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Jeremiah 31:31–34
“I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (Jer. 31:34b).
The prophecies of Jeremiah came during a dark time in the history of the kingdom of Judah. The Judeans had seen the defeat of the northern kingdom of Israel and its exile to Assyria, the judgment of God upon it for its sin. But Judah had proved itself just as corrupt and idolatrous as Israel; the Judeans, like the Israelites, had broken God’s covenant. Thus, Jeremiah and other prophets were speaking a message of judgment. Like Israel, Judah was about to be expelled from the land given to Abraham. Its unfaithfulness to God was about to cause Him to invoke the curses of the covenant. But just as a word of hope was given in the midst of judgment in the Garden of Eden, God offered a promise of hope to Judah: a new covenant.
Just what was God promising here? There are many aspects to this rich passage, but we will focus on two. First, God promised forgiveness of sin. In fact, He promised to “remember” the sin of His people no more, indicating that it would be blotted out, completely compensated for in some way. Unlike all the animal sacrifices offered daily in the soon-to-be-destroyed Jerusalem temple, sacrifices that pointed toward final redemption but actually accomplished nothing redemptive, a sacrifice someday would be made that would truly pay for sins (Heb. 13:12). Secondly, God promised to make holy living possible. He said, ‘ “I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts.’ ” God always intended that His Word be in His people’s hearts (Deut. 6:6), but it merely had been “ ‘set before’ ” them (Deut. 4:8). In the future, God promised, He would inscribe His law on the hearts and minds of His people. He planned to transform them inwardly, thereby enabling them to live according to the laws of their Lord.
These promises pointed to the Redeemer God was yet to send. Just as the old covenant had a mediator, Moses, so this new covenant had to have a mediator, one who could inaugurate and establish the covenant with God’s people. This one would come, as we have seen, from Abraham’s descendants and from the royal house of Judah, and He would be God incarnate. He would stand between God and men and forge a new covenant, an everlasting one (Jer. 50:5). And by that covenant God would accomplish His redemptive purpose. Despite Israel’s disobedience to the old covenant, God would not fail.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Understanding the context of this passage helps us see how God remembers mercy amid wrath. He is the jilted husband who constantly pursues His wayward bride. Do you understand that you are that bride, who once spurned Him in your sin? Have you begun to see the love that drove Him to pursue you? Praise His unfailing love.
For Further Study
- Isaiah 42:9
- Isaiah 43:19
- Jeremiah 32:27–44
- Ezekiel 36:24–28
- Ezekiel 37:15–28