A Devotion from Jeremiah 23 and 31

Jeremiah 23 and 31, Point Us to the Messiah

            Jeremiah wrote his book about six hundred years before the birth of Jesus, during the time when the southern kingdom of Judah was falling. Jeremiah gives us a very interesting view of the coming Messiah:

            Look at Jeremiah 23:5-6, “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteous Savior.”  Jeremiah pointed to a new king who would reign like David, but better than David, and He will be an eternal king and Savior.

            Connect this to Matthew 1:1, when Matthew said, “This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham:” (NLT) The Gospel of Matthew, with its genealogy, connects the two testaments by connecting the promise of the coming Messiah, the Son of David, to Jesus who is the Messiah they were waiting for.

            Now look at Jeremiah 31:31-34. Jeremiah prophesied that the day would come when the Lord God would establish a new covenant. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. Jesus brought all the Law, and the teachings of the prophets to their fulness, to their completion.

            According to Jeremiah 31, under the new covenant the law would be on the minds and in the hearts of the people. The Lord said, “I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (Jer. 31:33b NLT) In Jeremiah 31:34, everyone would know the Lord, and He would forgive their sins. This new covenant, on our hearts, is what draws us to the Lord.

            Now, connect it to the Passover meal when Jesus established this covenant. Look at what Jesus said during the Last Supper, as He was eating with His disciples, “After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.” (Luke 22:20 NLT)

Something to think about:

Jesus’ death on the cross, and His shed blood, sealed the new covenant that Jeremiah said was coming. This covenant is written on our hearts. The Holy Spirit equips us and enables us to follow Him under this new covenant.

“What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” (Robert Lowry, 1876, A Hymn: What Can Wash Away My Sin)