“The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, “Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book. For behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.” The LORD says, “I will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers and they shall possess it”‘” (Jer 30:1-3).
Jeremiah 30–33 is known as “Jeremiah’s Book of Consolation.” The most well-known passage in this section is certainly the promise of a “new covenant” (Jer 31:31–34). What many fail to appreciate is the extent to which Jeremiah’s eschatology is drawn from the Torah, most especially Deuteronomy 30. The promise to restore Israel’s fortunes after exile (Jer 30:3) unmistakably echoes Deuteronomy 30:3: “Then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you.” This verse is so foundational that Jeremiah cites it seven times in the Book of Consolation (Jer 30:3, 18; 31:23; 32:44; 33:7, 11, 26).
…Jeremiah’s interpretation of Deuteronomy 30 sheds invaluable light on the New Testament’s claim that its message did not constitute a new religion.
In terms of biblical theology, Jeremiah’s interpretation of Deuteronomy 30 can hardly be overstated. While many regard the theology of the Torah as bound up exclusively with the Sinai Covenant, Jeremiah saw in Deuteronomy 30 the promise of the new covenant. In other words, Jeremiah would have strongly disagreed with labeling the Torah “the Old Testament” (i.e., the old covenant). To be sure, he acknowledged that the Torah described the old covenant, but he also insisted that its goal and its hope was God’s gift of a new covenant.
Thus, Jeremiah’s interpretation of Deuteronomy 30 sheds invaluable light on the New Testament’s claim that its message did not constitute a new religion. Rather, it was an urgent call to Israel to recognize in Yeshua the fulfillment of the promises given through Moses and the Prophets.
“So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place” (Acts 26:22).
