Jeremiah 31:33-34
Our Scripture Text:
“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 their neighbor, 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 (Jeremiah 31:33-34 KJV).”
- Here, God said:
- That there is a need to establish a new covenant between God and Israel. The old (present) covenant has been broken because of the people’s sin.
- That this new covenant will be based on love.
- That in this new covenant, Israel will know God personally.
- That in this new covenant, God will pardon Israel’s sin that prevent them from knowing God intimately.
THE NEW COVENANT (v. 33)
“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 heart and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
The Old Covenant
“31Behold, 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; (Jeremiah 31:31-32)”
- Distinction
- OLD COVENANT: 1. Written on stone and paper.
- NEW COVENANT: 1. Written in their heart (v. 33a).
- Similarity
- OLD: 2. “I will be your God and you shall be My people.”
- NEW: 2. “I will be your God and you shall be My people.” (v. 33b)
OBEDIENCE OUT OF LOVE (v. 33)
“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;
- Examples:
- On Sabbath:
- Jews’ understanding of Sabbath: On the 7th day, absolutely no work.
- Jesus’ explanation on the Sabbath: He is the Lord of the Sabbath and may do good deeds/God’s will (healing the sick) on the Sabbath.
- On Murder:
- Jews’ understanding of “Thou shall not kill.” – So long as they have not actually murdered someone, they’re fine.
- Jesus’ explanation: Hating someone is same as Murder.
- On Adultery:
- Jews: I don’t cohabit with someone who is not my spouse, I’m fine.
- Jesus: Just looking with lust at a woman is adultery.
- On Sabbath:
KNOWING GOD INTIMATELY (v. 34).
“34 And they shall teach no more every man their neighbor, 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.”
It is God’s desire that His creation acknowledge Him as the Creator.
“Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father, for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, for a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Xxx Say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent unto the world, Thou blasphemest because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. (John 10:31-38)”
When we know Christ, we become so passionate about Him.
- The Apostle Paul said it this way:
“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ (Philippians 3:8).”- When a man truly knows God, he cannot help but love Him; and when he loves Him, he gladly obeys Him.
- Manner and Goal of our teaching should be transformational (heart-changer) and not legalistic, ritualistic or just cerebral.
- To be life-changing, our teaching should be based on faith in God’s sovereign will and grace.
DEALING WITH SIN THAT HINDERS INTIMACY WITH GOD (v. 34b)
Blaise Pascal said:
There is a “vacuum in a man’s heart that only God can fill”.
Verse 34 “for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
As teachers to those the disciples, we are on co-mission with God as he redeems the lost.
The Great Commission involves mostly teaching:
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen (Matthew 28:19-20)”.
- SOUTHERN BAPTIST SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY
- VISION – Excellence in theological education.
- MISSION – Equip believers to be leaders for the 21st century (Eph. 4:12).
- CORE VALUES -Scripture, Prayer, Baptist Distinctives, Servanthood, Supremacy of Christ,Excellence
It is in knowing Jesus that people know the unseen God. Therefore, we should first learn who Jesus is and then teach our disciples who He is:
- the Son of God
- the only Mediator between God and the sinner
- the Saviour
- the King of kings and
- the coming Judge.
We teach that:
God is holy, righteous and just
Without pardon, the sinner may not come before God’s presence. Jesus showed us God’s mercy by paying for the penalty and forgiving us of our sins.
God makes us experience His love and care especially in times of need.
Jesus taught us that in being humble we gain honor.
CONCLUSION
In sum, when we teach, we aim not just for the mind but the heart; not just head knowledge but transformed lives. God’s desire for Israel has been that they know His Son Jesus Christ and welcome Him as the King of kings. His will for us is that our hearts be changed from inside out. He can only do this when He sits there on the throne of your heart.
