Have you ever had someone make a promise that seemed impossible to keep, yet they followed through and kept their word?
When I was a child, I can remember my dad would travel and promise to bring me back a specific item or take a picture in front of a certain place. More times than not, he would come back with the gift or photo and I would be enthralled. From an early age, my dad proved to be a trustworthy promise keeper.
As I got older, I also experienced the crushing blow when a promise had been broken. I think we all know that sinking feeling of disappointment when we come to realize that what we thought was true of someone, well, isn’t. What I love about the passage we’re in today (Jeremiah 31:31-37) is that it is a timely reminder that no matter what promises are broken here on earth, we serve a God who is a trustworthy promise keeper.
In Jeremiah we read about how the Lord made a new covenant, a binding promise, with His people. Now, in order to fully understand this new covenant you need to know a few things about Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a prophet who was known as the suffering prophet because his prophetic ministry wasn’t easy. Truth be told, most prophets’ jobs weren’t easy because often times they brought news of God’s judgement to an unrepentant people. This was true for Jeremiah!
Throughout the book we see Jeremiah keep giving out warnings, pleading with God’s people to repent. They continued to spiral into sin. At the end of the book we find the promise that we read in our studies today.
“I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. I will be their God and they will be my people.”
Do you see that?
In spite of sin, in spite of complete disregard of Jeremiah’s prophetic messages, God’s promise could not be broken. The passage says that a time was coming when God Almighty would make a new covenant! It tells us that our good and trustworthy God isn’t abandoning the redemptive plan He started. Instead, where many of us would find reason to quit and abandon ship, God doubled-down and made a new covenant with an unfaithful people.
In Luke 22, when the disciples and Jesus participated in the last supper Jesus said to them, “This is my body which is given for you… This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
Sisters, the Christ-child, born in a manger, lived a perfect life, died a horrible death, and rose from the grave so that you and I could receive this new covenant and forgiveness of sin. The blood of Jesus shed for you is the foretold new covenant in Jeremiah 31. It is the physical evidence that our God is a trustworthy Promise Keeper who will one day right every wrong. This redemptive covenant isn’t any ordinary promise: it’s a promise to redeem the hearts and minds of God’s people; it’s a promise to one day right every wrong and to forgive all our sins.
This Advent season, as we expectantly look forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus, we also look to the day when that promise is fulfilled in His second coming. We proclaim over and over again that our God is a trustworthy Promise Keeper. Because we know we serve a God who keeps His promises, we can rest no matter what promises this world may break.
Today, reread Jeremiah 31:33, and take a few moments to reflect on what this verse means to you and how being a follower of a trustworthy, promise-keeping God transforms your heart and mind during this holiday season.
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