How does Jeremiah 11:1 connect to Deuteronomy's teachings on covenant obedience? The text under consideration “ This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, ‘Listen to the words of this covenant and tell them to the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem.’ ” (Jeremiah 11:1-2) Jeremiah 11:1 introduces a prophetic summons: hear—and proclaim—the “words of this covenant.” Those few words immediately pull the reader back to the covenant language of Deuteronomy. Shared covenant vocabulary • “Word” (Heb. dāḇār) – Deuteronomy repeatedly calls Israel to heed “the words” of the covenant (Deuteronomy 4:13; 29:1). • “Listen” (Heb. shāmaʿ) – echoes the Shema: “Hear, O Israel” (Deuteronomy 6:4). The same verb stands at the heart of covenant obedience. • “Covenant” (Heb. bĕrît) – Jeremiah is not announcing something new; he is re-citing Moses’ covenant with its binding stipulations, blessings, and curses (Deuteronomy 28:1-68). Direct links to Deuteronomy’s call for obedience • Covenant proclamation: Deuteronomy 27:1-8 commands that the law be proclaimed publicly; Jeremiah echoes this by telling the prophet to “tell” Judah. • Blessing/curse framework: Deuteronomy 28 sets out blessings for obedience, curses for disobedience. Jeremiah 11:3-8 rehearses those same curses because Judah has broken the covenant. • Witness of the law: Deuteronomy 31:26 places the book of the law beside the ark as a witness; Jeremiah functions as the living voice of that witness, prosecuting the covenant lawsuit. • Historical reminder: Deuteronomy 29:24-28 anticipates future generations asking why the land is devastated; Jeremiah’s message explains that devastation is the covenant curse now falling on Judah. • Promise of restoration: Deuteronomy 30:1-10 predicts exile and future return; Jeremiah will later announce the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34), reinforcing that God’s covenant purposes continue beyond judgment. Why Jeremiah restates Deuteronomy’s covenant • To establish that God’s standards have not changed—disobedience still invokes literal curses. • To show Judah they are accountable to the very law they received through Moses. • To affirm that covenant faithfulness is relational: hearing God’s voice demonstrates love (Deuteronomy 10:12-13), while refusing to hear displays hardness of heart (Jeremiah 11:8). • To prepare the people for hope after judgment, grounded in the same covenant God who faithfully disciplines and restores. Implications for Judah—and for readers today • God’s covenant commands remain non-negotiable; selective obedience is disobedience. • Covenant blessings and curses are not theoretical; history proves their literal outworking. • Listening is an act of the heart as well as the ear. Genuine hearing produces obedience (James 1:22). • The God who enforces His covenant also provides mercy, ultimately fulfilled in the new covenant secured by Christ’s blood (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:6-13). |
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