By Eugene Garner

JEREMIAH - CHAPTER 31

A NEW COVENANT

    This chapter continues to speak of restoration, peace and prosperity for Israel - both North and South. Verses 1-22 deal basically with the North (Ephraim); Verses 23-26 with Judah. Verses 27-40 envision a reunited kingdom with the prospect of a glorious future.
    Many regard this chapter, and its promise of a New Covenant, as the high point of Jeremiah's prophecy.

    At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. 2 Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest. 3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. 4 Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. 5 Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things. 6 For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God.

    1. "At the same time", in verse 1, is the same as "in the latter days" of 30:24; thus, in the latter days Jehovah will be the God of a reunited Israel (all the families), and will once more acknowledge them as His people, (comp. Gen. 17:7-8; Isa. 41:8-10; Rom. 11:26-28).
    2. "The wilderness" (vs. 2) should be regarded as a prophetic figure for the land to which the northern kingdom has been exiled (comp. Hos. 2:14-16); even in their present extremity the grace of God reaches out to the need of those He loves - waiting, that He may give them rest and peace, (comp. Ex. 33:14; Josh. 1:13).
    3. "Of old" (vs. 3) may be better rendered "From afar" - even from His heavenly dwelling, (comp. Ex. 3:7-8).
      a. He assures them that His love for them is "everlasting"; not merely beyond time, but beyond their comprehension, (Deut. 4:37; 7:8; Eph. 3:17-19; Hos. 14:4-8).
      b. Because this is true, He has dealt with them in absolute fidelity (hesed) to the covenant that He made with their fathers at Mt. Sinai, (Psa. 36:7; 63:3; 89:33; Jer. 9:24; 32:18; Hos. 2:19).
      c. Thus has He "drawn" them - faithfully and lovingly leading, guiding, directing, and developing them according to their particular need.
        1) Sometimes by embracing them and drawing them near to His heart.
        2) Again, in thrusting them from Him - holding them at arm's length and charting their paths through trouble, travail, agony and pain; but, always "with lovingkindness", because this was essential to their spiritual wholeness.
    4. The Lord will again build this people into a nation characterized by purity, stability, permanence, gratitude and joy, (vs. 4; 24:6; 33:7).
    5. Verses 5-6 describe a time when the breach between Israel and Judah is healed; reunited and fruitful, in the land of their fathers, they will, together, "go up to Zion' to worship Jehovah, their God, (Isa,. 65:21; Ezek. 28:25-26; Jer. 3:18; 50:4-5; Isa. 2:3-4).

    7 For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. 8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither. 9 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. 10 Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. 11 For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. 12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. 13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. 14 And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD.

    1. Here is a call for joyful song, celebration and praise to Jehovah, (vs.7; 20:13; Psa 14:7).
      a. He has saved His people, the remnant of Israel, (Jer. 23:3; comp. Psa. 28:9; Isa. 25:9).
      b. He has exalted Jacob to be the leader (chief) of the nations, (comp. Deut. 26:18-19; 28:13; Isa. 61:9).
    2. Those whom the Lord is pictured as bringing from all the places to which they have been scattered (the blind, the lame, the woman that is with child, etc.) seem calculated to reveal that deliverance does not come through rugged determination, or personal vigor; it comes through the love, grace and power of the Almighty! (vs. 8; 3:18; 23:7-8).
    3. Tears of repentance and joy characterize the remnant of Israel as God leads them home - through unknown (Isa 42:16), but refreshing, paths (Isa. 40:3-5; 42:1-7; 49:9-13) upon which is no cause for stumbling, (vs. 9; comp. Isaiah 63:10-14).
      a. Such gentle care demonstrates the Father's love.
      b. Ephraim He regards as His "firstborn": though, chronologically, Reuben was Jacob's oldest son (Gen. 24:32); the term "firstborn" was applied to Ephraim because of that tribe's recognized leadership during the era of the Northern kingdom. (It is also worthy of note that Jacob had a special love for this favored grandson of Rachel - the wife whom he truly loved.)
    4. When the nation returns to Him, the Lord will be to them a Good Shepherd of provision and protection, (vs. 10; Isa 40:11; comp. Jn. 10:1-14).
    5. He will fully ransom and redeem them from those who oppress them, (vs. 11; 15:21; 50:34; Isa 44:23; 48:20).
    6. Verses 12-14 describe the deep joy of the redeemed in Zion, and their abundant soul-satisfaction in the bounty of Jehovah, (Jer. 50:19; Psa. 36:8; Isa. 51:11; 55:2; 61:3).

    15 Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. 16 Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. 17 And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border. 18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God. 19 Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. 20 Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD. 21 Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities. 22 How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.

    1. So sad has been the scattering of Israel that Jeremiah pictures Rachel (the beloved wife of Jacob, and mother of Joseph and Benjamin) as lifting up her head from the grave to weep over the deportation of her children by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. (vs. 15).
      a. Ramah was a settlement in the vicinity of Gibeah and Beeroth (Josh. 18:25), about 5 miles north of Jerusalem, (40:1; Isa 10:29).
      b. Rachel had died in giving birth to Benjamin, enroute to Bethlehem, and had been buried at Zelah on the border of Benjamin, (Gen 35:19; 48:17; I Sam. 10:2).
      c. Matthew cites this illustrative figure in connection with the slaughter of innocents by King Herod, in his attempt to destroy the newborn "King of the Jews!" (Matt. 2:17-18).
    2. In verses 16-17 the Lord is pictured as comforting Rachel by the assurance that her children will be restored, (Isa. 25:8; 30:18-19; Jer. 30:3; 29:11).
    3. Ephraim is likened to an undisciplined calf (Hos. 4:16) until the hand of the Lord laid upon him such restraints and chastisement as brought him to repentance and shame, (3:22-25) - and a readiness to submit to the yoke of Jehovah, (vs. 18-19; Psa. 94:12-13; Matt. 11:28-30).
    4. As an humbled returning prodigal, Ephraim will come to know the vastness of God's love and care! (vs. 20; comp. Lk. 15:22-32).
      a. Such divine grief as here expressed over the waywardness of his people is something that only parents of rebellious children can begin to understand! (comp. Hos. 11:8-9).
      b. They were dear to Him; He delighted in them; He had fond memories of their youth; and He yearned for an opportunity to RESTORE THEM to His fellowship' (Isa. 55:7; Hos. 14:4).
    5. Verse 21 is an appeal for Israel to return by the same way she has departed (Isa. 52:11), the old relationship cannot be restored until she turns to the Lord with her whole heart, (Deut. 30:1-4); she will then be regarded as the "virgin of Israel", (vs. 4).
    6. In the first part of verse 22 the Lord chides Israel as a "backsliding daughter": How long will she go hither and thither - placing her hope and trust in most anything other than Jehovah Himself? (2:23; 13:27; 49:4).
    7. A number of suggestions have been put forth to explain the meaning of the "new thing" that Jehovah creates: "a woman shall compass a man" (vs. 22b).
      a. Some view it as fulfilled in a repentant and restored Israel - embracing Jehovah her God, and being established in the New Covenant, (Psa. 110:3; Matt. 23:39).
      b. Others seem certain that it is a reference to the virgin birth of the Christ, (Lk. 1:26-35; Gal. 4:4-5).
      c. However, since Israel has rejected the role of a faithful witnessing institution to all men, the Lord ultimately casts her aside and raises up a new witnessing institution (in His church) with which He establishes the new covenant relationship, and to whom He gives a commission to evangelize all nations - even unto the consummation of the age, (Matt. 16:18; Lk. 12:32; Matt. 28:18-20; 26:26-29).
        1) As with Israel, the church is said to be His "house" and the "holy temple" in which He dwells, by the Holy Spirit, (I Tim. 3:15; Eph. 2:19-21).
        2) Likewise, the relationship between Christ and His church is illustrated by that between a husband and his wife; she is espoused to "one husband" in whole-hearted love, devotion and obedient loyalty, (Eph. 5:22-32; 2 Cor. 11:2).
        3) So obviously "blessed" is the relationship of love between the Lord (the man Christ Jesus) and His new covenant community (the church) that Israel (the nation) is said to be "provoked to jealousy" (Rom 11:11) - a very powerful influence in effecting her ultimate repentance and loyal return to her long-spurned Savior, Lord and King!
        4) Having learned obedience, the believing nation will also be brought into the bonds of the new covenant - though it is the studied judgment of this writer that such will NOT take place until AFTER she has faithfully executed her role as "chief" of the nations (vs. 7) during the millennium.

    23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; The LORD bless thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness. 24 And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all the cities thereof together, husbandmen, and they that go forth with flocks. 25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul. 26 Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me. 27 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast. 28 And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD. 29 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. 30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.

    1. Verses 23-25 visualize the people of Judah restored to their land and finding satisfaction in their God, (30:18; 32:44; comp. vs. 12-13; Matt. 5:6; Jn. 4:14); the blessings of Jehovah rest upon them as the "habitation of righteousness" and "mountain of holiness", (Isa. 1:26; Psa. 48:1; 87:1-3).
    2. From verse 26 it appears that God gave this revelation to Jeremiah in a dream - for he suddenly awoke from what he described as a "sweet sleep", (comp. Zech. 4:1).
    3. Once the lessons of apostasy have been learned, the heavenly Sower will increase both men and flocks in a thriving land; no longer will it be necessary for Him to "pluck up, break down and overthrow", (vs. 27-29; Jer. 32:41; Hos. 2:23).
    4. Some among the exiles were evidently claiming that the Lord was unjust in punishing them for circumstances which were no fault of their own; the popular proverb quoted in verse 29 reflected their skepticism, (comp. Lam. 5:7; Ezek. 18:1-4).
    5. Jeremiah assures them that God holds each individual among them morally responsible for his own life, and will judge accordingly, (vs. 30; Deut. 24:16; Isa. 3:11; comp. Rom. 14:12; Matt. 12:36; 16:27).

    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.

    1.The day is coming when the Lord will initiate New Covenant with Israel and Judah - redeemed, reunited and restored to their own land, (vs. 31-32; Isa. 27:6).
      a. For centuries they have been pillaged, plucked up, scattered and afflicted, (Judges 3:8, 12-14; 4:1-3; 6:1-6; 10:6-8; 13:1).
      b. Since the fulfillment of this covenant requires a restoration to something previously forfeited, it necessarily involves a literal and united nation, (Ezek. 36:8-11; 37:21-22; comp. Isa. 11:13-14).
        Fulfillment will involve:
        1) Restoration to covenant fellowship.
        2) Restoration to covenant land.
        3) Restoration to covenant blessings.
      c. There is actually nothing in this passage to suggest that the initial establishment of this covenant would be with a NEW WITNESSING INSTITUTION (the Lord's New Testament church) - including Gentile participants, through a spiritual engrafting, (Rom. 11:16-27; comp. Rom. 2:28-29); but one cannot always foresee just HOW God is going to fulfill His word! (For a study on the New Covenant and the Lord's Church, see my work entitled: "Outline Studies in the Covenants".)
      d. So far as the nation is concerned, the establishment of this covenant is yet future, and there are definite conditions that she must first meet.
        1) She must recognize and confess her sin against the covenant God, (Contr. Mal. 12, 6-7; 2:17; 3:7).
        2) She must change her mind, and heart-attitude, toward Jesus, the true Messiah - Son of David, Son of man and Son of God! (Matt. 23:39).
        3) She must be brought to a condition of "mourning" over the awfulness of her sin - especially in rejecting and crucifying her Divine Lover, Redeemer and Friend! (Zech. 12:10-13:1; Rev. 1:7).
      e. Though the nation persists in stubborn revolt against the true Messiah, God has pledged to bring about such repentance as will permit Him, in righteousness, to restore the forfeited blessings - to the eternal praise and glory of His grace! (Zech. 10:9-12).
    2. This covenant will not be established on the same order as that made with their ancient fathers.
      a. Under that covenant God never swerved from His faithfulness in dealing with His people: taking them by the hand, He led them out of their bondage and servitude in Egypt (Deut. 1:31; Isa. 63:12), and His dealings were those of a faithful husband, (Isa. 63:7-9).
      b. The nation, however, revolted against the authority of her true husband, (Isa. 63:10; Jer. 3:11-18, 20-25; Hos. 2:14-20); she broke the covenant-bond on which the blessings of Jehovah were conditioned, (Jer. 11:7-8; Isa. 59:1-2); without the obedient walk to which she was pledged, she forfeited the privileges and blessings that she had come to regard as her exclusive, inalienable rights! (Isa 50:1; 54:6-8).
      c. The covenant from Mt. Sinai made clear demands upon the nation, but provided no enabling dynamic; instead of bestowing life, it condemned to death - emphasizing the vanity and total bankruptcy of human merit before God.
        1) Though the law was good and holy, it demanded a righteousness that could not produce, (Gal. 2:21).
        2) It demanded duties FROM WITHOUT which could only be produced from a POWER WITHIN - and the law provided no such power, (Rom. 8:2-4).
        3) Moses clearly commanded that their hearts be circumcised to love the Lord their God, but this never became the ruling motivation of their individual or corporate lives, (Deut. 30:6); without it all else was vain! (I Cor. 13:1-3; Gal. 5:6).
    3. Jeremiah is brief in stating the basic provisions of the New Covenant, (vs. 33-34).
      a. It involves a FORGIVENESS that is gracious, compassionate, full and free, (Jer. 50:20).
        1) Nothing in the life of Israel, or of anyone, merits such gracious forgiveness.
        2) Divine compassion alone, rooted in divine love, makes forgiveness possible, (Micah 7:1 8-19; Ex. 34:7).
        3) Nothing is held back; God FORGIVES and FORGETS! (Isa. 43:25; 44:22; 38:17). He forgets in the sense that he does not hold any fully confessed sin against any.
        4) On the part of men it is "without money and without price"; it cost God the SON OF HIS LOVE! (Rom 3:21-26; Heb. 10:14-18).
      b. It involves a provision of spiritual discernment and power, (I Cor. 2:9-14; Rom. 2:14-16; 2 Cor. 3:3; Isa. 30:19-21).
        1) Centuries of participation in religious rituals had brought no satisfaction or deliverance - only frustration and failure, (contrast Jer. 32:37-42).
        2) Never before had they been ready for such an outpouring of the Divine Spirit; their hearts had not been right before God, (Jer. 24:7; 32:40; Isa. 32:10-18).
        3) Willingness to recognize Jesus Christ as Lord will ultimately bring them spiritual benefits that Gentiles - walking in the steps of Abraham's faith - have long enjoyed.
        4) This does not mean that there will be no further progress of knowledge; only that all will have immediate access to God, (I Thes. 4:9; l John 2:27).
      c. It will also involve, for Israel, a restoration to the intimacy of divine fellowship.
        1) Though God was longsuffering - patiently bearing with them in their idolatry, apostasy and presumption - He eventually cast them off and withheld the blessings reserved for those who would walk obediently in the sphere of covenant fellowship, (Jer. 2:2-20).
        2) After millenniums of dreadful darkness, desolation and wanderings, God will take the initiative in bringing home again the one whom He so dearly loved, wooed and comforted in her youth, (Ezek. 16:60-63).
        3) She will again be cleansed and given opportunity to reciprocate the love that has so miraculously preserved her (though she was ignorant of it, Hos. 2:8) through the painful years of her rebellion and infidelity, (Ezek. 36:22-31; 37:22-24).
        4) The word "knows, as used here, suggests far more than intellectual attainment; it bespeaks a PERSONAL INTIMACY that is possible only in a relationship of mutual love, (Isa. 11:9; 54:13; Hab. 2:14; Jn. 17:3; Phil. 3:10; Eph. 4:13; 1:18; 2 Pet. 1:3; l Jn. 4:7; 5:20).

    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. 38 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the city shall be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner. 39 And the measuring line shall yet go forth over against it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath. 40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.

    1. Stressing the immutability of His love for Israel, the Lord insists that the prospect of His utterly abandoning her was as unthinkable as that the fixed order of sun, moon and ocean waves should disappear, (vs. 35-36; 33:20-26; Psa. 89:36-37; Isa. 54:9-10).
    2. The permanent rejection of this people is as unlikely as that the universe, with its multiplied millions of galaxies, will be measured, and all the secrets of the foundations of the earth searched out! (vs. 37; Amos 9:8-12; Isa. 40:12; Rom. 11:2-5, 26-27); the very preservation of the Jewish people to this day (though still in unbelief, and away from God) is adequate affirmation of this promise.
    3. And Jeremiah foresees an ultimate rebuilding of the City (Jerusalem) in holiness, unto the glory of Jehovah her God - after which it will never again be plucked up nor thrown down, (vs. 38-40; 30:18; Joel 3:17).