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: Jeremiah 31:31 KJV
Jeremiah was one of the last great prophets in the Old Testament. After the scattering of the northern ten tribes of Israel, God sent Jeremiah to warn the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to turn from their sin or suffer the same fate. When they refused, these last two tribes of the old covenant were overrun by their enemies. Like the northern tribes, Judah and Benjamin suffered the judgment of God. As the ten tribes of Israel were carried into captivity by the Assyrians, Judah and Benjamin were also conquered and taken into captivity by the Babylonians.
A covenant is an agreement like a legal contract. The old covenant was an agreement between God and the chosen people of Israel. In it, God promised to bless and prosper his people in exchange for faithful worship and obedience to his law. This is the law Moses received on Mount Sinai. Chapter twenty-six in the Book of Leviticus records God’s promise to reward his people for obedience and punish them for disobedience.
Faith in Christ
Chapter thirty-one of Jeremiah records a prophecy of a new covenant. This message is one of hope and the promise of restoration. In these prophetic words, Jeremiah delivers God’s promise to restore the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel as one nation. The new covenant is under the blood of Christ our Savior and redeemer. No longer is the law external and sacrifice made by priests for the forgiveness of sins. As we read in Jeremiah 31:33-34, “I will put my law in their inward parts, and I will write it in their heart … for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. WEB”
Hebrews 9:15 says of Christ, “For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, since a death has occurred for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, that those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. WEB” The sacrifice Christ made on the cross fulfilled the law of the first covenant as he paid the price of death for our sins. This gave way to a new covenant of forgiveness of sin through faith in Christ.
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for forgiving my sins. Thank you for the love you demonstrated on the cross. Guide me to follow the law written on my heart. Help me to live a life that is pleasing to you. In Jesus’ name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: Things in Common
