1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. 3 The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the LORD.”
4 These are the words the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah: 5 “This is what the LORD says:
“‘Cries of fear are heard - terror, not peace.
6 Ask and see: Can a man bear children?
Then why do I see every strong man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labour, every face turned deathly pale?
7 How awful that day will be! No other will be like it.
It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it.
8 “‘In that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty,
‘I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds;
no longer will foreigners enslave them.
9 Instead, they will serve the LORD their God and David their king,
whom I will raise up for them.
‘I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds;
no longer will foreigners enslave them.
9 Instead, they will serve the LORD their God and David their king,
whom I will raise up for them.
10 “‘So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel,’ declares the LORD.
‘I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid.
11 I am with you and will save you,’ declares the LORD.
‘Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’
‘I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid.
11 I am with you and will save you,’ declares the LORD.
‘Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’
12 “This is what the LORD says:
“‘Your wound is incurable, your injury beyond healing.
13 There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sore, no healing for you.
14 All your allies have forgotten you; they care nothing for you.
I have struck you as an enemy would and punished you as would the cruel,
because your guilt is so great and your sins so many.
15 Why do you cry out over your wound, your pain that has no cure?
Because of your great guilt and many sins I have done these things to you.
13 There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sore, no healing for you.
14 All your allies have forgotten you; they care nothing for you.
I have struck you as an enemy would and punished you as would the cruel,
because your guilt is so great and your sins so many.
15 Why do you cry out over your wound, your pain that has no cure?
Because of your great guilt and many sins I have done these things to you.
16 “‘But all who devour you will be devoured; all your enemies will go into exile.
Those who plunder you will be plundered; all who make spoil of you I will despoil.
17 But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD,
‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.’
Those who plunder you will be plundered; all who make spoil of you I will despoil.
17 But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD,
‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.’
18 “This is what the LORD says: ‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents
and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be rebuilt on her ruins,
and the palace will stand in its proper place.
19 From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing.
I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased;
I will bring them honour, and they will not be disdained.
20 Their children will be as in days of old, and their community will be established before me;
I will punish all who oppress them.
21 Their leader will be one of their own; their ruler will arise from among them.
I will bring him near and he will come close to me - for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?’
declares the LORD.
22 “‘So you will be my people, and I will be your God.’”
and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be rebuilt on her ruins,
and the palace will stand in its proper place.
19 From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing.
I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased;
I will bring them honour, and they will not be disdained.
20 Their children will be as in days of old, and their community will be established before me;
I will punish all who oppress them.
21 Their leader will be one of their own; their ruler will arise from among them.
I will bring him near and he will come close to me - for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?’
declares the LORD.
22 “‘So you will be my people, and I will be your God.’”
23 See, the storm of the LORD will burst out in wrath,
a driving wind swirling down on the heads of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart.
In days to come you will understand this.
a driving wind swirling down on the heads of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart.
In days to come you will understand this.
TODAY IN THE WORD
Record-low interest rates have persuaded many people to refinance their homes recently. The procedure is fairly straightforward. A homeowner shops around for a new mortgage loan with a lower interest rate. Once the new loan is secured, the old loan agreement is nullified. The original house remains the same, but its mortgage has been changed.
Record-low interest rates have persuaded many people to refinance their homes recently. The procedure is fairly straightforward. A homeowner shops around for a new mortgage loan with a lower interest rate. Once the new loan is secured, the old loan agreement is nullified. The original house remains the same, but its mortgage has been changed.
In some respects, refinancing is similar to the promised new covenant. The basic agreement, or covenant, remains unchanged, but the way that it’s effected changed greatly. Under the old covenant, the people were supposed to remain obedient to God’s law, yet sin made that impossible. Sacrifices for sin were designed to show that a price had to be paid, and to point toward the future Messiah.
Today we’ll look at Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning the new covenant, perhaps one of the most exciting sections in this book. Notice that this prophecy was addressed to both Israel and Judah (v 3). You may recall that after Solomon’s reign, Israel split into two nations. The northern tribes followed Jeroboam and were known as Israel. The southern tribes formed Judah, under Rehoboam. A divided nation was never part of God’s plan, so it’s not surprising that the new covenant began with a promise of a restored, united kingdom.
As we have seen before, however, the path to future restoration led through present judgment (vv 5–8). Yet after this devastation, the Lord promised to break the yoke from His people. Moreover, He would also restore “David their king” (v 9), which is another reference to the true King, Jesus.
APPLY THE WORD
Today’s passage ends curiously: “In days to come you will understand this.” Many prophecies made sense only after the Exile ended. At another level, however, “the days to come” have not yet come. Some prophecies will only make sense with the final fulfillment of all God’s plans. This encourages us to keep an “eternal perspective” this side of heaven. We also need to read Jeremiah in light of the whole Bible. As we’ll see tomorrow, the new covenant leads us to the New Testament revelation of Jesus Christ.
Today’s passage ends curiously: “In days to come you will understand this.” Many prophecies made sense only after the Exile ended. At another level, however, “the days to come” have not yet come. Some prophecies will only make sense with the final fulfillment of all God’s plans. This encourages us to keep an “eternal perspective” this side of heaven. We also need to read Jeremiah in light of the whole Bible. As we’ll see tomorrow, the new covenant leads us to the New Testament revelation of Jesus Christ.
