Jeremiah 31:35-37 Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: 36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. 37 Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.
Chapter 31 is a reminder that although God is a God of Chastening, He is also a God of everlasting Love and Promises. Verse 3 tells us, “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Everything that emanates from God is everlasting; His mercies are from everlasting to everlasting, His promises are everlasting, and His love is everlasting. It is love that has spurred such a jealous judgment of the backslidden nation in the first place. Ultimately, it is His love that has been spurned. It was for His great love that He called their patriarch Abraham from Ur of the Chaldeas. It was for love that He redeemed them from the bondage of Pharaoh when they cried to Him. It was for love that He gave them a king after His own heart, and despite all the love shown to them, they have turned their back on Him. If He did not love them, it would not affect Him so jealously, but because of the great love wherewith He loves them, He chastened them, “He chasteneth every son that He loveth.”
Everlasting love is unquenchable; its flame cannot be extinguished by any amount of sin, rejection, ignorance, not even death itself can stop the love of God. Rather, the love of God has conquered all its foes, even death. On the cross of Christ, we have the perfect manifestation of the everlasting love of God, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16). Israel had worshipped false gods, killed the messengers God sent to them, sacrificed the children God gave to them to false gods, and yet none of these things could quench the everlasting love of God. So it is with you, reader, no matter the depth of sin that you have sunk to. The love of God is an eternal, everlasting, unquenchable, bottomless sea, that any
Then our verse talks about the promises that emanate from this everlasting God of Love. His everlasting love makes everlasting, unconditional promises. Just as their sins could not break God’s love for them, neither could their sins break his everlasting covenant that he made with their father Abraham. The law was a conditional covenant, and it was never given to make them righteous before God, but rather to expose their sinfulness to themselves (Gal 2:16, Gal 3:10, Gal 3:24-25). That covenant was a covenant of blessing and cursing, blessing if you were obedient, and cursing if you were disobedient, but the covenant made with our father Abraham was made while he was asleep, and God made a covenant with himself, whereby Abraham and his descendants were the beneficiaries of the promise. That was an unconditional everlasting promise that his descendants would possess the land promised to their father. Much like the covenant that God made with himself on the cross of Calvary, in those three hours of darkness, man was not permitted to even look upon the transaction, and at the close of those three hours, the sacrifice was finished, signaled by Jesus' cry and giving up of his spirit. You and I and all who will ever believe were the beneficiaries of such an everlasting promise of Love! Eternal love, eternal promise, not contingent upon my righteousness or adherence to a creed or law but hanging on the nail in a sure place, Jesus Christ the Righteous! No amount of sin can stress that love, no amount of backsliding could break such a covenant. I am his and He is mine forever, and this everlasting love for me makes me love him, “We love him, because he first loved us.” The greatest load of sin may be dumped therein and be seen no more for eternity.
Then our verse talks about the promises that emanate from this everlasting God of Love. His everlasting love makes everlasting, unconditional promises. Just as their sins could not break God’s love for them, neither could their sins break His everlasting covenant that He made with their father Abraham. The law given to Moses was a conditional covenant, and it was never given to make them righteous before God, but rather to expose their sinfulness to themselves (Gal 2:16, Gal 3:10, Gal 3:24-25). That covenant was a covenant of blessing and cursing, blessing if you were obedient, and cursing if you were disobedient. But the covenant made with our father Abraham was made while he was asleep. That covenant God with Himself, whereby Abraham and his descendants were the beneficiaries of the promise but nothing was contingent upon them. That was an unconditional everlasting promise that his descendants would possess the land promised to their father. Much like the covenant that God made with Himself on the cross of Calvary, in those three hours of darkness, mankind was not permitted to look upon the transaction, and at the close of those three hours, the sacrifice was finished, signaled by Jesus' cry and giving up of His spirit. You and I and all who will ever believe were the beneficiaries of such an everlasting promise of Love! Eternal love, eternal promise, not contingent upon my righteousness or adherence to a creed or law but hanging on the nail in a sure place, Jesus Christ the Righteous! No amount of sin can stress that love, no amount of backsliding could break such a covenant. I am His and He is mine forever, and this everlasting love for me makes me love Him, “We love Him, because He first loved us.”
Our verses today seem to call to the stand, as witnesses, the sun, moon, Stars and all the host of heaven. What are they standing witness to? The everlasting love and promise of God. Who are they testifying to? The nation of Israel, and you and I. If you ever begin to doubt the love of God or the everlasting promises he has made, look up. Look up to the sun that gives life to this earth and shines upon every breathing thing. Perhaps it is night where you live; still, look up to the moon that controls the tides of the ocean and seasonal shifts necessary for life on this earth. It is no coincidence that he mentions here the sun and the moon, for one is always shining on this earth. If you can measure the atmosphere above or the depths below, then you might come close to understanding the everlasting nature of his love and promises, but of course, we cannot. The best we can do is wonder at the vast expanse that is beyond our comprehension, and still, his love and promises go far beyond the world we are in or the space we float in; they emanate from the heart of an everlasting, eternal God and therefore can never be fully known. If we could find the end of God, then you could find the end of the promise or if you could find the end of God, then you could know the end of his love, but rest assured no such place exists.
The Love of God
Vs.1
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin.
Vs. 2
When hoary time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall;
When men who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call;
God’s love, so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
Vs.3
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
Chorus
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
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