The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of
Israel and the house of Judah. Jeremiah 31:31
Jeremiah was a prophet who ministered during the last days of the kingdom of Judah before its
destruction by the Babylonians in 586 BC. Jeremiah was the prophet who wept when he
witnessed the downfall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. Warnings of apostasy
flow through his writings, and he labelled the Great Tribulation as ‘the Time of Jacob’s trouble.’
He also delivered God’s message of hope to the people, calling them to repentance and
faithfulness to God.
In the context of Jeremiah 31:31, the nation of Israel and Judah had been unfaithful to their
covenant with God, resulting in their exile and suffering. However, in today’s text, God promises
to make a new covenant with them, indicating a fresh start and a renewal of their relationship
with Him. This new covenant is a divine initiative that offers hope and restoration to the people,
despite their history of rebellion and faithlessness.
This theme of the new covenant is central to the message of the prophet Jeremiah and is
significant in the broader narrative of redemption and salvation in the Bible. Indeed, the new
covenant anticipates the coming of Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate fulfillment of this promise.
In the New Testament, Jesus himself refers to the new covenant when he institutes the Lord’s
Supper, stating that his blood is the blood of the new covenant (Matthew 26:28). The new
covenant represents a fundamental shift in the relationship between God and His people. It is
characterized by grace, forgiveness, and a personal knowledge of God. Unlike the old covenant,
which was based on the law and human effort, the new covenant is based on the redemptive
work of Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This new relationship with God is
described as an intimate and personal connection, where God’s laws are written on the hearts of
believers (Hebrews 8:10).
Importantly, the new covenant extends beyond the physical descendants of Israel and Judah to
include all believers, regardless of our ethnicity or background. The new covenant represents a
radical transformation and renewal of the human condition, inaugurated by the shed blood of
Jesus on the cross, procuring humanity’s redemption and salvation. Yet, the aim of the new
covenant is not new. God still desires to be our God, and we His people. God wants to be in
relationship with us, and to accomplish His purposes on earth through us.
Admittedly, we have failed continuously to fulfil our end of the covenant agreement. We have
pursued our own will, gone our own way, done our own thing and reaped the sad results. Yet,
God offers forgiveness and restoration to all, if we but confess our sins and yield our lives to the
sovereign rule and reign of God. God offers a new covenant, where His guidelines are written
upon our hearts, inscribed with God’s unconditional love and bountiful grace. What is our
response to all that God offers? I pray it will be “Yes Lord, completely yes, my soul says yes”.
Amen.
Jermaine Gibson