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For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n If God has graciously taken away your sins, you should be humbly and thankfully producing fruit.<\/p>\n The word \u201ccovenant<\/span>\u201d is from the Greek word diath\u0113k\u0113<\/em><\/span>, which is based on the verb diatith\u0113mi<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cto set out in order\u201d or \u201cto dispose or disperse in a certain order\u201d as someone would do in their last will and testament. In classical Greek, diath\u0113k\u0113<\/em> <\/span>always meant \u201cthe disposition which a person makes of his property in prospect of death.\u201d It is a binding contract made by one party on behalf of others. Hence, this covenant is God\u2019s contract of what He will do for the Jews in the future.<\/p>\n In the previous verse Paul quoted Isaiah 59:20<\/span>,<\/strong> and in this verse he quotes the first part of Isaiah 59:21<\/strong><\/span>, \u201cFor this is My covenant with them.<\/span>\u201d The remainder of this verse, however, is not from Isaiah at all, rather it appears to be taken from, or abridged from, Jeremiah 31:33, 34<\/strong><\/span> which says:<\/p>\n But this<\/span> is<\/em> <\/span>the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, \u201cKnow the LORD,\u201d for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.<\/span><\/p>\n It appears that Paul is expressing the general sense of these promises which were, and are, well known among the Jews. It is clear that God has promised the Jews that at some future time He will gather the remnant of Israel to Himself and they will all believe at that time. Paul does not state when that time will be because even he did not know exactly when it would happen (and neither do we).<\/p>\n The point he is making, remember, is that we Gentiles should not become arrogant about the gospel having been delivered to us as a result of the unbelief of the Jewish people. If God was able to graft us into the good olive tree, we who were not of the good olive tree but of a wild olive tree, then he can certainly graft in branches from the good olive tree again.<\/p>\n As we\u2019ve discussed in the preceding verses, this is precisely what God will do. At some time in the future the Messiah will return and will gather the remnant of the Jews to Himself, and they will all believe just as He has promised them. He will take away their sins just as he has taken away the sins of all who have believed on Him in the Church age.<\/p>\n Since God has a future plan for the ones who are responsible for our having heard the gospel message, we need to give them special heed and treat them dearly. There is no room for pride in those who are submitted to and humbled before God.<\/p>\n How about you, my Christian friend? Are you grateful to God for the way He has orchestrated history? Are you thankful that the Jews rejected their Messiah when He first came? Are you humbly grateful for the person or persons who delivered the gospel message to you? In response, will you produce fruit, or will you be a withering branch enjoying what the world has to offer you? Show your gratefulness by your works!<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\nTruth to Learn<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Behind the Words<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Meaning Explained<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Application<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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