Jeremiah: The New and Old Covenant (Pt 4)

Introduction

Open to Jeremiah 31 and we will start in verse 38 today. Jeremiah 31:38

Don’t forget where we are, the context is the New Covenant

The start of verse 38, “Behold, the days are coming” is clearly there to remind of of the connection of verse 31 and the covenant.

The promises here are not disconnected from the New Covenant.

All the promises of God find their yes and amen is Christ.

Promises for God and For bad? Christ is the salvation and righteousness of the elect and the judge of all the earth.

The judgement day is coming, with the resurrection, the reason i reminded us that the context is the covenant and Christ is because these next few verses are loaded with eschatological implications.

I have always treaded carefully, perhaps to carefully at times, with eschatological maters. The fact is that Christ said no man knows the day or the hour and those things of the end time have been left by God, intentional, unclear.

Have you read the book of revelation? That author of the book is not trying to be clear. There are things there he wants us only to understand in hindsight.

So before we get into those eschatological implications what are essentials.

Every promise of God in given by, through, and for Christ (Colossians 1:16)

No one is saved apart from from faith in Jesus Christ, it doesn't mater if you are a jew or a gentile. (Romans 3:28-29)

Christ’s second coming is still to come, there is some debate as to the details, but none as to the substance. (2 Thessalonians 2:1–4)

There is one final judgment for all, those not written in the lambs book of life from the foundation of the world will be cast alive to a living torment for eternity, (Rev 17:8 and Rev 20:12) and those elect saved by grace to eternal bliss with their Lord and bridegroom a new heaven and a new earth” (Re 21:1)

So with the essentials made clear

Let’s Read

Jeremiah 31:38–40 ESV

38 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when the city shall be rebuilt for the Lord from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah. 40 The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the Lord. It shall not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever.”

May God Bless the Reading of His Holy, Infallible and Sufficient Word

Let’s Prayer

Transition

“Behold, the days are coming, saith Jehovah, and built shall be the city. It was not as yet destroyed; but the Prophet intimated that its utter ruin was nigh at hand; he therefore makes now their hope to depend on God’s mercy alone, as to the deliverance of the people from exile: Built then shall be the city to Jehovah from the tower of Hananeel, &c. This tower was, no doubt, placed in the wall of the city."[1]

As we are about to look at verses 38 and 39 Calvin reminded of here of the propose of the author. To make “their hope to depend on God’s mercy alone.” Things have not changed, we have only the same hope, but we have it more revealed in Christ.

Lets read verses 38-39.

Body

The Rebuilding Happened?

Jeremiah 31:38–39 ESV

38 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when the city shall be rebuilt for the Lord from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah.

I titled this section The Rebuilding Happened?

Nehemiah records, “[t]hen Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2 And next to him the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.” (Ne 3:1–2, ESV)

There seems to be something interesting here, Hill Gareb and Goah,

The picture seems to be of the cite extending far beyond what it already does.

“for we do not know the ancient situation of the city; and the Jews themselves, when they make conjectures about these uncertain things” [2]

When it is city rebuilt, is it build for the LORD. The city that is built is by the LORD and for the LORD.

Now lets just make a few connections

“For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:10, ESV).

We can say that, the physical city was not the “the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God”

Herods Temple was not built for God, it was for mans glory and Jesus called it a house that man made a den of thieves. (Matthew 21:13)

There are two temples, houses that God promised to build,

Jesus Body and ours because we are united to him.

First, jesus said, tear down this temple and I will rebuilt it in three days. (John 2:19–21)

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (1 Co 3:16–17, ESV)

The church

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Mt 16:18, ESV)

“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Pe 2:4–5, ESV)

We are going to have more on this when we go to the end of verse 40.

Transition

But before we get to the end of verse 40 we need to think about what the Lord means saying this city “shall be sacred to the Lord.”

The Whole Area is Holy to the Lord

Jeremiah 31:40 ESV

40 The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the Lord. It shall not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever.”

A long quote from Calvin to help here,

“Now, when he says that the city would be built to Jehovah, he intimates what was especially expected by the Jews, that that city would again be holy; for if it only flourished in wealth and power like other cities, it would have been but a small comfort to the Israelites. But he points out here a difference between Jerusalem and all heathen cities; for God was, as it were, the architect of that city, as it is said in the Psalms, “He himself founded it,” (Ps. 87:5;) and further, “His foundations are on the holy mountains,” and this ought to be understood of himself. (Ps. 87:1.) The meaning is, that God would again care for that city, as the Temple would become as it were his royal throne and earthly sanctuary. At the same time when the Prophet affirms that the extent of the city would not be less than it had been, we see that this prophecy must necessarily be referred to the kingdom of Christ: for though Jerusalem before Christ’s coming was eminent and surrounded by a triple wall, and though it was celebrated through all the East, as even heathen writers say that it excelled every other city, yet it was never accomplished, that the city flourished as under David and Solomon. We must then necessarily come to the spiritual V 4, p 151 state of the city, and explain the promise as the grace which came through Christ. [3]

Herods temple was not a grand as Solomon

I hope you are seeing a pastern here

There is more to this thread, we cannot pull it all but one final note.

If we are to say, look this point far beyond the physical city that would be rebuild to the Kingdom of Christ, as Calvin called it we want to see this them in all of scripture.

“So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it.” (Joel 3:17, ESV)

Peter quoted Joel 2 at Pentecostal

This is part of that passage

No one strange enters the temple of God now, one those who are in the family of God, adopted through Christ, enter and will ever enter again.

Transition

and that bring us to the last part of verse 40.

Forever and Every

Jeremiah 31:40 ESV

40 The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the Lord. It shall not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever.”

We that this cannot be referring to the physical temple, it was plucked up and overthrown.

But the gate of Hell will not prevail against the church.

Is it built and then overthrown and built and then overthrown and built and then overthrown. Is that what we see here?

No, the last temple that was rightfully a temple was destroyed in 70 AD, and that temple as we have seen could not have been this eternal temple.

Just in case you are thinking, well what about if they rebuild the temple again.

These earth and heaven are going to burn in fire, we just talk about that Sunday, so even if there is another temple build it cannot be this because it will be it still be plucked up and overthrown again.

Not to mention the abomination to offer animal scarifies now the the one true propitiation has been offered for sin.

Someone might say, well look like God failed, but Paul answers in Ro 9 6-7

“But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” (Ro 9:6–7, ESV)

Conclusion

I hope you are seeing that he picture painted here is consistent throughout scripture.

Every promises of God finds its yes and amen in Christ.

Everything was create thought him and for him.

Today the temple of the LORD extends over the whole earth and every day it expands more and more, every time a sinner repents and believes the gospel.

Christ is building his church and the gates of hell cannot stop it, and no stranger can travel through it because it is the only the elect saints.

Benediction

2 Peter 3:17–18 ESV

17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

References

[1] John Calvin and John Owen, Commentaries on the Prophet Jeremiah and the Lamentations, vol. 4 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 147.

[2] Ibid, 148.

[2] Ibid, 151.

Bibliography

Calvin, John, and John Owen. Commentaries on the Prophet Jeremiah and the Lamentations. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010.