Chapter 2 · Encounter 20 of 48
The Promise Still Stands
Prepare
Jeremiah speaks to a people whose covenant unfaithfulness has brought devastating consequences. Jerusalem faces destruction, and exile threatens everything Israel has understood about its place in God's purposes.
Yet in the midst of these warnings, God speaks of everlasting love and promises a new covenant.
As you read, notice what God says about his commitment to his people and what he intends to make new.
Read Scripture
Open each passage here without leaving this Encounter.
Ponder
- In Jeremiah 31:2–6, what does God reveal about his continuing love for Israel? Notice the language of everlasting love, faithfulness, rebuilding, and restoration. What does this suggest about the Shepherd's determination to keep his promises despite his people's failures?
Jer. 31:2-6
2This is what the Lord says:
“The people who survive the sword
will find favor in the wilderness;
I will come to give rest to Israel.”
3The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
4I will build you up again,
and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt.
Again you will take up your timbrels
and go out to dance with the joyful.
5Again you will plant vineyards
on the hills of Samaria;
the farmers will plant them
and enjoy their fruit.
6There will be a day when watchmen cry out
on the hills of Ephraim,
‘Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the Lord our God.’ ”
- In verses 31–34, God promises a new covenant. What will be different about this relationship? How does the promise reveal not only God's willingness to forgive but also his desire to transform his people from within?
Jer. 31:31-34
31“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
32It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,”
declares the Lord.
33“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
34No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”
Look Again
Did you notice how often God describes what he will do in Jeremiah 31:31–34 31“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. 32It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”Jer. 31:31-34
He will make a new covenant. He will put his law within his people and write it on their hearts. He will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.
Now return to verse 32, where God recalls the covenant his people broke.
Consider the contrast: Israel broke the covenant, yet God is the One who promises to establish a new relationship.
What does this reveal about the depth of his commitment to restoration?
Practice
Take a few minutes to look back over the Scriptures from this movement.
What description of God's character has most captured your attention—his steadfast love, patience, mercy, faithfulness, or determination to restore?
Choose one passage that particularly reveals that quality. Return to it today, allowing God's own words and actions to shape your understanding of him.
Prayer
Thank God for his faithfulness across generations and for the promises he has kept despite human unfaithfulness.
Ask him to continue shaping your heart so that your trust rests increasingly in his character. Invite him to deepen your desire for the renewed relationship and holy life he promises his people.