A New Covenant (1)

Pray Psalm 126.6.
He who continually goes forth weeping,
Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.

Sing Psalm 126.6.
(Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
They who in tears of sorrow sow
and cast their seed on every hand,
with joy shall reach their heav’nly home,
and bring the harvest of their land.

Read and meditate on Jeremiah 29.1-14.

Prepare.
1. To whom did Jeremiah write this letter?

2. What was his message to them?

Meditate.
We recall that Nebuchadnezzar made three assaults on Jerusalem – the first when Jehoiakim was king, the second when Jeconiah ruled, and the last as Zedekiah continued his futile resistance against the Babylonian king. At the time Jeremiah wrote this chapter, two deportations had already occurred. A substantial group of the best of Jerusalem and Judah’s population were already under the yoke in Babylon.

We can perhaps imagine how those people must have felt. Confused. Uncertain. Out of sorts as to how to maintain their religious lives, how to care for their families, and what to do for work. The temptation would have been great to just sulk and sit about, doing nothing, waiting for the captors to tell them what to do next.

He instructed them to build homes and gardens, to marry and give their children in marriage, and to work at increasing the population. They were also to seek the peace of the city where they were captive and to pray to God for its wellbeing (vv. 5-7). They must not listen to the naysayers among them (vv. 8, 9), but instead should begin looking ahead to the day of return, seventy years in the future (v. 10). For God still had great plans for His people, a plan for peace and hope (v. 11); they would demonstrate their belief in God by preparing for and working diligently toward that day of return.

And above all, they must seek the Lord (vv. 12-14). That is, individually and as a community, they must resume the disciplines of prayer, worship, and hearing the Word of the Lord that made them His holy people in the first place. God promised to be found by them, even in their time of difficulty, as long as they continued to seek Him earnestly.

As the Lord would come again to deliver the captives back to their home, so He will come again to take us unto Himself in glory. Yes, the times we live in can be difficult and filled with uncertainty. But we must get busy – building communities, nurturing the young in the faith, creating a distinctly Christian culture, living according to the Law and Word of God, and seeking the Lord diligently, individually and together, day by day.

Jeremiah’s message to the captives in Jerusalem is a prototype of the New Testament, and a portent of the new covenant we will see in this section of Jeremiah’s prophecy.

Reflect.
1. Why did Jeremiah instruct the captives in Babylon to “get busy”? What were they to do?

2. How is this letter a prototype of the New Testament?

3. What work have we been given to do while we await the Lord’s return to take us home?

And the prophet Jeremiah, when predicting the captivity that was to befall the ancient people of God and giving them the divine command to go obediently to Babylonia and thus serve their God, counseled them also to pray for Babylonia, saying, “In its peace you will have peace”—the temporal peace that the good and the wicked together enjoy. Augustine (354-430) City of God 19.26

Help me today, Lord, as I work in my Personal Mission Field, so that I…

Pray Psalm 126.1-6.
These are difficult times – times of uncertainty and struggle. But we are not without hope, nor are we without work to do. Commit your day to the Lord, to sow in faith for the harvest He will bring in His time.

Sing Psalm 126.1-6.
Psalm 126.1-6 (Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
When God restored our fortunes all,
we were like those who sweetly dream.
Our mouths with joy and laughter filled,
made Him our constant song and theme.

Then the astonished nations said,
“The Lord has done great things for them!”
Indeed, great things our God has done,
Whose Name we praise, Amen, Amen!

Restore our fortunes, Lord our King!
Let grace like flowing streams prevail.
All they with tears of joy shall sing
who sow while yet they weep and wail.

They who in tears of sorrow sow
and cast their seed on every hand,
with joy shall reach their heav’nly home,
and bring the harvest of their land.

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006). All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).