S4: Week 39 Day 2: Going Deeper in Jeremiah 31:31-34

Summary

Podcast Summary: A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace

Episode: S4: Week 39 Day 2 - Going Deeper in Jeremiah 31:31-34
Date: September 23, 2025
Hosts: Beth and Alexa

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Episode Overview

This episode explores Jeremiah 31:31-34 and its central place in the story of the Bible, with a special focus on the transition from the Mosaic (old) covenant to the promise of a new covenant. The hosts, Beth and Alexa, unpack the historical context, the significance of this prophetic passage, and how it ultimately points to Jesus. The conversation highlights God’s unwavering faithfulness, even in the face of persistent human disobedience.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Context of Jeremiah 31 (00:36–01:45)

• Historical Setting:
  • Jeremiah prophesied during Judah’s exile into Babylon, after the fall of the kingdom and the destruction of the temple.
  • The people experienced the consequences of their sustained disobedience and idolatry.
• Purpose of Jeremiah’s Prophecies:
  • Many prophecies explained the cause of exile but also brought messages of hope for eventual restoration and return.
  • Even as Jeremiah tells the people exile will be lengthy, he assures them it will someday end.

Quote:
"But in the midst of all of this bad news that Jeremiah is delivering, he's also proclaiming messages of hope. … But God would eventually make a new covenant with them that could not be broken."
— Beth (01:25)

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2. Understanding the Old and New Covenants (01:45–03:20)

• Old (Mosaic) Covenant:
  • Established at the exodus with commandments and laws (the Ten Commandments, etc.).
  • Required Israel’s obedience: “If they keep these laws and worship him alone. They would be his people and he would be their God.” (Beth, 02:17)
  • Israel repeatedly failed to uphold their commitment; the Old Testament records continual disobedience.
• Need for a New Covenant:
  • The people felt hopeless, unable to fulfill their side due to the depth of sin.
  • God promises a “new covenant”:
    • Not just the declaration of laws, but a transformation: "to write it on their hearts."
    • Brings the promise of forgiveness of sins and a genuine, unbreakable relationship with God.

Quote:
"But now he promises to not just tell them the law, but to write it on their hearts. And this is why the passage ends with the promise to forgive sin. They would be given a fresh start."
— Beth (02:55)

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3. God’s Character Revealed (03:20–04:27)

• God’s Persistent Faithfulness:
  • Despite generations of rebellion, God does not give up on his people—on the contrary, he doubles down in love and commitment.
  • God’s faithfulness stands in contrast to human unfaithfulness.
• The Cost of Faithfulness:
  • Remaining faithful “was really going to cost God a lot”—hinting at the sacrificial fulfillment through Jesus.
  • God’s promise of restoration is rooted in his deep love for his people.

Quotes:

• "God could so easily have just given up on these rebellious people. … We deserve God to give up on us."
  — Beth (03:49)

• "Remaining faithful to such an unfaithful people was really going to cost God a lot. … He would only stick it out this long and continue to promise restoration if he deeply loved his people."
  — Beth (04:00)

• "I will never be tired of talking about God's faithfulness."
  — Alexa (04:27)

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Notable Moments & Quotes

• Beth’s Summary of the Old Covenant’s Failure: (02:15)
  "The rest of the Old Testament story, after they were delivered from Egypt, is basically just story after story of them breaking God's laws and worshiping other gods again and again until they are finally sent into exile."

• Alexa on the Prophets: (01:45)
  "The prophets can be a little tough because of their continual discussion of judgment. But it's always encouraging to see how God also provides hope."

• Beth on the Promise of Restoration: (03:58)
  "He would only stick it out this long and continue to promise restoration if he deeply loved his people."

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:36 – Introduction to Jeremiah 31 and its placement in the biblical story
• 01:25 – Exile, disobedience, and the promise of hope
• 02:02–03:20 – Old Covenant explained, New Covenant promised, the need for transformation
• 03:37 – What Jeremiah 31 reveals about the character of God
• 04:27 – The beauty of God’s faithfulness and consistency

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Tone & Style

The hosts use a conversational, encouraging, and accessible tone, making complex theological ideas relatable. They emphasize the consistency of God’s character and the way that each biblical passage—no matter how steeped in judgment—is ultimately a pointer to Christ and a testament of God’s love.

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Summary

This episode offers a rich, hope-filled examination of Jeremiah 31:31-34, situating the passage within Israel’s history of failure and God’s unwavering love. The discussion provides clarity about the distinction between the old and new covenants, the transformative promise at the heart of Christianity, and the gospel’s roots deep within the Old Testament narrative. Through all, listeners are invited to reflect on the depth of God’s faithfulness and the assurance that “God would be their God, and they would be his people”—a promise unbreakable in Christ.

Transcript

[Host]

Welcome to A Year in the Bible with daily grace. This year, we want to spend a few minutes with you every day walking through our study, Christ in All of Scripture. Each week we will dive deeply into two passages of scripture, one from the Old Testament and one from the new, seeing how they connect and point to Jesus.

[Producer/Outro Host]

Whether you are doing the study yourself or just following along with us here, we are hopeful that through studying these passages each week, you will see how Christ is not only present throughout the entire biblical story, but but the center of it.

[Beth]

Hi, everyone. Welcome to A Year in the Bible. My name is Beth and I am here with my co host, Alexa.

[Alexa]

Hey, friends. Today we're going deeper into the passage we annotated yesterday, Jeremiah 31, 31, 34. We'll be looking at the context of this passage and talk more about what it teaches us about God's character. So Beth, can you help us understand where this passage fits in the overall biblical story?

[Beth]

Yes. So we have moved out of Isaiah and into Jeremiah. But like all of the prophets, the messages of these books, Isaiah and Jeremiah, are actually pretty similar. Jeremiah lived right on the cusp of Judah's exile into Babylon. And so he saw the kingdom fall. He saw the temple be destroyed, the people be killed and exiled. And he also saw the disobedience and idolatry of the people that actually led them to their exile. And so the book of Jeremiah is a collection of prophecies telling the people why they are in exile and essentially telling them to get comfortable in Babylon because their exile will last a very long time. But in the midst of all of this bad news that Jeremiah is delivering, he's also proclaiming messages of hope. And so their exile would be long, but it would end eventually. They were disobedient and broke God's covenant, but God would eventually make a new covenant with them that could not be broken.

[Alexa]

Yeah, the prophets can be a little tough because of their continual discussion of judgment. But it's always encouraging to see how God also provides hope. So thanks for pointing out the hope that we see in Jeremiah. Could you say a little bit more about the new covenant God would make and why it's necessary?

[Beth]

Yeah, so that's super important. The old covenant that is being talked about here is the one that God made with this generation of Israelites ancestors. It's the Mosaic covenant, which is the covenant that God made with the people when he delivered them from Egypt and gave them the Ten Commandments and the rest of the law. He told them that if they keep these laws and worship him alone. They would be his people and he would be their God. But. But Israel was never able to actually keep up their end of the deal. The rest of the Old Testament story, after they were delivered from Egypt, is basically just story after story of them breaking God's laws and worshiping other gods again and again until they are finally sent into exile. So the people listening to Jeremiah likely thought hope was lost. The promise of being God's people seemed totally out of reach to them because they could just not be obedient. Sin was too deeply rooted in their hearts. But here God is saying that he would make a new covenant. Yes, the old one had been broken and there was no hope of them ever being able to keep it. But now he promises to not just tell them the law, but to write it on their hearts. And this is why the passage ends with the promise to forgive sin. They would be given a fresh start. The end result of the covenants is the same. God would be their God and they would be his people. But this new covenant guarantees obedience that the old covenant could not deliver.

[Alexa]

That's super helpful, Beth. I think it could be easy sometimes to get confused about the different covenants in Scripture. So it's helpful to understand what the new covenant will be and how it's different from the Mosaic covenant. Okay, you helped us understand the context of Jeremiah 31. So what do we need to learn about God's character?

[Beth]

Yeah, I know that we say this almost every single week, but it really shows us God's faithfulness to his people. And I think we say this every week because it is such an essential aspect of who God is and what the Bible is actually about. God could so easily have just given up on these rebellious people. The people, all people, including us, actually deserve that. We deserve God to give up on us. Like I already said, sin is so deeply rooted in our hearts. And remaining faithful to such an unfaithful people was really going to cost God a lot. And we know, and we're definitely going to talk about this later, what that cost actually is. But God is faithful. He does stick it out with his people. And he would only stick it out this long and continue to promise restoration if he deeply loved his people. And as we will see, he proves his definitively in how he establishes this new covenant.

[Alexa]

I will never be tired of talking about God's faithfulness. So I love that we see God's faithfulness again in this passage. It's just such a beautiful reminder of his consistent character. Well, I hope today's conversation has been helpful and encouraging to you, and we will be back tomorrow to talk about the New Testament passage for this week. Luke 22:14 20 thank you for listening.

[Producer/Outro Host]

To today's episode of A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace. Be sure to check out our show notes for some helpful links and resources related to today's episode, and make sure you're following a daily daily gracepodcast and hedaily graceco on Instagram for more Bible study resources and encouragement.

[Alexa]

We're looking forward to studying God's Word with you again tomorrow. Bye friends.