WHERE IS THEIR SIN?

The books of Jeremiah and Lamentations are hard to read. Jeremiah the prophet writes up a laundry list of judgements against the nation of Israel, and weeps when those judgements come true. There is no joy here in seeing the nation taken away into captivity because of their sins.

And yet, even in the bitterness of the judgement being served, God tells the people of Israel: “there is hope for your descendants… your children will return to their own land” (31:17). Even more than this, God promises a new covenant with the people that will address the root cause of their judgements — their sin. “For I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more” (31:34) — and again, “In those days, …search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare” (50:20).

As fellow recipients of that new covenant in Jesus Christ, we can ask ourselves the same questions: Where is our guilt? Where is our sin? “It is nailed to the cross, and we bear it no more!” More than that, the Holy Spirit has put the law of God in our minds and written it in our hearts (31:33), giving us both the desire and the power to please Him (Romans 8:1-11). What a Savior!

Take some time today to praise God for the new covenant!