Jeremiah 31

A Promise of Restoration: Embracing the New Covenant

Bible Passage: Jeremiah 31

Good evening, Banner Church, and welcome to our Midweek service. My name is William, if we have been able to meet. Tonight, we will be continuing in our series called the Book of Promise. We are calling it that because we are covering a small portion of the book of Jeremiah. Over the course of the semester, we will be working our way through chapters 30-33. Last time, Cam faithfully shared with us chapter 30, and tonight I would like for us to consider chapter 31.

Before we read our passage, though, I want to spend a little bit of time covering some context for our passage. As mentioned before, this is written by Jeremiah, a prophet of the Lord, to the nation of Judah. Jeremiah is called by God around the year 628 BC. I mentioned that he was specifically called to the nation of Judah. That is because the nation of Israel had split into two nations. The nation to the north keeping the name Israel, and the nation to the south being called Judah. At this point in time, the northern nation of Israel had been defeated by the nation of Assyria and taken into exile. This happened because of their great sin against the Lord, seeking idols, oppressing the poor and needy, and overall not pursuing the Lord and His ways. One would think that Judah would see what happened to the northern kingdom and learn from their mistakes.

Sadly, that is not the case. The same issues and sin that plagued the northern kingdom is also found in Judah. Judah has chased after other gods. The kings and priests have taken advantage of their people. They not only have ignored God’s law, but they had lost it, literally. Go and read 2 Kings 22 sometime and see how just before Jeremiah was called to be a prophet, King Josiah renovated a temple, took down a wall, and found a book of the law. Most believe this to be the book of Deuteronomy. Judah had such little care for the law that they lost it and rediscovered it years later.

The Assyrians who took the northern kingdom into exile have now been defeated by the Babylonians. This may seem like a lot of worthless history jargon, but I promise you it is relevant for our time tonight. You see, for most of the book of Jeremiah, the Lord reveals that He is actually sending Babylon to enact His judgment on Judah and send them into exile. God uses His servant Jeremiah to share this message.

As you can imagine, Jeremiah is not well-received. He is bringing news of God’s just judgment on His people. A lot of destruction and bloodshed is ahead. Jeremiah will be rejected, beaten, mocked, imprisoned, thrown out of Jerusalem, and nearly killed. Jeremiah is often called the weeping prophet. Several times, he cries to the Lord for this not to happen or at least that he would not have to endure this. Most believe that Jeremiah also wrote the book of Lamentations, which is set in the ruins of the destruction told about in the Book of Jeremiah.

It is also in the backdrop of all of this that God gives us these chapters that are filled with hope and restoration. Promises that God will redeem His people. For tonight, we will consider chapter 31 of Jeremiah.

Summary: Jeremiah 31 illustrates God's plan for His people, promising restoration, forgiveness of sins, and an intimate relationship through His Spirit, contrasting the previous covenant, which they broke.

So if you are willing and able, please stand with me while we read a portion of our Word tonight. “At that time, declares the Lord, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.” 2 Thus says the Lord: “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, 3 the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. 4 Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. 5 Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant and shall enjoy the fruit. 6 For there shall be a day when watchmen will call in the hill country of Ephraim: ‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.’ ” 7 For thus says the Lord: “Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘O Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel.’ 8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here. 9 With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble, for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Thank you, may be seated. Before we spend time further studying the Word, would you take a moment to pray with me for our time tonight? “Lord, we are helpless without you. So I pray that we would see your word clearly tonight. May your Spirit guide us through this text. May we hear with open hearts the promises that you told to your servant Jeremiah over 2,600 years ago, and the same promises you give to us today. I pray that all my words would fall away and not hinder the truth of Yours. Most of all, I pray that you be glorified from our time together tonight. It is in your holy name I pray, amen.”

Tonight, I want us to look at four promises that God gives to us in this chapter. I will do my best to give each section the appropriate time it deserves; however, I encourage each of you to go back after we are done and to study this chapter. There is enough here in this chapter that we could talk for days on end. But with that being said, I want us to first look at how God promises restoration.

1. Promise of Restoration

Jeremiah 31:1-9

As I mentioned, Jeremiah is sent to Judah, not the nation of Israel. Yet, in this section, God is addressing Israel. So why is God addressing a nation that went into exile nearly 100 years earlier? Could Jeremiah have gotten this news into their hands? No. The northern kingdom of Israel went into exile and never returned. The reason we call Jewish people Jews is because they come from the nation of Judah, which is the only part of the greater Israel that survived these exiles.

The Northern kingdom would have adopted the culture of the Assyrians. They would have married with the Assyrians and become part of the Assyrians, and thus Gentiles. But God is telling the people that He will restore them. This would seem an impossible task. But look at some of the language God uses in this section. In verse 1 He says He will be the God of all the clans of Israel, not just the two that remained in the southern kingdom of Judah. This section shows God gathering His scattered children, even in their brokenness and straying.

In verse two He is reminding His people of His faithfulness. “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness;” This is a call back to Exodus when God guided His people through the wilderness. Though they were constantly rebellious against the Lord, He still showed them a love and grace that they did not deserve.

But not only does this point backwards to how God has provided for them, but this is also looking ahead. There is a greater Grace that is going to come out of the wilderness for God’s people. See what Mark 1:12-13 says. This is right after Jesus is baptized. “The Spirit immediately drove Him out into the wilderness. And He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And He was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to Him.”

God is letting His people know that He has provided salvation in the wilderness before, and He will provide it again, only this next time it will be a salvation that unites and restores all of God’s people. In the salvation that comes from the grace found in the wilderness, that being Christ, Jews, being the ethnic people of Judah, and the Gentiles, everyone else (including the ten tribes of the northern kingdom) are restored into right fellowship with God.

This judgment that is coming is necessary, because the people have sinned greatly. Yet, through this judgment comes salvation in Christ. See in verse three that God’s love for His people has never waivered despite their great sin. That is wonderful news for you and I because we are just as guilty as these people. Yet, in our brokenness and sinful wretchedness Christ adorns those who turn to Him in faith with His righteousness. This is the Grace found in the wilderness. In Christ we have promises of collective restoration, offering us hope of healing and belonging. Jesus, who came to seek and save the lost under God's salvific plan, embodies this restoration promise and calls us to embrace hope and community in Him.

We serve a God who is faithful to that promise. And our response to that promise is always worship and joy. That leads us to our second promise in this section, The Promise of Joy.

2. Promise of Joy

Jeremiah 31:10-17

Verse 10-17 highlight this well. These verses say this, “Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.’ For the Lord has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more. Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the Lord.” Thus says the Lord: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” Thus says the Lord: “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the Lord, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope for your future, declares the Lord, and your children shall come back to their own country.”

This truth that we have been restored by the Lord should fill us with great joy. Surely He is worthy to be praised. In our wondering, He has drawn us close to Him. Even when life beats you down, and this world certainly will, there is a hope and joy that cannot be taken away from those who are His.

Look at Jeremiah for example, he had it pretty bad. His life is marked by sorrow. After Babylon comes and destroys Jerusalem and takes Judah in exile. Jeremiah was left behind in the ruins and ash of his hope. People he once called friends and family member have either been killed or enslaved. Yet it is from the ashes that the Lord lifts his eyes to the hope of what is to come in Christ.

Though we have this hope, life will still be tough. This world is full of sin. So why would we look to the world for our joy anyway. Banner Church, look to Christ. He is perfect and without blemish. He has conquered sin and death. There is eternal Joy in knowing Christ. Run to Him. The troubles of this life will soon pass. Babylon is not the victor here. Praise be to God who is. Cry out in worship. Though you are living in a land of death, you are offered life in Christ. Know that the savior reigns. He hears your cries and bitter mourning, and He promises to turn them into joy. This passage illustrates a hope that is everlasting, through the assurance that God will turn mourning into joy. But you have to trust in Him for that change. And with that change, we are gifted peace. Look ahead a little as we look at our third promise here, a promise of Peace.

3. Promise of Peace

Jeremiah 31:23-26

Verses 23-26 shows us a beautiful image of this peace. Read along with me, it says “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Once more they shall use these words in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I restore their fortunes: 'The Lord bless you, O habitation of righteousness, O holy hill!’ And Judah and all its cities shall dwell there together, and the farmers and those who wander with their flocks. For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me.”

Keep in mind that this is coming in the middle of great judgment on Judah. Judgment that will destroy them as a nation and send them into exile. War is coming and the city of Jerusalem will be under siege. Peace would seem impossible. Yet the Lord is promising them peace. After this restoration, their lips shall cry out blessings. This is not a picture of war and strife. And if you look around today, there is still not peace in the land. Our nation does not know peace. There certainly is not peace in the land of Israel and Judah today.

Notice, though, that the nation does not satisfy their souls. Rich farms do not satisfy souls. No lack of oppression satisfies their souls. It is God who satisfies souls. Hear the words of Jesus, “28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 And again, when He cries out, “7 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as[f] the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:37-38

Christ is your peace. He is what will satisfy you. Only turn to Him in faith. Believers have spiritual renewal and peace experienced through Christ. Just as God revitalizes and blesses His people, Jesus brings a peace that transcends understanding, healing our deepest wounds.

As we try and wrap up, would you just sit and listen to how this chapter closes? Picking up in verse 31 it says, “31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” 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.”

God promises to make a new and everlasting covenant with His people. One where we intimately know Him.

4. Promise of Intimacy and a New Covenant

Jeremiah 31:31-40

This new covenant is not limited to just the Jews, but also the Gentiles. It does not rely on our works, which we could never uphold, but on the finished work of Christ. In it, we are no longer slaves to sin and the spiritual adultery when we chased after idols. But He will be our God.

We will no longer lose the law of the the Lord behind walls in the temple, for we will know His word in our inmost parts. And He will be our God and we His people.

His kingdom will be filled with those who intimatly know Him and love Him. It will not be a kingdom only filled with the elite, but one of every tribe in tounge, from kings and rulers to the outcast and margalized, all greatful servants to the Most High King.

Our sins will be remembered no longer, covered and atoned for by the righteous blood of Christ. And Banner Church, as sure as the sun shines and the moon and stars come out at night, as infinite as the heavens be and unsearchable is the foundations of creation are, this is true. Creation sings of this glory.

God has placed these things there so that you might know Him and His promises.

And have faith, because this Kingdom will never be shaken. Christ will always be King. And He will never abandon you. Even if the armies of Babylon come and destroy all that you hold deep. If they take you into exile or cut you down in the wake of their wrath, He will never abandon you. When you close your eyes in final death, you will wake to see His face. Because our God is a God of faithful promises.