RESTORATION

AIM FOR CHANGE

BY THE END OF THE LESSON, WE WILL:

KNOW God's new covenant to reveal Himself to all the people, forgive their sins, and hold them accountable; SENSE the relief and joy that come from starting over in agreement with someone, and MAKE plans for renewing our personal covenant with God. 

FOCAL VERSES Jeremiah 31:31

KEEP IN MIND 

"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant wit the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah" (Jeremiah 31:31).

AT-A-GLANCE

1. God Offers a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-32)

2. A Covenant of Love (vv. 33-34)

3. A Covenant of Everlasting Intimacy (vv. 35-37)

IN FOCUS STORY

Lauren and Bill were standing at the altar. Seated in the pews behind were their grown children and grandchildren. Although they had been married for years, they had decided to renew their marriage vows. As he stood at the altar and looked at his bride, Bill also remembered how the first twenty years of the their marriage had been a nightmare for his wife and children. Bill had struggled with his alcoholism, insisting that he "didn't have a problem" even though he had been fired from several jobs. Lauren had worked a full-time and part-time job to pay the rent and other bills. She had to take care of the children alone. Five years ago, Lauren had finally insisted that Bill join a substance abuse program. Lauren had also talked Bill into attending church with her. A year later, Bill accepted Christ as his personal Savior. As he stood at the altar, he thanked God for giving him Lauren and for giving him an opportunity to renew his covenant of marriage wiht such a wonderful woman. God's love is forever. Even when we sin and turn away from God, He wants us to return to Him and His care and protection. 

In this lesson, we will see that even though Israel had repeatedly sinned against Him, God wanted to renew His covenant with them. 

THE PEOPLE, PLACES, and TIMES

Covenant. A covenant is not simply an agreement between two parties. Covenant are not arbitrary; they are binding. Covenants are special relationships by which the parties enter into a binding commitment with one another. This committed relationship makes a demand on each party. In the Bible, we see all types of covenants. There are the covenants that are made between groups and nations, as is the case in Joshua 9 when the people of Gibeon covenant with the Children of Israel (Joshua 9:6, 15). Still another type of covenant is demonstrated in the relationship between David and Saul's son Jonathan. This relationship is not a trivial friendship. The Scriptures tell us "that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul" (1 Samuel 18:1). Throughout the Old Testament, the covenant between God and the Children of Israel provides that God offers His love and protection, and in return His people pledge to worship and serve Him alone. 

Babylonian Captivity. This is the period in biblical history when the people of Judah were defeated and taken away by the powerful nation of Babylonian. Following a year-long siege, the capital city of Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed in 587 B.C. Deportation or removal of defeated foes was a common military practice of the Babylonians and other nations. The actual deportation of the people of Judah took place in three waves. The first was in 606 B.C. when Daniel and his friends were taken along with other prospects to work in the Babylonian government. The second happened in 588 B.C., when King Zedekiah and more leaders were removed from Judah. The third occurred in 582 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar took 4,600 heads of families along with their wives and children. The Babylonians probably only took the people who would be useful to them in Babylon. This would include the priests, craftsmen, business owners, and the wealthy. The Bible implies that the captives were resettled in a single area which allowed them to continue to practice their religion and culture. Theoretically, the nation of Judah ceased to exist after 587 B.C., and the former inhabitants of Judah no longer had a homeland. The people who were left behind in Judah, the "Am Ha'aretz," or people of the land, primarily the poor and elderly, are described as suffering form widespread famine in the book of Lamentations. 

BACKGROUND

Jeremiah, the final prophet to the Southern Kingdom of Judah, was from Anathoth, a priestly community belonging to the tribe of Benjamin. Under the instruction of the Lord, Jeremiah wrote to people of Judah who had been captured and taken into captivity by the powerful nation of Babylonia. Despite admonitions and warnings delivered by the godly prophets like Jeremiah, the people of Judah had shown themselves unwilling to change and unrepentant. Here we see that Judah knowingly and willfully breached their covenant with God. Although the continued to go through the motions of worship, it was only a ritualized affair that greatly displeased God. Their religious pomp was not backed by faithfulness of God. Adding to this were religious leaders who preached superstition and predicted that the temple in Jerusalem could never fall into the hands of the Babylonians. 

Jeremiah continued to prophesy to the people of Judah. He let them know that God would restore their relationship with Him through a new covenant. This new covenant would bind them to the Lord in a unique and different way. It would also give them the ability to obey the stipulations of the covenant and to experience the Lord in their midst. 

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES

1. With whom is God making the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31)?

2. Rather than a law on tablets, where will the new covenant be written (v. 33)?

3. What assurances does God offer the people about their former transgressions and sins (v. 34)?

DISCUSS THE MEANING

1. This portion of Scripture is widely believed to have been written while the people were still in captivity. Why do you think God wanted them to hear this before they were released?

2. When we accept Christ, He responds, "Henceforth, I call you not servants... I have called you friends" (from John 15:15). What should be our response to Christ as believers? Does your relationship with Christ reveal that He is your friend?

LESSON IN OUR SOCIETY

In today's world, agreements are constantly made and broken. It seems that no one's word can be trusted. Corporations make agreements with their customers that they readily break. Governments make agreements with their citizens and with other nations, only to break those as well. God gives us more than just flimsy human agreement. His new covenant is backed by Jesus' death on the Cross. This was His demonstration and pledge of His love for us. Our response ought to be one of gratitude and sharing this love with others. 

MAKE IT HAPPEN

The Lord told His people that "I will remember [your] sin no more" (from Jeremiah 31:34). Again and again we see that God continues to forgive and love his people despite their sins. As recipients of this amazing love, we do not want to take it for granted. We need to pray and examine our lives. If there is any old anger, hurt, betrayal, or heartbreak, it only means that God is presenting us with an opportunity to forgive and be forgiven. Only then can we renew our relationship with Him. 

(Except from The Apostolic Way Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Inc.)