Read Jeremiah 31:15-40
Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife, was the symbolic mother of the northern tribes, which were taken into captivity by the Assyrians. Rachel is pictured crying for exiles at Ramah, a staging point of deportation. This verse is quoted in Matthew 2:18 to describe the sadness of the mothers of Bethlehem as the male children were killed. The weeping was great in both cases.
These words picture grief and mourning. Although, the northern kingdom, had sunk into the most degrading sins, God still loved the people. A remnant would turn to God by repenting of their sins, and God would forgive. God still loves you despite anything you may have done. He will forgive you if you turn back to him.
The people tried to blame God’s judgment on the sins of their fathers. One person’s sin does indeed affect other people, but all people are still held personally accountable for the sin in their own life (Deuteronomy 24; Ezekiel 18). What excuses do you use for your sins?
God, though, would ultimately make a new covenant. God would write His law on their hearts rather than on tablets of stone, as He did the Ten Commandments. In chapter 17, their sin was engraved on their hearts so that they wanted above all to disobey. This change seems to describe an experience very much like new birth, with God taking the initiative. When we turn our life over to God, He, by His Holy Spirit, builds into us the desire to obey Him.
The old covenant, broken by the people, would be replaced by a new covenant. The foundation of this new covenant is Christ (Hebrews 8). It is revolutionary, involving not only Israel and Judah but even the Gentiles. It offers a unique personal relationship with God Himself, with His laws written on individual’s hearts instead of stone. Jeremiah looked forward to the day when Jesus would come to establish this covenant. But for us today, this covenant is here. We have the wonderful opportunity to make a fresh start and establish a permanent, personal relationship with God.
God has the power to do away with the laws of nature or even to do away with His people. But he will do neither. Verses 35-37 is not a prediction; it is a promise. This is God’s way of saying that He will not reject Israel any more than He will do away with nature’s laws.
Verses 38-40 mark the boundaries of restored Jerusalem in the days of Nehemiah. Gareb and Goah are unknown. The graveyard and ash dumb are probably the valley of Hinnom, where children were sacrificed in pagan worship.