"Take Me Back!”
This review is brought to
you by the Kentucky First
Jurisdiction Church of God in Christ Sunday School Department.
LESSON AIM: By the end of the lesson, we will: know God's new covenant
to reveal Himself to all the people, forgive their sins, and hold them
accountable; sense the relief and joy that come from starting over in agreement
with someone and make plans for renewing our personal covenant with God.
BIBLE TRUTH: Jeremiah assures the
people that God will make a new covenant with God's people that will nurture
and equip them for the present and the future.
Jeremiah 31:31-37 | King James Version (KJV)
31 Behold, the days come,
saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and
with the house of Judah:
32 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:
33 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.
34 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.
35 Thus saith the Lord,
which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of
the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof
roar; The Lord of hosts is his name:
36 If those ordinances
depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease
from being a nation before me for ever.
37 Thus saith the Lord;
If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out
beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have
done, saith the Lord.
We get the opportunity to
visit the words of the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah today. Jeremiah
introduces the words “New Covenant” in his message to the people of God. It’s
the only time these words are found in the Old Testament, making this a great
and wonderful insight and source of encouragement to the Israelites.
But why is it new? The
old covenant was the Mosaic Covenant. As we have seen, the Israelites broke it
over and over again by worshipping idols and leaning to their own
understanding, despite God’s faithfulness and unwavering commitment to His
word. God explains here that, “I was a righteous and faithful husband to you…”
It was the church which strayed from God each time.
Taking an even more
divine approach, God wouldn’t leave it up to His people to only learn of His
word through one man teaching another, He said He would write it on their
hearts! Understanding that out of the heart are the issues of life (Prov.
4:23), God decided to give His people a spiritual heart transplant! To receive
this new instinctive nature, the people of God had to receive from God what
they could never do for themselves.
Notice in verse 34,
status and rank don’t come into play in the New Covenant. No matter who the
person is or fell in the social classification of life, God is calling for a
relationship with everyone, from the least to the greatest. In fact, as you read
these verses, notice that no human interaction is called upon in the New
Covenant. Theologians believe that this is because God is “saving” this work
for His Son, Jesus Christ; who will teach the Israelites when He later comes to
Earth.
Earlier in the lesson,
the Lord likens Himself to a husband. Now, He’s saying that all will “know”
Him. This meaning of “know” is more that knowledge and wisdom. Just like in a
marriage, a husband and wife share intimate time and experiences with one
another. God is wanting that level of intimacy and true love with Him. He’s
asking for total commitment. God says He will forgive and not remember their
sins anymore. This is a switch for them. Before, sacrifices were given to “atone”
or cover their sins. We’re now transitioning from the blood of bullocks and
rams, and will be getting ready for the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
God promises to forgive their sins and not remember them anymore. The people of
God would now experience the turning point from the Mosaic Law to that of God’s
grace.
In verse 35, God takes
ownership of being the controller of the universe. He proclaims that He
dictates when the sun rises, He controls the sea and the waves, He has all of a
nature under His command.
SIDE NOTE: How many times, in our
daily grind, hustle and bustle, do we need to stop and be reminded that God is
in control and our lives are in HIS hands? Many believe that the future is what
they make of it, but ultimately, it’s God who already knows our ups and downs;
strengths and weaknesses. God is the One who provides promotion and the
abilities to reach the goals we set for ourselves. For this reason, it is
important to acknowledge Him in all that we do, so He’ll help us understand
which way we should direct ourselves.
As you can imagine, the
New Covenant was refreshing for the Israelites. Moreover, God promises that He
will always have this special relationship with Israel for all times.
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