The Big Story: God Speaks to Jeremiah about His New Covenant


Covenants are critical parts of the Big Story of the Bible.  They include God's covenant with all living after the great flood in Noah's time, his covenant with Abraham, his covenant with the nation of Israel at Mt. Sinai, and his covenant with David.  

God's covenant with Israel at Mt. Sinai governed his relationship with the nation of Israel.  The Bible describes that covenant in Exodus 19:1ff.  God came to his people and entered a special relationship with them.  He said he would be their God and they would be his people as long as they obeyed his commands. God's most important commands required his people him alone.  Since he was committing himself to them, worshipping other gods would be spiritual adultery.

Sadly, the Israelites failed to worship the Lord alone.  They engaged in idol worship, including horrible practices like child sacrifice.  For this reason, the Lord sent prophets to warn his people that if they didn't change, he would destroy their nation.  One of these prophets was Jeremiah.  

Jeremiah spoke scathing words of judgment against Judah.  Yet God's last word was never judgment.  He said that after God took his people into exile for a generation, they would return home.  

Beyond that, Jeremiah said the Lord would form a new covenant with his people (31:31-34).  It wouldn't be like the old covenant, in which he wrote his commands on tablets of stone.  This covenant failed, though God was faithful to his part.  Instead, he would put his laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.  He would transform them from the inside out.

The Lord Jesus said his saving work in his crucifixion and resurrection was the fulfillment of this prophecy.  As he celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples, he said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood." (Luke 22:20)

The apostle Paul picked up on this idea when he wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:6ff that we are ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter that kills, but of the Holy Spirit, that gives life.  He says that the Holy Spirit works in Christ followers to transform them into God's image.

The life of following Christ is one of inner spiritual transformation.  Let him enter your heart and transform you!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God's Dynamite: The Battle Within

Image
"It was on fire when I lay down on it."  Robert Fulghum wrote about reading this statement in a small town newspaper.   Smoke was billowing from a second story window.  The Fire Department arrived, broke down the front door, ran up a set of stairs, and pulled a man off a burning bed.  Later, when they asked him how he got in that predicament, he said, "It was on fire when I lay down on it." Why on earth did he do that?  We don't know, but his story reveals a human truth.  We often do self-destructive things.  We testify, "People told me not to do it, but I did it anyway."  "I knew it was wrong, but I did it." The apostle Paul wrote about our human propensity to sin and self-destructive behavior in Romans 7:14-25.  Verse 15 sums up his point, "I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do and what I hate I do."   He describes an intense inner battle.  On one side is the "flesh," his
Read more

God's Dynamite: More than Conquerors

Image
One person goes through a terrible experience and emerges from it stronger, more mature, and more loving.  Another goes through a similar experience and emerges from it weaker, less mature, and bitter.   What's the difference? I think it has to do with what's in the person's heart.  It has to do with his or her faith and perspective of life.   In Romans 8:35-39, the apostle Paul asked, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?''  Is there any person or place or experience that can remove us from Christ's loving presence?  Trouble? Hardship? Danger?  Sword? Paul could answer this question because he experienced all the above and more.  He said, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."  We conquer all these things through Christ's love for us. To be sure, we can have times when Christ's love seems far away from us. In the depths of suffering in times like these, we can won
Read more

God's Dynamite: Resurrection Transformation

Image
Easter is about more than you going to heaven.  That's part of it, but not near all!  It's about your death and resurrection. In Romans 6, Paul was answering opponents.  Those opponents said that if salvation is by God's grace through faith, then you have no motivation for righteous living and good works.  Why not sin more to get more grace? Paul answered by using the image of baptism.  He said when the pastor plunged you under water, he symbolized your death in Christ.  Through faith you died on the cross with Jesus.  Your old self was a slave to sin and rebellion against God.   Paul said when the pastor raised you up from the water, he symbolized your resurrection in Christ.  Not just in the future but in the present.  In faith, you identify with Jesus' death and his resurrection.  You're raised to a new life, free from slavery to sin. So Easter is about more than personal salvation.  It's about transformation: dying to an old life and ris
Read more