11 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 3 and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant 4 which I commanded your forefathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Listen to My voice, and [a]do according to all which I command you; so you shall be My people, and I will be your God,’ 5 in order to confirm the oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.”’” Then I said, “Amen, O Lord.”
6 And the Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Hear the words of this covenant and do them. 7 For I solemnly warned your fathers in the day that I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, [b]warning persistently, saying, “Listen to My voice.” 8 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked, each one, in the stubbornness of his evil heart; therefore I brought on them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.’”
9 Then the Lord said to me, “A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have turned back to the iniquities of their [c]ancestors who refused to hear My words, and they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.” 11 Therefore thus says the Lord, “Behold I am bringing disaster on them which they will not be able to escape; though they will cry to Me, yet I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they surely will not save them in the time of their disaster. 13 For your gods are [d]as many as your cities, O Judah; and [e]as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal.
Here Jeremiah was to remind the people of the covenant they had broken, and what God had asked in return for the many blessings they enjoyed. His requirement was simple, “Listen to My voice.” Or as God continues in v. 4, “and do according to all which I command you; so you shall be My people, and I will be your God.”
Then we might ask, “What all did God command them?” That’s a great question, I’m glad you asked! As we see Israel’s failure, it is a reminder to use that God asks the same, possibly more, from those of us who choose to follow Him. God promises us eternal life, but Jesus clearly stated that He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.
Certainly, there were many man-made additions, and Jesus had little interest in reinforcing the litany of rules that weighed down His people. Rather, He simplified it to this, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Technically, that wasn’t new either, as Jesus was only quoting the old law.
But let’s get specific, as we need to examine our own hearts, and I’m going to list a few that God has brought to mind this morning. As I was thinking of the ten commandments delivered in Exodus 20, the first few are about putting God first, honoring and revering Him. The fourth is about rest, something I struggle with myself.
Here Jesus stated (Mark 2:27) that man was not made for the Sabbath, but that it was for man. We need rest, and I know I push my body too hard at times. Jesus also taught that any man who looks at a woman with lust in his heart has already committed adultery (#7), and that’s a struggle for many (and not just men).
We should also be careful of comparison, for that leads us into the tenth, which is about coveting what our neighbor has, or our brother, or friend, or competitor, or whoever. Lastly, Jesus taught that whoever calls their brother a fool is in danger of hell-fire. He continues from there, but basically, Jesus puts holding grudges and degrading others on par with murder.
No, Jesus certainly did not abolish the law, He reminded us all that the commandments are about the heart. They go deeper than just “avoiding the appearance of evil”, so we all (me included) need to examine our lives, and ask God for forgiveness in the areas we have disobeyed. We also need His help, relying on the Spirit within us to prick our hearts and push us in the right direction…
Like a good Father, He will “teach us the way in which we ought to walk”. But we have to listen, and be sensitive to His voice. Once more, as He told them in Jeremiah’s day, “Listen to My voice.”