Jeremiah 31:23-40 - The new covenant will be written in the hearts of God's people.
I checked the BYU Religious Studies Center (rsc.byu.edu) and The Joseph Smith Papers (josephsmithpapers.org) for relevant scholarly sources. While both contain valuable information on the Old Testament and covenants, the most directly applicable and concise treatment of Jeremiah 31's "new covenant" for today's devotional comes from an article on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, which provides a clear explanation of this profound prophecy.
In an article titled "Old Testament: Jeremiah 31. The New Covenant" from the ChurchofJesusChrist.org website, it is explained that the "new covenant" described by Jeremiah signifies a more personal and internalized relationship with God, contrasting with the previous covenant that was often external and mediated by priests. This future covenant involves God writing His law directly upon the hearts and minds of His people, leading to an inherent desire to follow Him and a universal knowledge of the Lord among all, from the least to the greatest. The article highlights how this covenant enables a deeper, more intimate connection with God, where sins are forgiven, and individuals are brought into a truly transformative relationship with Him.
URL: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/old-testament-jeremiah-ezekiel/jeremiah?lang=eng#p143
As you reflect on Jeremiah 31:23-40 and the promise of a new covenant written in our hearts, how does trusting in the Lord's steadfast love and promises—even in times of personal mourning or uncertainty—help you recognize His power to turn sorrow into joy in your own life?
The Lord continues to speak of a future day of restoration and renewal for His people.
A People Restored to Zion (Jeremiah 31:23-26)
Jeremiah prophesies that the cities of Judah will again be inhabited and that the people will bless the Lord, calling Jerusalem "the habitation of justice" and "the mountain of holiness" [Jeremiah 31:23]. He speaks of both Judah and Israel dwelling together in their land, with husbandmen and those who tend flocks. The weary soul will be refreshed, and every sorrowful soul replenished [Jeremiah 31:24-25]. Jeremiah concludes this section by noting that he awoke from a dream, and his sleep was sweet unto him [Jeremiah 31:26].
The New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:27-34)
A pivotal prophecy unfolds as the Lord declares that He will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast [Jeremiah 31:27]. Just as He once watched over them to pluck up, break down, throw down, destroy, and afflict, so He will now watch over them to build and to plant [Jeremiah 31:28]. In that day, people will no longer use the proverb, "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge" [Jeremiah 31:29], but rather, "every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge" [Jeremiah 31:30]. This emphasizes individual accountability before God.
Then comes the profound promise: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah" [Jeremiah 31:31]. This new covenant will not be like the one made with their fathers, which they broke [Jeremiah 31:32]. Instead, the Lord declares, "But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people" [Jeremiah 31:33]. Under this new covenant, people will no longer need to teach their neighbors or brothers to know the Lord, "for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more" [Jeremiah 31:34].
URL: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/ot/jer/31?lang=eng
Jerusalem to Be Rebuilt (Jeremiah 31:35-40)
The Lord reinforces the certainty of His promises by comparing them to the established order of the sun, moon, and stars, and the waves of the sea [Jeremiah 31:35-36]. If these ordinances depart from before Him, then the seed of Israel might cease from being a nation before Him forever [Jeremiah 31:36]. He also states that if heaven above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out, then He would cast off all the seed of Israel for all they have done [Jeremiah 31:37].
Jeremiah then prophesies that the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt to the Lord from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner [Jeremiah 31:38], and the measuring line will go forth straight over the hill Gareb and compass about to Goath [Jeremiah 31:39]. The entire valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, will be holy unto the Lord; it will not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more forever [Jeremiah 31:40].
URL: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/ot/jer/31?lang=eng