| THE PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO DIE |
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| They have rebuilt their nation. Even more remarkably, this durability was predicted in writing 2,500 years ago. God promised in the clearest terms that he would never reject his people. The New Covenant Jeremiah, known for his stinging denunciations and repeated predictions of savage destruction, also brought word of God's eternal faithfulness and of a new covenant replacing the old, broken one. The new covenant would improve generously on the old one, Jeremiah said. God would no longer simply list rules for his people to obey. He would plant those rules in their hearts, so they would want to obey (31:33). Each individual would know the Lord personally. God would offer forgiveness for sins. Jeremiah promised more than that. He said a new king from David's line would come to rule. He would be called "The Lord Our Righteousness" (23:5-8). Israel would return from exile to their land. They would farm there again. They would rebuild Jerusalem and again worship God there. Jeremiah wrote these rosy words in the face of Israel's worst catastrophe. Jeremiah didn't just deliver these messages. He acted them out. He made what was either one of the stupidest financial investments of all time, or a remarkable act of faith. He bought property from a relative at the height of the Babylonian siege (chapter 32). God had promised Jeremiah that someday the property would be worth money again, to his children or grandchildren. He believed and invested in that distant prospect. He bet on the survival of Israel. |