Chapters 30-31
In Chapters 30-31 Jeremiah discusses a new covenant stressing that God will forgive the Israelites for their sins and renew his relationship with them. This forgiveness comes in a few different forms. The first form that is mentioned is in terms of physical possessions. The people are told that they will enter exile and 70 years later be returned. This exile will damage the people’s identity and strip them of almost all their earthly possessions. After exile God will restore their wealth in their own land. God says “I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land which I gave to their fathers” (Chapter 30, vs. 3). This is God promising that everyone in Israel will be
…show more content…
This covenant is established on the return from exile. This event will bring the people together. In contrast to the previous covenant, this covenant is unbreakable. God adds a salvific element to this covenant. He will write the law upon their hearts and they shall know him. This covenant was not one that the people entered into, like with Abram. God is now establishing a vertical relationship with his people. He is entering the people and forming the relationship. The covenant is much more individual. God says that he will no longer remember the sin. He is going to disregard their faults and move on with this new covenant. God seems to offer the people no real option. They have to enter into this covenant and it will be best for them as individuals and as a nation. This forgiveness is free for the people. This forgiveness comes with repentance. No longer shall the people desire to do evil but rather to do what is good and worth in the sight of God. There are no restrictions on this covenant, even the lowest people in Israel get God’s love, not just the high priests. God is establishing the covenant that he had wanted all along. He speaks to Israel as if they were children “Is E’phraim my dear son? . . . Therefore my heart yearns for him, I will surely have mercy on him, says the Lord” (Chapter 30, vs.
This covenant is established on the return from exile. This event will bring the people together. In contrast to the previous covenant, this covenant is unbreakable. God adds a salvific element to this covenant. He will write the law upon their hearts and they shall know him. This covenant was not one that the people entered into, like with Abram. God is now establishing a vertical relationship with his people. He is entering the people and forming the relationship. The covenant is much more individual. God says that he will no longer remember the sin. He is going to disregard their faults and move on with this new covenant. God seems to offer the people no real option. They have to enter into this covenant and it will be best for them as individuals and as a nation. This forgiveness is free for the people. This forgiveness comes with repentance. No longer shall the people desire to do evil but rather to do what is good and worth in the sight of God. There are no restrictions on this covenant, even the lowest people in Israel get God’s love, not just the high priests. God is establishing the covenant that he had wanted all along. He speaks to Israel as if they were children “Is E’phraim my dear son? . . . Therefore my heart yearns for him, I will surely have mercy on him, says the Lord” (Chapter 30, vs.