The Foundation of the Promise

Reading: Jeremiah 31:35-40

Jeremiah 31:35–40 ESV

35 Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord of hosts is his name: 36 “If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the Lord, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.” 37 Thus says the Lord: “If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the Lord.” 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.”

Prayer

One of the most amazing promises in the Bible is the promise of a new covenant, written on the hearts of God’s chosen people (Jer 31:31-34). But part of that promise is the “follow-through” of verses 35-40. That follow-through shows us the foundation of God’s promise - what his promises are based on.

The Foundation of God’s Promises Is Found in God’s Power, Not Man’s

Jeremiah 31:35 ESV

35 Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord of hosts is his name:

God is the one who has established the celestial bodies and their order, as well as the earthly order. He gave the sun for daylight and the moon and stars for lights at night. They run their courses in the heavens in consistent motion. The sun gives life through its heat and light. The moon reflects the sun’s light, and the stars assist in guiding sailors and sojourners alike. It is by these elements that we track our days and nights, weeks and months, seasons and years. It is through these heavenly bodies that we see the vastness of their Creator and can marvel at his ingenuity and power.

Likewise, the earthly order owes its existence to God. He names the seas here, but surely the entire world and its natural phenomena are in mind. The chaotic seas were viewed as symbolic of evil, yet God is the one controlling the tempest. The waves beating on the shore but not overrunning their boundaries show us the both the wrath and justice of God in harmonic balance.

Jeremiah 31:36 ESV

36 “If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the Lord, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.”

If, God says, this “fixed order” were to ever depart, so would the nation of Israel. The promise lies in the utter impossibility of this occurring. The “fixed order” is not merely the celestial bodies and terrestrial objects themselves - the sun, moon, stars, sea, etc. - but the laws which govern their behavior. Consider any law of nature: pressure and temperature in a gas are proportionate (they both change in the same way), a body at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force, and the energy of an object is equal to the mass of the object times the square of the velocity of light. All of these laws are not subject to change.

It is this truth that illustrates for us the truth of God’s promise: he will not allow Israel to be vanquished from before him. We are not merely talking about the political nation of Israel - that has come and gone and come again on the world scene. We are talking about the people of Israel - the sons of Jacob who are not destroyed no matter what evil besets them (Mal 3:6). They will remain before God (lit. “to the face of God”).

The Foundation of God’s Promises Is Found in God’s Wisdom, Not Man’s

Jeremiah 31:37 ESV

37 Thus says the Lord: “If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the Lord.”

Rather than pointing to the impossibility through something departing, this verse points to the impossibility of something being found out. Look at the heavens above: can you find their limits? You don’t even have to leave this own planet - even the center of the planet is beyond our reach. We cannot possibly fathom the complexity and full mechanics of how our own planet functions from day-to-day.

Herein lays the connection with God’s promise: if we could ever figure all this out, if our knowledge would ever penetrate the depths of God’s knowledge of his creation, then God would cast off the Israelites. The utter impossibility of the former assures us of the impossibility of the latter.

The Foundation of God’s Promises Is Found in God’s Faithfulness, Not Man’s

Jeremiah 31:37 ESV

37 Thus says the Lord: “If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the Lord.”

God speaks of casting off Israel “for all that they have done.” That phrase is also used in another passage:

Isaiah 41:8–10 ESV

8 But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; 9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; 10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

God is faithful in his enduring promise despite his people’s faithlessness toward him. The nature of God is to continue loving us even when we rebel, continue loving us even when we oppose, continue loving us even when we wander into all kinds of spiritual negligence.

God will NEVER forsake his people: no matter our circumstances, no matter our incompetence, and no matter our sin.

The Foundation of God’s Promises Is Found in God’s Works, Not Man’s

Jeremiah 31:38 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.

The city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt. The span from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate was at that time the extinct of the main part of the city. It was within this area that the Temple, the King’s palace, the major buildings all lay. Houses of important individuals also sat within this area. The practical application of God’s promise to never forsake his people was the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

And we’ve already seen a first-fruits of this promise. You can read the account in Nehemiah 3. Step-by-step, Nehemiah shows us how the wall went up as families each took sections and did their work. With swords at the ready and trowels in hand, the people rebuilt the wall in an astonishingly short time - less than 2 months. It was a testimony to God’s continued faithfulness to Israel, and a sign that one day his promise to renew the covenant with Israel would be fulfilled.

Jeremiah 31:39 ESV

39 And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah.

But the promise goes farther. Not only will the “important” part of Jerusalem be rebuilt, but all of Jerusalem (and perhaps even farther). The locations of Gerab and Goah are not known with certainty, but at the very least God promises to restore the entire city - not just the Temple and its surroundings. God is not interested in “patching things up.” He wants to rebuild all.

And note something else here. The phrase “measuring line” occurs 7 times in the OT: every time it occurs either God or his representative is using the line. The plans to rebuild and the accomplishment of the task are all God’s work. But also notice that men are not absent, either. God’s promises depend on God’s work, they are accomplished through man’s work too.

Philippians 2:12–13 ESV

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

We work as God works through us. But the promise depends on God, not us. And the change God brings is amazing:

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.”

What is now the scene of death and defeat will be restored, too. No more will the dead bodies and ashes fill the valley. What is now a massive area of uncleanliness will be purified and sacred to the Lord. Never again will God’s people face oppression and defeat. God’s promise will not expire - he will do it and it will last.

You can have that kind of change in you. You might feel like a dead man walking - like there is no hope for you. You might feel like your life is meaningless. You might feel like there is no victory. Not true - that is patently false. God can rebuild your life. He will, if you will surrender it to him.