Jeremiah 31:31-37 Exegesis

Nick Hauenstein Box ### Biblical Exegesis November 15, 2004 Word Count: 3,050

1 I. Introduction to the Text The Bible suggests that the author for the book of Jeremiah was Jeremiah son of Hilkiah. Jeremiah, born sometime between 652 B.C.-648 B.C., lived in the town of Anathoth, within approximately 2.5 miles of Jerusalem1. The Lord called Jeremiah into prophetic ministry personally around the year 627 B.C., placing Jeremiah in his early to mid twenties in age2. Serving as a prophet to Judah, the Southern Kingdom, he prophesied over a span of forty years -at earliest,3 until the fall of Judah. As such the book bearing his name could be seen as a commentary on those years (627 B.C.587 B.C.) 4 Jeremiah 31:31-37 itself falls into a poetic discourse spanning from Jeremiah chapter 30 up to chapter 32.5 This passage also falls into a broader three chapter segment of Jeremiah called by scholars the Book of Comfort. 6 Charles H. Dyer dates the prophecy contained within this section of Jeremiah between 595 B.C. and 596 B.C., placing it in time at a point right after the second deportation, and before the fall of Judah in the midst of the exile.7 Those who read this section of Jeremiah would find relief from the strong words in his prophecies against the Lords sinful people. Even when it had seemed that the Lord had given up on Judah, the Book of Comfort, proclaimed an exciting message God had not cast aside his people! A glorious future would follow their judgment.8 II. Exegetical Analysis

Shultz, S.J., Jeremiah, in The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, ed. Merrill C. Tenny. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975), 3:437 2 Shultz, Jeremiah, 3:437 3 Dyer, Charles H., Jeremiah, in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, ed. John F. Walvoord, and Roy B. Zuck. (Colorado Springs: Cook Communications Ministries, 2000), 1123. 4 Carroll, Robert P. Jeremiah: A Commentary. (Philadelphia: Westminster P., 1986), 65 5 Dyer, Jeremiah, 1127 6 Arnold, Bill T., and Beyer, Bryan E. Jeremiah 21-52 and Lamentations, in Encountering the Old Testament, ed. Eugene H. Merrill. (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1999), 396 7 Dyer, Jeremiah, 1126 8 Arnold, and Beyer, Jeremiah 21-52 and Lamentations, 396

2 The passage Jeremiah 31:31-37 breaks down logically into three basic sections. In the first section, the Lord announces the coming of a new covenant, unlike the old covenant (31:3132). The second section of this passage (31:33-34) describes the key characteristics of the new covenant. Finally, in the last section, the Lord asserts the immutability, eternality, and permanence of both the nation of Israel, and the New Covenant by proxy (31:35-37). A. Announcing a New Covenant, Unlike the Old (31:31-32) The first section opens with the statement, Behold days are coming, a line repeated throughout the Book of Comfort. Of these words Charles L. Feinberg notes that, They are an eschatological formula that places the prophecy in messianic times in the Day of the Lord, the consummation period of the nation' s history.9 However, the use of this phrase not only signals the eschatological nature of the message following it10, but the phrase also precedes each item in a five item chiasm contained within Jeremiah chapters 30-33. Each item of the chiasm represents an action set to occur in the days that are coming. The preceding key statements in the chiasm, which include I will restore, (30:3), and I will sow, (31:27), each represent a form restoration and serve to build up to the action in 31:31, I will make, which represents the center of the chiasm and the start of a discourse announcing the New Covenant. The centrality of this discourse introducing the New Covenant within the chiasm indicates that it exists as the focal point11 of said acts of restoration. After stating that the Lord intends to make a new covenant, verse 31 reveals the parties of the new covenant as the house of Israel, and the house of Judah. Since Jeremiah gave this prophecy after the division of Solomons empire into Israel and Judah, the people within each
Feinberg, Charles L., Jeremiah, in The Expositors Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, and Richard P. Polcyn. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), 6:574 10 Ibid., 6:574
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3 must receive mention to include the totality of the Jews. Though Gentiles do not receive specific mention in this passage as parties of the New Covenant, prophecies do exist the Old Testament that include gentiles in the Lords redemptive plan. For example Isaiah 49:1-6 offers hope for the gentiles, in mentioning the scope of the Servants task: first to Israel and then to the whole world.12 In addition Feinberg notes the case Paul makes in the New Testament saying that, it is correct to say that all believers in Christ are by virtue of this covenant grafted into the stock of Abraham (cf. Rom 11:16-24)."13 In Jeremiah 31:32 one finds reference to the covenant which the New Covenant stands to replace. Described as the covenant the Lord made when he brought his people out of Egypt, the older Covenant in this passage could only be the Mosaic covenant.14 Verse 32 references the Mosaic covenant not only to demonstrate what the New Covenant will replace, but also to provide a basis of contrast for it, since the New Covenant will have an entirely different character from the Mosaic covenant. In this verse, the Lord also takes the time to note both that the Old Covenant had been broken, and that he had acted as a husband to those who had broken it. According to Feinberg, the Old Covenant being broken was a necessary prologue to the presentation of the New Covenant, he notes that, the new covenant is built on the fact of Israel' s failure under the old covenant. Because the old covenant was a legal one [...] it was incumbent on both parties to the covenant [...] to maintain its provisions." Contrasting the faithfulness of the people to Gods faithfulness, the book of Jeremiah uses interesting language. He uses the word husband a

Duvall, J. Scott, and Hays, J. Daniel, Grasping Gods Word. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2001), 73 12 Motyer, J. A., and Broomall, Wick, Servant of Jehovah, in New International Bible Dictionary, ed. J.D. Douglas, and Merrill C. Tenney. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1987), 919 13 Feinberg, Jeremiah, 6:575 14 Dyer, Jeremiah, 1171

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4 word it would seem more descriptive of a marital relationship than the relationship of deity to humanity. Jeremiah uses this language twice, first in 3:14, and here in 31:32.15 Isaiah uses the same Hebrew word, b all, in the same fashion in Isaiah 54:5. In fact these represent 3 of the only 4 times b all is translated as husband.16 William T. Koopmans says of the use of the word husband here: The imagery not only implies the ownership and authority that god has over his people, but God in his perfection exemplifies those characteristics of love, fidelity, and goodness that ideally ought to be evident from every husband.17 He would also caution that one not misconstrue the use of this imagery as portraying God as harsh in any way, but that instead one should note that this imagery anticipates Christs fulfillment in the New Testament as the, loving, sacrificial Lord of his bride, the church.18 Feinberg says this of Jeremiahs use of husband imagery: "The blame for breaking the covenant rested wholly on Israel and Judah, for there was no fault in God; he had ever been as faithful to them as a faithful husband to his wife. This marriage relationship was the very basis on which God expected obedience to and fidelity in the covenant."19 B. Characteristics of the New Covenant (31:33-34) Verses 33 and 34 of Jeremiah 31 flesh-out the distinguishing characteristics of the New Covenant. These verses mention a total of three major characteristics of the New Covenant, which include: internalization of law (31:33b), the Lords relationship to his people (31:33c), and knowing the Lord (31:34b) enabled by the forgiveness of sin. Discussing the forgiveness of sin
Kohlenberger III, John R., and Swanson, James A. The Hebrew-English Concordance to the Old Testament With the New International Version. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1988), 314 16 Goodrick, Edward W., and Kohlenberger III, John R. NIV Exhaustive Concordance. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1990), 1401 17 Koopmans, William T., 1249 in New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis, ed. Willem A. VanGemeren (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997), 682
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5 alongside knowing the Lord in this essay attempts to respect the authors apparent intent. This exegetical analysis will demonstrate that discussing the forgiveness of sin apart from knowing the Lord undermines the connection between forgiveness of sin and the Lords desire for relationship, in effect cheapening the passage, and the whole purpose of the New Covenant. i. Internalization of Law (31:33b) Under the New Covenant the Lord writes his law on peoples hearts instead of on tablets of stone like in the Old Covenant. Dyer suggests that the internalization of the law did not exist in the Old Covenant since the Holy Spirit did not, universally indwell all believers at that time20. This would suggest that the internalization of the law as described in verse 33 exists as one function of the Holy Spirit. This follows logically as John 16:8 indicates that the Holy Spirit will, convict the world of guilt. As such, one could easily reason and conclude that when Jeremiah refers to the law written on peoples hearts, he describes using a figure of speech the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of men. It would appear that Jeremiahs use of a figure of speech in this context provides an avenue of direct comparison to the Mosaic Covenant: under the Mosaic Covenant the law was written on stone, but under the New Covenant the law will be written on hearts. The writing of law on ones heart makes the law more personal/closer to the person, and requires God to get more personal with/closer to his people to do. Feinberg states it this way, "The new covenant will include a revolutionary change in will, heart, and conscience. It will be an internal rather than an external covenant [...] The law now becomes a principle of life."21 This element, of the Lords closeness, ties in with the second aspect of the new covenant, the Lords relationship to

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19

Ibid., 682 Feinberg, Jeremiah, 6:576 20 Dyer, Jeremiah, 1171 21 Feinberg, Jeremiah, 6:576

6 his people. ii. The Lords Relationship to His People (31:33c) The third part of verse 33 asserts, and describes the state of the Lords relationship with his people under the New Covenant I will be their God, and they shall be my people. This promise exists at the center of each successive Covenant between God and man, including the Mosaic covenant.22 According to Arthur J. Murray, this promise in the New Covenant, brings this relationship to the highest level of achievement, and there will be no further expansion or enrichment than that which the new covenant provides.23 Thus this promise should not be looked at as a change in Gods relationship to his creation, but as a guarantee of continued fulfillment of that aspect of previous covenants, with completed fulfillment in the New Covenant. iii. Knowing the Lord (31:34b) The next verse goes on to describe the greatest covenant guarantee of all, knowing the Lord. The beginning of the verse hints at what it means when it says knowing the Lord. It says that people will not have to teach about the Lord, and exhort people to Know the Lord because all will know him. The New Covenant brings with it not simply knowledge of the Lord, but the ability for man to know him personally. The idea of having dealings with God without a mediator would be a foreign idea to the Old Covenant. The phrase the least of them in this verse holds within it a broad meaning that could include the least in influence, position, or moral capacity.24 In short it simply attempts to encapsulate the idea that all, not simply those of priestly descent shall have access to deal directly with the Lord under the New Covenant. Feinberg sums

Murray, Arthur J., Covenant, in The New Bible Dictionary, ed. J. D. Douglas (Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1962), 267-8 23 Ibid., 268 24 Feinberg, Jeremiah, 6:577

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7 this point up, saying, "A vital feature of the old covenant was human mediation for both Jew and Gentile. In the new one there is immediate access to God through Christ, our High Priest."25 Near the end of verse 33 lay a clause with the additional guarantee that the Lord will forgive the sins of his people. Since the clause before the forgiveness guarantee begins with the word for, and the sin guarantee clause also begins with the word for it would follow that these have some relation to one another. Looking in the context of the entire verse it would seem that both these clauses serve as ways how, or reasons why people will no longer need to be taught to Know the Lord. Even if the clause in this case does not serve as a reason why people will no longer need to be taught to Know the Lord, it at least serves as a reason why people will know the Lord the clause immediately preceding the one in question. Either way, the word for here could in fact be read as because. Viewing the clause in this manner reveals that through, or because of the forgiveness of sin, man can know God. As previously noted, breaking this guarantee off, alienating it from and ignoring the context of the entire verse, makes the promise of the forgiveness of sin rather lackluster. Without taking into account the full context, it almost seems to lack purpose. Taking into account the context reveals a loving God, who forgives sin not simply for our own good, but so that we might know him, and to restore us into right relationship with him. Under the Old Testament view, forgiveness of sin would be received with a grateful heart and, regarded with awe and wonder.26 Here would be a good place to note that the verse mentions nothing about the existence of a sinless world under the New Covenant, quite to the contrary in fact. In order for God to forgive sin, man must sin in the first place. Feinberg asserts, "The new covenant does not envision

Ibid., 577 Morris, L. L., Forgiveness, in The New Bible Dictionary, ed. J. D. Douglas (Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1962), 435
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8 sinless-ness but forgiveness of sin resulting in restoration of fellowship with God."27 The difference lay in the fact that here, unlike the Old Covenant, the New Covenant in its fulfillment provides a framework to overcome the sin barrier the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. C. The Lords Preservation of Israel (31:35-37) The next section of text to look at spans from verses 35-37 in which the Lord asserts the immutability of the New Covenant. At the beginning of this section the Lord rhetorically asks who controls the cycle of day and night, and also the cycles of the sea. Both these things lay beyond any kind of human control, and the verse even notes that at the end of this line of questioning. It states that the Lord controls these ever continuing cycles of nature. This asserts not only the Lords sovereignty over nature but, as one will see reading on from this point, his power of preservation. The Lord next submits that in order for Israel to cease from being a nation, the fixed order of nature would have to cease a feat that the preceding verse reserves for Gods ability alone. However throughout this whole section the Lord does not present, or even suggest the idea that it would be his intention to throw away the order of nature. Quite the contrary, the passage indicates that as the master creator of natural order, and creator of the nation of Israel, so he will serve as the perpetuator of both. The Lord continues his assertion of his power to preserve Israel by noting that unless the heavens can be measured, and the foundations of the Earth [can be] searched out below, then Israel will remain. Here the Lord calls to focus not divine power, but divine knowledge. By adding this clause the passage requires one to not only have abilities that only the Lord himself posses, but it also requires that one know the Lords own secrets. Again this indicates, and points to the fact that only the Lord would hold any kind of power against Israel. The threat to Israel in this section, however, differs from that of the first declaration. The
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Feinberg, Jeremiah, 6:577

9 destruction of Israel served as the threat in the first section. In the second section the casting off of Israel for their sin serves as the threat. Just as an interesting note, the first declaration required a concrete possession (might/power), to do a concrete thing (destroy Israel). The second declaration requires a more abstract possession (knowledge). The first declaration protects Israel from physical threat, by virtue of the assumption that the Lord would not turn against his people, and the second declaration protects Israel from spiritual threat, by virtue of the same assumption. This assumption would be safe to make too, because as a loving husband to his people, the Lord much like under the Old Covenant, will not turn against his people. Thus here the Lord lays out for the reader his duel role as Israels physical protector, and spiritual protector. An eternal covenant has little value, if certain parties to it are limited in life span, but this case does not exist in the new covenant because, it is made with an eternal people."28 Since the Lord has the power, and the intention to preserve the nation of Israel, the one he will covenant with, the New Covenant simply cannot be broken. As such the New Covenant represents not a temporal/provisional covenant, but an immutable eternally permanent covenant. Feinberg notes that, "Scripture knows no greater guarantee for the validity and permanence of the covenant than that stated here [v.35-37]. As unchangeable as the laws of nature is God' s covenant with the deathless nation."29 III. Concluding Thoughts This passage would have provided passionate hope in the hearts of early Jewish readers, reading it in a time of crisis and exile a time when it had seemed the Lord had abandoned his people. Not only would this provide the hope in the Lords active thought of his people, but also his provision, and plans for his people. It wouldve provided a hope for escape from sin, and
28 29

Ibid., 6:578 Ibid., 6:578

10 condemnation, and hope for ever available grace. John Bright says this of the New Covenant: "Yahweh would again call his people, as he once had from Egypt, and, forgiving their sins, would make with them a new covenant, inscribing its law on their hearts. The awful chasm between the demands of Yahweh' s covenant, by which the nation had been judge, and his sure promises, which faith could not surrender, was bridged from the side of the divine grace. The very exodus theology that had condemned the nation became the foundation of its hope."30 In light of the New Testament, this passage demonstrates how far into the past the Lords redemptive plan extended, and that Jesus life, death, and resurrection were fully in the Lords view, long before anyone so much as knew his name. As a single element within the Book of Comfort, this passage represents the center of Gods plan of restoration for his people. Alone, and as a whole this passage reflects the entire purpose, and will of the Lord in regards to his creation. The Lord desires relationship with his creation, and will stop at nothing to do what is necessary to provide a way for right relationship to be played out. In this sense the passage not only serves as a prophecy of the New Covenant that began with Jesus death on the cross, and the shedding of his blood, but it also serves as a testimony of Gods intense love, and eternal faithfulness to his people.

30

Bright, John. A History of Israel. (London: Westminster John Knox Press., 2000), 339

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WORKS CITED Arnold, Bill T., and Beyer, Bryan E. Jeremiah 21-52 and Lamentations. In Encountering the Old Testament, ed. Eugene H. Merrill. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1999. 396. Bright, John. A History of Israel. London: Westminster John Knox Press., 2000. 339. Carroll, Robert P. Jeremiah: A Commentary. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1986. 65-8. Duvall, J. Scott, and Hays, J. Daniel. Grasping Gods Word. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2001. 73. Dyer, Charles H. Jeremiah. In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, ed. John F. Walvoord, and Roy B. Zuck. Colorado Springs: Cook Communications Ministries, 2000. 1123-1206. Feinberg, Charles L., Jeremiah. In The Expositors Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, and Richard P. Polcyn. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986. 6:574-8. Goodrick, Edward W., and Kohlenberger III, John R. NIV Exhaustive Concordance. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1990. 1401. Kohlenberger III, John R., and Swanson, James A. The Hebrew-English Concordance to the Old Testament With the New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1988. 314. Koopmans, William T., 1249 In New International Dictionary of Old Testament

Theology & Exegesis, ed. Willem A. VanGemeren. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997. 681-2. Morris, L. L., Forgiveness, in The New Bible Dictionary, ed. J. D. Douglas. Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1962. 435-6.

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Motyer, J. A., and Broomall, Wick, Servant of Jehovah, In New International Bible Dictionary, ed. J.D. Douglas, and Merrill C. Tenney. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1987. 919. Murray, Arthur J., Covenant, in The New Bible Dictionary, ed. J. D. Douglas. Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1962. 264-9. Schultz, S. J. "Jeremiah." In The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, ed. Merrill C. Tenny. 5 vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975. 3:434-49.