite the entire nation of Israel again. Rather than handing down laws as He did under the Mosaic covenant, God would ensure that the law was written into their minds and their hearts. He would be their God and they will be His people. (Jeremiah 31:33)

We see the fulfillment of this passage in Revelation 21:3, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.'"

The New Covenant is set into place and then confirmed by Jesus in Luke 22:20. This New Covenant is about forgiveness. Jesus confirmed it with His blood poured out for all of us. In Jeremiah 31:34b, the Lord says, "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

He finishes this passage by stating that Israel will never cease to exist in His heart and He will never reject its descendants, no matter what it is that they have done.

The New Covenant was brought forth so that all mankind could share in the glory of the Kingdom of the Lord. We share in this because of the amazing gift that Jesus Christ offered when He became the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice.