Jeremiah 31:7-10

 Israel’s freedom was gained by God, its great “kinsman redeemer”.

Jeremiah 31:7-10

7 For thus says the Lord:

“Sing with gladness for Jacob,

And shout among the chief of the nations;

Proclaim, give praise, and say,

‘O Lord, save Your people,

The remnant of Israel!’

8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country,

And gather them from the ends of the earth,

Among them the blind and the lame,

The woman with child

And the one who labors with child, together;

A great throng shall return there.

9 They shall come with weeping,

And with supplications I will lead them.

I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters,

In a straight way in which they shall not stumble;

For I am a Father to Israel,

And Ephraim is My firstborn.

10 “Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,

And declare it in the isles afar off, and say,

‘He who scattered Israel will gather him,

And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’

Jeremiah is the only Old Testament prophet who speaks of the New Covenant that Jesus inaugurated. Some readers, desiring to celebrate what is “new” in the “New Covenant,” might be tempted to disparage the former covenant, the Mosaic covenant. But we should be careful to avoid any implication that there was something wrong in the covenant God had graciously bestowed on Israel. God had never designed the Law of Moses as a means to obtain salvation. Instead, forgiveness of sins has always been God’s gracious gift to those who have humbled themselves before Him in faith. The Law was God’s way of pointing out the pathway that believers should walk. Thus the problem with the covenant at Mount Sinai was not in God’s provision, but in Israel’s response. The Israelites had continually broken the covenant. Time and again through priests and prophets God called His people to repent, but any change of heart they underwent they soon abandoned. In the days of Jeremiah, King Josiah destroyed the idols that were in the land. But soon after this godly king died, the people turned back to worshiping the idols of the neighboring countries. The hearts of the people remained unchanged. 

Only God Himself could change hearts and minds: thus a New Covenant was needed.

The announcement of a New Covenant by the prophet Jeremiah would have been alarming to godly Israelites. After all, the old covenant had come from the very hand of God and had been accompanied by miracles and wonders. But the New Covenant would also be accompanied by the miracle of changed hearts and lives. The very Spirit of God would enter people’s lives in order to assure their adherence to the covenant. No longer would intermediaries like priests or prophets have to stand between the people and God. The Spirit would teach the people the knowledge of God—a knowledge that would be evidenced by faith, obedience, and devotion to the Lord. Jesus fulfilled Jeremiah’s prediction of the coming of a New Covenant through His work on the Cross. 

By His death, the giving of His lifeblood for many, redemption and forgiveness of sins were attained. While Jesus was on earth, He instructed His disciples in His Father’s ways. But after Jesus ascended to heaven, the Sprit of God was poured out on the believers gathered in Jerusalem, fulfilling the promise spoken by Jeremiah. NKJ Bible.