Residency Presentation (6/7/22)

The Use of Jeremiah 31:33-34 in Hebrews 10:16-18

Jeremiah 31:33-34 ESV

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.”

Historical Context:Jeremiah’s ministry took place after the destruction of Israel by Assyria in 722 B.C. and the destruction of Assyria by Babylon in 612 B.C. (Martens, 1995, pp. 515-516). Specifically, he prophesied during the reigns of the last few kings of Judah: Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah and his ministry continued into the Babylonian captivity (Jer. 1:2-3).

Literary Context:In Jeremiah 30-31, God was offering hope for the nation of Israel after the exile through the promise of a future New Covenant as Israel had repeatedly broken the Mosaic Covenant.

Key Terms: “Covenant” (בְּרִית) can mean agreement, covenant, or contract (Koehler et al., 2000, pp. 157-158).

Related Passages: Both Exodus 24:12 and 31:18 reference the tablets of stone that were given to Moses upon which God had written the commandments with his own finger.

Contextual Meaning:God would someday make a new covenant with Israel, not like the old one, for he would write His law on the hearts and minds of His people (Guthrie, 2007, p. 971).

Hebrews 10:16-18 ESV

Thisis the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” 17 then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” 18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Historical Context: It is believed that Hebrews was written to address apostasy and give assurance to believers who were struggling in their faith due to persecution (Rayburn, 1995, p. 1125).

Literary Context: The tenth chapter of Hebrews begins by closing out a larger section explaining Jesus’ role as the great high priest. In this chapter, the writer explains how the Old Covenant was insufficient and how the New Covenant, ratified in Jesus’ blood, is permanent.

Key Terms: “Covenant” (διαθήκη) can mean a last will and testament, covenant, compact, or contract (Arndt et al., 2000, p. 228). Hahn (2016) describes divine covenants by explaining that they are, “the saving plan of God for establishing communion with Israel and the nations, ultimately fulfilled by the death and resurrection of Christ” (Covenant section).

Related Passages: Luke 22:20 references the new covenant in Christ’s blood and Hebrews 8:8-12 references the same passage from Jeremiah 31:33-34.

Contextual Meaning: Christ is the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy as a new covenant was inaugurated upon his death (Harris, 2019, p. 498t) and he is now the great high priest for the Christian (Guthrie, 2007, p. 972). His death is once and for all unlike the sacrifices under the Old Covenant that needed to be repeatedly continually.

Category of Use: Direct Prophecy (Guthrie, 2007, p. 972).

Application: Jesus’ sacrifice was completed once and for all. For anyone who has not received the free gift of salvation in Christ through his atoning death, they must repent, believe on Christ, and be saved. Yet, for those who are Christians, Christ’s once and for all sacrifice is a reminder that their sins are paid for eternally. However, knowing the suffering that Christ bore on the cross should motivate the Christian not to use grace as a license to sin, and to crucify him afresh. Rather, to flee from sin and live lives that are pleasing in God’s sight to thank him for the New Covenant that was ratified with the blood of the spotless lamb, Jesus Christ.

References

Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). In A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 228). University of Chicago Press.

Guthrie, G.H. (2007). Hebrews. In G.K. Beale & D.A. Carson (Eds.), Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Baker Academic.

Hahn, S. (2016). Covenant. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.

Harris, D. M. (2019). Hebrews. B&H Publishing Group.

Koehler, L., Baumgartner, W., Richardson, M. E. J., & Stamm, J. J. (1994–2000). In The Hebrew and Aramaic lexicon of the Old Testament (electronic ed., pp. 157–158). E.J. Brill.

Martens, E. A. (1995). Jeremiah. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, pp. 520–521). Baker Book House.

Rayburn, R. S. (1995). Hebrews. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 1125). Baker Book House.