“I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.”
– Jeremiah 32:40
We’ve gotta get the context here. So this is Old Testament, which is another way of saying old covenant. So the way God related to his people. That’s what covenant is about. How we relate to God. How we can know God. And so this is an old covenant. Old Testament promise of the new covenant to come. So the new way of a relationship to God. And it’s not altogether new in the sense that it hasn’t been thought of. Like everything in the Old Testament, the old covenant is pointing forward to the new covenant. That’s kind of the point of Advent. That Jesus coming, his inauguration of a new covenant is that to which everything in the Old Testament has been pointing toward.
Jeremiah 32:40 Presents Us with an Everlasting Covenant with God
And so this verse talks about an everlasting covenant between God and his people. Everlasting, which means it will never end. And what will never end? The whole picture is God doing good to his people. So the thing about this, God doing good to his people will never, ever, ever end for those who are in this everlasting covenant with him. This everlasting covenant is made possible by Jesus. And all who trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins are brought into a relationship with God that will last forever. And forever, and ever, and ever. Everlasting, God will work for the good of all who were in covenant with him.
Jeremiah 32:40 Brings Us Closer to God
All who trust in Christ are brought into a relationship with God that will last forever. Right now and always, God is working for your good.
Just let that soak in. I don’t know what’s going on in your life right now. I imagine some who are listening to this are going through some challenging days and some different ways. And I just want to remind you today that if you have trusted in Jesus, God has entered into an everlasting covenant with you where he is working for your good. So right now, God is working for your good. Just let that soak in. I don’t know what’s going on in your life right now, but just know this. I do know this.
If you’re in Christ, you’ve put your faith in Christ, God, right now is working for your good. Just that’ll change your day when you realize the God of the universe is working for your good. And even in the hardest times and things you don’t understand, don’t understand how this is good, you just believe God is working for my good right now. And he’s not gonna stop working for your good. So when you go to bed tonight and you wake up tomorrow morning, he’s still gonna be working for your good. And the next day, and the next day, and the next day. And you know that because this is an everlasting covenant. God is always, forever working for your good. For my good.
This Verse is a Great Reminder of God’s Love for Us
Oh, God. This is too good to even imagine. To comprehend. It is far more than I deserve for you to work for my good, for you. The God of the universe. The holy God of the universe. The sinner I am, for you to work for my good for a day, for a moment is more than I deserve. So to think that you’re working for my good forever. Every single day. You’re working for my good. God, I praise you for this.
I pray for those that are listening to this, that they would know this. God, they would know this right now in their hearts that you’re working for their good. That they are in an everlasting relationship with you through Jesus. And that you are always working for their good. So, God, we pray. It almost sounds selfish, but it’s what we’re compelled to pray based on what you promised us. We pray for our good. We pray for our good. For other’s good, for the spread of this goodness to other people, and for the spread of this covenant relationship to more, and more, and more people. God, we praise you for the privilege of being in everlasting covenant with you and for your constant work for our good. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
