Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God to join together this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony. Marriage is a sacred and joyous covenant, which should be entered into reverently.
Now, you may be thinking, “But Scott, it’s Sunday morning, we’re not here for a wedding. You’d be right. We’re not here for a wedding, but we are going to talk about covenant. Covenant is a word we don’t hear very often. It’s a word that is similar to contract and is often mistakenly used synonymously by the world. What’s the difference, you ask?
Contract is a legal agreement, there’s no moral compass connected to it. If we look at this in the context of a marriage, people who view marriage as a contract will often have a pre-nuptial agreement written up because they expect that their agreement will come to an end.
Covenant, on the other hand, while also a legal agreement, also has a spiritual aspect to it. It’s meant to last for life. It’s the “’til death do we part” piece of the vows made in the wedding ceremony.
The wedding ceremony is one of the few times we hear the term covenant used today. Within the church, marriage is a covenant agreement made between not only husband and wife, but also God.
So as we look at today’s passages about covenants, it made sense to me to point to marriage as an example we’re familiar with. In fact, God alludes to the marriage covenant in verse 32. God compares Himself to a husband whose wife broke their covenant.
God has, and always will be, a covenant-keeping God. Therefore, we should be covenant-keeping people. So let’s dig a bit deeper into this idea of covenant.
The Bible tells of seven different times that God entered into covenant with mankind. This is why the Bible consists of two parts- the Old Testament and the New Testament. The idea of covenant is actually where those names come from. Unlike contract, testament is synonymous with covenant. So the Old Testament is about the old covenant, there were actually 6 of them recorded, between God and His people, while the New Testament establishes the new covenant between God and ALL people.
It’s intriguing to see how many of the covenants in the Old Testament prophesy that they will need to be replaced by a new covenant to come. It starts in Genesis 3:15, when God tells Satan that he will be defeated by Eve’s offspring. It happens again in Genesis 12:3, when God promises that through Abraham, all the families of the world will be blessed. In 2 Samuel 7:16. God declares that David’s throne will be established forever.
Then we arrive at Jeremiah 31. Now, God isn’t making yet another covenant here. Instead, he’s making a promise through Jeremiah that there will be a new covenant that is yet to come. Why was this needed?
A big part of it is Israel’s cycle of sin that we’ve discussed a few times. In Exodus, we see time after time where the people whined and complained against Moses, culminating in the making of a golden calf to worship. In the book of Judges, time after time the people of Israel would fall away, God would send an oppressor, they would return to God, and God would provide a judge- wash, rinse, repeat. Through the period of the kings, they continue to rise and fall. God even sent prophets with warning after warning that went unheeded.
In looking at various timelines of the life of Jeremiah, it appears that this passage was written as Babylon is coming to power. It’s likely that Daniel and his friends have already been exiled. Jerusalem is soon to fall, if it hasn’t already, and the nation of Israel will be no more.
In light of this, chapters 30-33 of Jeremiah are often referred to as the Book of Comfort. In the darkness of their circumstances, God is providing hope that He’s not finished with His people- He’s going to establish a new covenant. Even though Israel has failed and broken every covenant God has formed with them, but God is faithful and will form a new covenant.
Let’s look at the promised covenant, first, by contrasting it to the old because God says they will not be the same.
The old covenant was established when God freed Israel from Egypt. The new covenant was established when Jesus rose from the dead.
The old covenant was written on tablets of stone, most famously the 10 Commandments, but in total there were 613 laws written. The new covenant will be written by God on the hearts of His people.
The old covenant was commemorated by Passover. It was a meal full of symbols to remind the people of what God had brought them out of. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 that the new covenant gave Passover new meaning when Jesus took some of those symbols- the unleavened bread and the cup and declared that they represented His body and blood that were about to be sacrificed.
The old covenant formed a nation of God’s people here on earth, separated from other nations. The new covenant will be for all people, from the least to the greatest, as it says in Galatians 3:28 (read). Just a quick note on verse 34 back in Jeremiah. Not every aspect of the new covenant has happened yet. This verse speaks of no longer needing to be taught about God because everyone knows God. Paul wrote about this fulfillment in Philippians 2:10-11 (read). We still need to go and make disciples until that day comes.
The old covenant was broken by the people- they simply couldn’t live up to their end. The new covenant will last forever. God will forgive and remember the sin of His people no more.
Let’s look a bit more at the establishment of the new covenant. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus tells us that he came to fulfill, not destroy the law and prophets. Romans 3:21-24 tells us how He did it. Everyone has fallen short and deserves to die. God stepped in and offered Jesus to pay that penalty for us- so we are justified by grace. Acts 2:38 shows the fulfillment of the covenant by declaring that at our baptism, God gives us the Holy Spirit. He dwells in us, as if God is putting the law within us, written on our hearts.
What does that mean for us today? Check out Hebrews 8. Verses 1-2, 6-7 again confirms the need for a new covenant and then goes on to quote Jeremiah 31:31-34, today’s passage. Hebrews 8:13 summarizes the reason for a new covenant. God knew, even when He made the old covenants, that people would fall short. A time would come when a new covenant would be needed. A time for Jesus to come to this earth, live a perfect life, yet willingly give up His life on our behalf. He would rise from the dead three days later so that the new covenant could be established.
Looking back at our opening illustration of the marriage covenant, one of the reasons that was on my mind this week is that Friday marked 27 years of marriage for Terri and me. It was the hottest day of that summer as we stood before family and friends to make a covenant with God. That through better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness or in health, to love each other ‘til death do us part.
Two thousand years ago, God made His vow to us, offered it through His Son, and will seal it by giving us the Holy Spirit. Will you enter into covenant with Him today? Give your vow in return- believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Repent, or turn away from pursuing sin and turn to God. Confess or declare that Jesus is in charge, and be baptized- joining with Jesus in death, burial, and resurrection.
If you’d like to make this covenant ‘til death shall we be united with God, we invite you to come forward as we stand and sing our song of invitation. Or maybe you need to make the commitment to being a part of our church family. Now is a good time to do so. Let’s stand and sing.
