< Jeremiah 31 >

At the same time when God performs the intents of his heart he will confirm himself the God of Israel and they his people.v.1Waiting for response for Jeremiah 31:1 He loves them with an everlasting love and he will bless them,vs.2-6Waiting for response for Jeremiah 31:2-6 and the nations are called upon to be glad for Israel and to cry to the LORD to save her.v.7Waiting for response for Jeremiah 31:7 He will save them v.8Waiting for response for Jeremiah 31:8 and tells all nations to hear what he will do. v.10Waiting for response for Jeremiah 31:10 He will redeem them from powerful enemies,v.11Waiting for response for Jeremiah 31:11 bring them rejoicing to Jerusalem,vs.12-13Waiting for response for Jeremiah 31:12-13 and completely satisfy them with his goodness.v.14Waiting for response for Jeremiah 31:14

Before God saves his people, they would pass through many centuries of suffering because of their wickedness, and this suffering is represented as “Rachel [Jacob’s wife] weeping for her children”.v.15Waiting for response for Jeremiah 31:15 This is applied to the murder of children by Herod at the birth of Jesus Matthew 2:17Waiting for response for Matthew 2:17 which was just one example of the distress which came upon God’s people. Nevertheless, the faithful could always look forward to the end of their suffering when the children of Israel will be regathered into the land.vs.16-17Waiting for response for Jeremiah 31:16-17 “And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD”.vs.27-28Waiting for response for Jeremiah 31:27-28

God will make a new covenant with Israel.vs.31-34Waiting for response for Jeremiah 31:31-34 The old covenant was the one he made with them through Moses and the new covenant is the one he made with Abraham but was not confirmed until the shedding of Jesus’ blood - his blood is the blood of the new covenant. Luke 22:20Waiting for response for Luke 22:20 These verses in Jeremiah are cited in the New Testament and applied to the disciples of Christ Hebrews 10:16-17Waiting for response for Hebrews 10:16-17 so we can now, by belief and baptism, enter into this covenant with God, and natural Israel will do so also when they are regathered into the land. Both Israel and the saints will have God’s law written on their hearts.v.33Waiting for response for Jeremiah 31:33

We can be as confident that God will perform his word as we are that the sun will rise each morning.v.35Waiting for response for Jeremiah 31:35 Only if the ordinances of the natural heavens, earth and sea come to an end need we fear that God will not redeem Israel. Many assert that God has cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done v.37Waiting for response for Jeremiah 31:37 which is a lie. The LORD will save Israel and re-establish Jerusalem as a holy place. Even the valley of Gehenna (translated “hell” in the New Testament and cited by many to support the erroneous idea of eternal torments), used as a place to destroy the bodies of criminals and by Jesus as a metaphor for God’s judgments, will be made holy unto the LORD.