Thought to Guide Your Reading
Someday God would take away Israel's yoke and they could be free.Summary in 100 Words or Less
"My Chosen People will return to their land to serve an Israelite king. You will be My Chosen People and I will be your god."You are being punished for past mistakes. It is deserved, but temporary.
"My People will find a god looking for them. I will pay for their release. We will start over. They will weep for joy.
"I have heard your cries. Change your hearts!
"I make a new covenant with you. My Word will be written on your hearts. Everyone will know Me.
"Only if the world ends would Israel stop being My Chosen People."
How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right
God is not giving up on Judah.
If there ever was a time for this type of reading, today is it! God tells Judah exactly why they have lost their land and what He will do to set things right. God's encouragement is to have hope because He will give them their land back. Those who committed atrocities against Judah would be punished. God and Judah will be like nothing had ever separated them. They would be God's Chosen People and God would be their god. God wants to have a good relationship with us and will never give up on us.Judah must go through its punishment to show their only friend is God.
God's punishment of Judah is tough love so Judah can know their new friends and their new gods care little for them and leave when the fun ends. Only God is there when the dust settles and Judah is in a foreign land. God's punishment may seem harsh but its end is love.God would save Israel and Judah from captivity so they would become what they never were before: lighthouses for Him.
God wanted Judah and Israel to have a renewed sense of who He was and what He would do for them. He would pay a high price to return His Chosen People and the nations would see just how much God loves the world. Maybe they would throw away their gods and follow God as well. God saves so His People will go out and tell everyone how great their god is.God's new covenant would be different.
God's new covenant with Israel and Judah would not require years of study. This covenant would be written on their hearts. It would not be a long list of commands. It would be one—follow what God has already given you! God's new covenant would be on our hearts.God would never turn His Back against Israel.
We have seen how God would open the doors of the Temple to invite in the world. He would accept authentic worship from anyone. With that said, He would never turn His Back against Israel. They would always be His Chosen People, His Lighthouses to the world. God never turns His Back against His Chosen People.What does this mean for us today? It means God will never turn His Back against the church. If we are God's Chosen People, it doesn't matter how corrupt we become; God will punish us, get rid of the bad influences, then return our relationship as though we never left. How awesome is our god!
"Expect love, love, and more love!" (31:3, The Message)
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