A New Covenant
"I will remember their sins no more"
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- An underlined word shows what it means.
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What does it say?
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The whole message, in shortThe main points of the whole message, in a few sentences.
In the middle of disaster, the prophet Jeremiah brought God's message: "I have loved you with an everlasting love." God promised to bring his scattered people home, the blind and lame among them, and to turn their mourning into joy. Then he promised a new covenant, not written on stone but on their hearts, in which "I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more."
Where it is in the Bible: Jeremiah 31
All the sections at a glanceA map of the message, with the verses for each section.
Map of the Message
| Section | Verses | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| 1. An Everlasting Love | 31:1-6 | God's love never ends |
| 2. Gathered Home | 31:7-9 | God brings his scattered people home |
| 3. Mourning Into Joy | 31:10-14 | God turns sorrow into dancing |
| 4. Not Like the Old | 31:31-32 | God promises a new covenant |
| 5. Written on Hearts | 31:33-34 | God forgives and remembers sin no more |
Before You Read
Who wrote it. Jeremiah was a prophet in Jerusalem, about 627 to 586 BC. He is sometimes called "the weeping prophet," because his message was so sad and his life so hard.
What was happening. For years, Jeremiah warned that Babylon would destroy Jerusalem because the people had turned from God. No one listened. Then it happened.
What this passage is. Chapters 30 to 33 are sometimes called the "Book of Comfort." In the middle of disaster, God promises to bring his people home and give them a new covenant. A covenant is a binding promise between God and his people.
How to read it. Two parts: God's everlasting love and homecoming (31:1-14), and the promise of a new covenant written on hearts (31:31-34).
Section by Section
Section 1 of 5An Everlasting Love
"I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving devotion" (31:3).
Everlasting means it never ends. Loving devotion means faithful love that doesn't give up.
God promises to rebuild his people. They will dance again with tambourines and plant vineyards again on the hills.
Section 2 of 5Gathered Home
"Sing with joy for Jacob" (31:7).
God will bring his people home from the farthest parts of the earth.
He will bring everyone, "including the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor" (31:8). No one left behind.
"They will come with weeping" (31:9). God will lead them by streams, on a smooth path.
"For I am Israel's Father" (31:9).
Section 3 of 5Mourning Into Joy
"The One who scattered Israel will gather them and keep them as a shepherd keeps his flock" (31:10).
They will shout for joy in Jerusalem. Their lives will be "like a well-watered garden" (31:12).
"I will turn their mourning into joy, and give them comfort and joy for their sorrow" (31:13).
Section 4 of 5Not Like the Old
Then comes one of the greatest promises in the Old Testament.
"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah" (31:31).
It won't be like the covenant God made when he led them out of Egypt, written on stone. They broke that covenant, even though God was faithful to them like a husband.
Section 5 of 5Written on Hearts
"I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people" (31:33).
Inscribe means write or carve. God's will won't just be on stone tablets. It will be in people's hearts.
Everyone will know God, from the least to the greatest.
"For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more" (31:34).
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "I have loved you with an everlasting love" (31:3) | God's love never runs out. |
| "Including the blind and the lame" (31:8) | God brings everyone home, especially the weak. |
| "I will turn their mourning into joy" (31:13) | Sadness won't last forever. |
| "A new covenant" (31:31) | God would make a new and better promise. |
| "Inscribe it on their hearts" (31:33) | God changes people from the inside. |
| "I will... remember their sins no more" (31:34) | God's forgiveness is complete. |
Back Then
The first covenant was made at Mount Sinai. God gave the Ten Commandments on stone tablets (Exodus 24:12, 34:1).
"New covenant" and "new testament" mean the same thing. The second part of the Bible is called the New Testament because of this promise.
Hebrews quotes this whole passage. It says Jesus brought the new covenant (Hebrews 8:8-12).
Literal Reader Alert
Did the old covenant fail because of God? No. God was faithful. The people broke it. The new covenant is new because God himself makes it work, by forgiving and changing hearts.
Will no one need teachers? Jeremiah means everyone will know God personally, not just priests and prophets. Christians still learn from teachers and from each other.
Is this promise only for Israel? God made it with Israel and Judah. Through Jesus, people from every nation are brought into it (Ephesians 2:12-13).
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| God's people | Grieving | They came home weeping (31:9) |
| God's people | Joyful | God turned mourning into dancing (31:13) |
| God's people | Forgiven | God remembers their sins no more (31:34) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
Which promise do you need most? Tap one.
Everlasting love
God's love for you never runs out.
Coming home
God gathers even the blind and lame. No one is left behind.
Joy for sorrow
God will turn your mourning into joy.
Forgiven
God remembers your sins no more.
You Might Have Heard
"Being a Christian means following rules."
What's true: God's commandments are good, and Christians want to follow them.
What the passage is mainly about: God promised a new covenant, not written on stone but on hearts. God forgives first, then he changes us from the inside, so we know him and love his ways.
Where Jesus is: At the Last Supper, Jesus said the cup is the new covenant in his blood. In the Lord's Supper, he still gives that forgiveness.
Good News
The people broke the old covenant. God made a new one.
"For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more" (31:34).
Jesus made this new covenant with his own blood. God forgives completely and writes his love on our hearts.
God promised a new covenant written on hearts. Through Jesus's blood, he forgives our sins and remembers them no more.
Big Idea
God loves his people with an everlasting love. He promised a new covenant, written on hearts, in which he forgives sins and remembers them no more.
If this message brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
Luther taught that the Lord's Supper is the new testament: Christ's last will, giving forgiveness of sins to everyone who believes his words "given for you."
In Church
Many churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary. It reads Jeremiah 31:7-14 on the Second Sunday of Christmas in all three years, and Jeremiah 31:31-34 on the Fifth Sunday in Lent in Year B. Lutheran churches also read Jeremiah 31:31-34 on Reformation Sunday.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
I have loved you with an everlasting love
How did that feel?
Using this at church
Read in church on
- Second Sunday of Christmas Year A · Year B · Year CFirst reading, Jeremiah 31:7–14
- Fifth Sunday in Lent Year BFirst reading, Jeremiah 31:31–34
- Lectionary 30 Year BFirst reading, Jeremiah 31:7–9
- Reformation SundayFirst reading, Jeremiah 31:31–34
For a newsletter or sermon notes
A New Covenant, explained in plain words. After disaster, God promises an everlasting love and a covenant written on hearts. About 8 minutes. https://freescripture.org/stories/a-new-covenant/
Lines for the next eight Sundays, on Digital Lutheran Church