Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NRSV)
Read Jeremiah 31:31-34 on biblegateway.com
Verse 31The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Verse 32It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt-a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. Verse 33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Verse 34No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the Lord," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
Devotion
God’s covenant demands exclusivity, much like the most intimate of human relationships – marriage. When persons marry, they promise to forsake all others: the lover declares publicly his/her choosing the beloved, exclusively.
God chose Israel; but Israel broke God’s covenant by pursuing other gods. God exposes Israel’s infidelity when using the lamenting yet accusatory words: “though I was their husband.”
We too court other gods. In the face of our unfaithfulness to the covenant, God maintains faithfulness, forgiving our sins through the new covenant, through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
God chooses to be known to all people – from the least to the greatest – by forgiving our iniquity and remembering our sin no more. Thanks be to God!
Prayer
Gracious and faithful God, we confess to you our misdirected affections. Grant us forgiveness and newness, through your Son Jesus. Amen.