Jeremiah 31:31-34
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. 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. 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. 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.
___________________________________
Jeremiah prophesied for nearly 5 decades, calling on the people of Israel (Judah) to repent and return to the Lord, rejecting their sinful ways and the worship of pagan gods.
Numbers 14:18 ”The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
Jeremiah’s prophecy comes more than 800 yrs after the exodus. From the very beginning, the Israelites grumbled, stumbled, and sinned against God despite the miracles performed and the blueprint given on how to live, worship and provide atonement for their sins.
It took another 600 yrs before fulfillment of this prophecy thru the birth of his son…slow to anger, abounding in love and always true to his word!
To rectify our iniquity, God sent his son who was perfect, without sin and became the ultimate offering/sacrifice. There would be no further need for sacrifices. God would remember our sin no more! The first covenant was written on stone tablets, the second covenant was written on our hearts via the Holy Spirit…thank God for the second Covenant!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for being slow to anger, abounding in love and willing to forgive our sins. Thank you also for the blessing of your Son, in whom we look to emulate, lean on in times of trial and thanks for picking us up when we stumble and fall! Amen
—Ken Cryer