守約與背約的生命抉擇(耶十一) 中英bilingual
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The Life Choice Between Keeping Covenant and Breaking Covenant
(Jeremiah 11)
July 8, 2026
“Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “Cursed is the one who does not obey the words of this covenant which I commanded your forefathers on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Listen to My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so you shall be My people, and I will be your God.”
(Jeremiah 11:2–4, NASB 2020)
In this chapter, God brings the focus of history back to the ancient “covenant of Mount Sinai.” The entire chapter revolves around “the blessing of keeping covenant” and “the curse of breaking covenant.” It explains the reason for the destruction of the kingdom of Judah in history, and also causes us to consider what our relationship with God today.
At the beginning of the passage, God commands Jeremiah to proclaim again to the people of Judah “the words of this covenant” (cf. Jeremiah 11:2). In the Bible, a covenant is never a cold legal texts, but an oath that God gives to people in love. God saved the Israelites from Egypt, the “iron furnace.” His expectation for this relationship was extremely simple: “Listen to My voice... so you shall be My people, and I will be your God” (cf. Jeremiah 11:4). The essence of “keeping covenant” is “listening and obeying.” This kind of obedience does not come from the fear of a slave, but from the response of those who have received love. Keeping covenant brings the promise of “a land flowing with milk and honey,” which is the blessing of abundant life and God’s presence. This passage reminds us that a life of faith should not only seek God’s protection, but should also be a two-way covenant relationship. While we enjoy God’s “promise,” have we also lived out the corresponding “obedience”?
“Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked, each one, in the stubbornness of his evil heart; therefore I brought on them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.”
(Jeremiah 11:8, NASB 2020)
However, from the view of history, the people did not listen, nor did they practice God’s covenant. Breaking covenant often begins with the turning of the heart. When the people no longer regarded God as their only satisfaction, they turned to other gods and burned incense before Baal and various idols. Today, we may not worship visible wood carvings or stone images, but the things that occupy our thoughts and intentions and take away our love for God—wealth, fame, the desire for control, or our personal comfort zone—are the false gods in our lives. Breaking covenant is not only an error in behavior, but also a betrayal of the first love. The Scripture mentions that “according to the number of your cities are your gods, Judah” (cf. Jeremiah 11:13). What an ironic picture this is! When the human heart breaks covenant, life becomes enslaved by countless idols, and in the end, it loses true freedom.
“Therefore this is what the Lord says: “Behold I am bringing disaster on them which they will not be able to escape; though they will cry out to Me, yet I will not listen to them.”
(Jeremiah 11:11, NASB 2020)
“What right has My beloved in My house
When she has carried out many evil schemes?
Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster,
So that you can rejoice?”
The Lord named you
“A green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form”;
With the noise of a great tumult
He has set fire to it,
And its branches are worthless.
(Jeremiah 11:15–16, NASB 2020)
God declares the end of breaking covenant; God completely shuts the door of grace. This is because the people were sinning on one hand, while on the other hand trying to use religious rituals, such as sacrifices, as a shield from death (cf. Jeremiah 11:15). God declares that this olive tree, which was once “green” and “beautiful in fruit and form” (cf. Jeremiah 11:16), would be burned with fire because of breaking covenant. This passage seems to say that they were doing what was displeasing to God with one hand, while serving God with the other. God is the God who keeps covenant and shows lovingkindness, but He is also the righteous God. If people insist on breaking covenant, they must bear the painful price of losing God’s protection and covering.
The Israelites in the Old Testament period failed, but Jesus Christ established a new covenant for us through His own blood, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to preserve our lives in this world. Therefore, we should always examine our hearts through services, prayer, and spiritual cultivation, asking whether we are gradually compromising with the world? We should not allow our life of faith to become a mere formality. Instead, each day, through reading the Bible, we should make the life choice of “keeping covenant” and persist to a God’s holy people.
“But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer, this person will be blessed in what he does.”
(James 1:25, NASB 2020)
By Yi-Jun Ke
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