NL 311: God Promises a New Covenant - Jeremiah 36:1-8, 21-23, 27-28; 31:31-34
image: Pixabay
November 22, 2020
Jeremiah 36:1-8, 21-23, 27-28
Initial thoughts
A fascinating juxtaposition from Jonah (a couple weeks ago), this time the message of repentance is being brought from the prophet to the Israelites (Judeans of the Southern Kingdom in this case) and, unlike, the Assyrian Ninevites, the Judeans reject the call to repentance.
Bible Study
Historical context (according to Alter)
The fourth year of Jehoiakim is 605 BCE, “when Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptians at Carchemish and consequently threatened the lands to the west.” (Alter)
“This date not only serves as a historical reference but also a symbol for the ned of Judah’s freedom and its once stable world.” (Common English Study Bible notes 1268 OT)
Impending military threat has everyone on high alert - “Fast day” was probably a proclamation to implore God for help
Ninth month - December - explains a little about braziers that are lit.
Jeremiah may be confined to a sort of house-arrest within the palace.
“The story vividly illustrates the futility of censorship. The scroll has been consumed in fire, column by column. Yet the words of the scroll persist in the mind of the prophet, and he is again enjoined to dictate them to his able scribe. Neither Jeremiah nor Baruch is intimidated by the threat of royal action against them.” (Alter, p. 982)
“The narrative plays a key role in the structure of the book, although his role is disputed. Some scholars highlight its parallels with Jeremiah 25, the end of the first half of the prophetic book. Some emphasize similarities with Jeremiah 26, the beginning of the second half of the book. Others argue that Jeremiah 36 and 45 function as bookends to the so-called Baruch narrative. Still others read Jeremiah 36 as a bridge between 26-35 and 37-45. Clearly Jeremiah 36 exhibits strong ties to key sections of the book, however defined.” (Louis Stulman, Common English Study Bible notes on Jeremiah).
Six Things are highlighted:
The malevolence of Jehoiakim
Menacing fourth year of Judah’s King
The spoken and/or written prophecies of Jeremiah
Baruch as a central character
The Temple locale
Call to turn back to the Lord
What was in the scroll?
Ambiguous - see v. 2-3, 7, and 29
2 Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today.3 It may be that when the house of Judah hears of all the disasters that I intend to do to them, all of them may turn from their evil ways, so that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin...7 It may be that their plea will come before the LORD, and that all of them will turn from their evil ways, for great is the anger and wrath that the LORD has pronounced against this people."...29 And concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah you shall say: Thus says the LORD, You have dared to burn this scroll, saying, Why have you written in it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will cut off from it human beings and animals?
The focus is not the content of the message, but “the central purpose of the narrative is to demonstrate the rejection of the word of God by the responsible authorities in Jerusalem, especially the King” R.E. Clements, Interpretation: Jeremiah
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Initial Thoughts
Can you read this and not hear it through a Christian lens? Is it possible? Should we even try?
Christ the King/Reign of Christ Sunday
Clearly on the mind of the biographers of Jesus as they wrote about his passion and the last supper.
Clearly on the mind of those that divided the Bible into two halves labelled “old” and “new.”
No way that Jeremiah was predicting that the “old covenant” was somehow scrapped, or that that God was starting over.
No way that Jesus thought the same either.
Bible Study
Jeremiah’s Book of Comfort (chapters 30-33)
Focus on God’s saving intent for those in exile
Prophet’s Purpose
Reiteration of Jeremiah 1:9-10 (cf.31:28): Then the LORD stretched out his hand, touched my mouth, and said to me, "I'm putting my words in your mouth. This very day I appoint you over nations and empires, to dig up and pull down, to destroy and demolish, to build and plant."
Much of Jeremiah’s focus has been the first 4 verbs: dig up, pull down, destroy and demolish
Focus now changes from destruction to cultivation - building and planting
The days are surely coming
Promise for a coming change
Not a promise of when the change will come
Donald Musser - “The eschaton is not just any future; it is a future of hope and meaning, brimming with promise.”, Feasting on the Word:Year C, Volume 4: Season After Pentecost 2 (Propers 17-Reign of Christ).
“Says the LORD”
Message of Hope is from God
God is still speaking to God’s people- even in the midst of despair
God’s justice (judgment) does not mean an end of relationship
“New” Covenant
Unconditional (similar to Genesis 9)
No requirement of repentance or agreement- this is happening whether you like it or not
Everlasting (Jeremiah 50:5)
Rooted not in the creation of a nation, but in the forgiveness of God
Like Genesis 9- this covenant is made in full realization of how awful and unfaithful people can be- God still chooses to be in relationship with us.
Written in our hearts- not in stone
The law is transformed not into something we follow, but who we are
Focus on relationship, not the law
Faithful living is how we are the people of God, not how do we follow the law
HOWEVER - the law is there to help us be faithful to God
A Forgetful God?
Not a command to forgive and forget- rather God is not a “grudge-holding God”
Time of reconciliation in which we do not hold the past against one another
Literary Context
Jeremiah begins with coming disaster, spans three invasions which resulted in destruction of Temple and exile. Also reaches well into exile period, and offers a way for people to survive, and ends with an open-ended future where hope may remain.
R.E. Clements, in Interpretation: Jeremiah casts serious doubt on this passage being authentic Jeremiah. “The promise is couched in the elevated language and style of the homiletical prose which marks much of the editorial and developmental material in the book” (p. 190).
In the middle of section known as “The Scroll of Comfort” 30:1-33:26.
Comfort in the midst of devastation
Stories of restoration, pointing to a future where the devastation has ended.
“It is as if, for a moment, the solemn tone of Jeremiah disappears. A closer look, however, reveals that despair and hardship have shaped the background for the words of comfort. Even images of restoration draw heavily on painful memories of the past… God grants a war-torn and exiled community a future when none seems possible.” Notes from The Common English Study Bible, p. 1257 OT).
The old and the new
The covenant may be new, but the Torah remains.
There is a new relationship, but the standards of God’s will remain.
The newness is about refreshing and renewal, not disposal.
The new, or re-newed covenant is new in the way it will be known kept by humanity, not in what is expected or willed by God.
“The assertion of a new, ‘keepable’ covenant in the place of one nullified and broken makes a claim for God’s own resolve and deep yearning for a covenant that overrides the painful truth of nullification. Thus, the decree of a new covenant is an act of God’s inexplicable mercy and graciousness.” (Walter Brueggemann, Texts for Preaching, Year B, p. 231)
The new covenant is not new participants. The covenant is made explicit in the houses of Israel and Judah.
Cannot use this as supersessionist theology.
God’s covenant is with the community, which itself will be renewed
Reunion of Israel and Judah a part of the newness, which is also old.
Nature of the relationship
God’s initiative alone
The covenant does not follow an act of contrition or repentance.
Renewal of covenant is entirely God’s action. There is no initiative of humanity, nor are there conditions.
Sins are forgiven and forgotten as a way to make things new.
“I will be their God and they will be my people” is an important reminder of the relationship, especially in midst of context that makes that very difficult to believe.
Written on hearts
Revelation is not held in the hands of a few
No dominant class, experts, or knowers of secret knowledge.
Knowing the Lord is analogous to knowing the Torah. Cannot know God apart from the Law.
Closely resembles Deuteronomy 6:6 (The Shema), which can help build the bridge to Jesus, who also connected his ministry to The Shema.
Thoughts and Questions
What makes up the new, and what remains of the old? This is a compelling question that the Church must continue to ask, and one that every church must engage. The essence of this passage is an ongoing relationship with God. The relationship itself is not what’s new, but the way we relate to God that is forever changing and being renewed.
The Prophetic Voice is often focused on tearing down and demolishing systems of oppression and injustice. Do we claim the prophetic voice which calls us to build and plant for the future?
The Prophetic voice must contain a message of hope, not solely judgement
What is the time right now? A time to dig up and destroy (in preparation for Nov 8) or a time to build and plant (for Nov 9 and beyond)?
This passage has MASSIVE ramifications for those who hold to original sin. If we cannot be blamed for the sins of the previous generation(s) and are responsible from this moment on, then we cannot be held responsible for original sin. If however, we are each individually responsible to be faithful to God and neighbor, then salvation is not about overcoming original sin, but rather on how we remain in relationship with God.
How often do you and your church remember this eternal covenant?
Opening music: Misirlou, One Man 90 Instruments by Joe Penna/MysteryGuitarMan at MIM
Closing Song by Bryan Odeen