The New Covenant
From the Book of Jeremiah& the Book of Ezekiel
I n this passage, Jeremiah introduces the final covenant of the Bible and the one that is still in effect today.
The Lord explains how he will fix the human problem of sin and the broken covenant through “writing it on
their hearts” and, in a later passage in Ezekiel, “put my spirit within you.” The promises here will form the Notes
foundation for New Testament references to a New Covenant and are therefore integral to the idea of the
redemptive work of the Messiah.
The Lord Will Turn Mourning to Joy
3123 T hus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:“Once more they shall use these words in the
land of Judah and in its cities, when I restore their fortunes:
“‘The Lord bless you, O habitation of righteousness,
O holy hill!’
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And Judah and all its cities shall dwell theretogether, and the farmers and those who wander
with their flocks. 25 For I will satisfy the wearysoul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.”
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At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasantto me.
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“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,when I will sow the house of Israel and the house
of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. 2 8 A
ndit shall come to pass that as I have
watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring harm, so I will
watch over them to build and to plant, declares the Lord. 29 I nthose days they shall no longer say:
“‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
and the children's teeth are set on edge.’
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But everyone shall die for his own iniquity. Eachman who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set
on edge.
The New Covenant
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“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,when I will make a new covenant with the house
of Israel and the house of Judah, 3 2 not like thecovenant that I made with their fathers on the day
when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they
broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 3 3 Forthis is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, declares 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. 3 4 And no longer shall
each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know
me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I
will remember their sin no more.”
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Thus says the Lord,
ho gives the sun for light by day
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and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
the Lord of hosts is his name:
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“If this fixed order departs
from before me, declares the Lord,
then shall the offspring of Israel cease
from being a nation before me forever.”
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Thus says the Lord:
“If the heavens above can be measured,
and the foundations of the earth below can be explored,
then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel
for all that they have done,
declares the Lord.”
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The New Covenant
From the Book of Jeremiah& the Book of Ezekiel
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“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,when the city shall be rebuilt for the Lord from
t he Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.39 And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to
the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah. 40 T
hewhole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and
all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be
sacred to the Lord. It shall not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever.”
he prophet Ezekiel was a Judahite living in Babylon during the Exile. His messages are complex and often
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dramatic in scope, but he always points to a future hope for IsraelWhile Ezekiel focuses on how Israel broke
their covenantal promises, he more importantly points to the restoration of those in exile through God’s
redemptive promises. This passage is taken from Ezekiel’s prophecies and is an expansion of the New
Covenant that was first promised in the Book of Jeremiah.
I Will Put My Spirit Within You
36 22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thussays the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house
f Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among
o
the nations to which you came. 23 A
nd I will vindicatethe holiness of my great name, which has
been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will
know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before
their eyes. 2 4 I will take you from the nations andgather you from all the countries and bring you
into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean wateron you, and you shall be clean from all your
uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 2 6 A
nd I will give you a new heart, and a
new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a
heart of flesh. 2 7 And I will put my Spirit withinyou, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be
careful to obey my rules. 2 8 You shall dwell in theland that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be
my people, and I will be your God. 2 9 And I will deliveryou from all your uncleannesses. And I will
summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. 3 0 I will make the fruit of the
tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine
among the nations. 3 1 T
hen you will remember yourevil ways, and your deeds that were not good,
and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 I t is not for your sake
that I will act, declares the Lord God; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for
your ways, O house of Israel.
Discussion Questions
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1 hat does the New Covenant promise?
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2. What is the “Old Covenant” and how is the New Covenant connected?
3. Has the New Covenant “replaced” the Old Covenant?
4. What does this show us about God’s “new” relationship with humanity?
5. Explain this quote from the ESV Study Bible:“Godfixes the problem of his
people being circumcised in body but not in heart”
Source:Crossway Bibles. E
SV:Study Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton,Ill: Crossway Bibles, 2007.
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