Jeremiah and Jesus

The Law of Moses is a shadow of the new covenant of the Gospel Jesus would usher in through His death and resurrection.  Like a living, breathing person differs from a human likeness enshrined in a wax museum, so Jesus Christ excels all prophets and rulers who preceded Him.  The Law prepared God's people to receive God's forgiveness and love they could not earn or ever deserve.

Last night I was struck with the stark contrast between the prayer and desires of the prophet Jeremiah under the covenant of Law and Jesus who instituted the new covenant in His own blood.  Consider the prayer of the prophet in Jeremiah 18:19-23:  "Give heed to me, O LORD, and listen to the voice of those who contend with me! ²⁰ Shall evil be repaid for good? For they have dug a pit for my life. Remember that I stood before You to speak good for them, to turn away Your wrath from them. ²¹ Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; let their wives become widows and bereaved of their children. Let their men be put to death, their young men be slain by the sword in battle. ²² Let a cry be heard from their houses, when You bring a troop suddenly upon them; for they have dug a pit to take me, and hidden snares for my feet. ²³ Yet, LORD, You know all their counsel which is against me, to slay me. Provide no atonement for their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from Your sight; but let them be overthrown before You. Deal thus with them in the time of Your anger."

Wow.  Under Law Jeremiah was justified in praying thus, for it followed the tenor of blessing and cursing throughout.  He was zealous for the Holy God of Israel and had bore the brunt of ungodly and wicked schemes.  Jeremiah spoke the truth and was hated for it.  He was persecuted for obedience to God and suffered great grief over their refusal to turn from their wicked ways to God.  Did not Jesus face all that Jeremiah did and more?  Men on earth and Satan contended with Him, and they schemed to murder Him.  They did not just plot wickedness but achieved their end through deceit, lies, betrayal and bribery.  Jeremiah prayed there would be no atonement for those who plotted against him, yet on the cross Jesus provided atonement for the sins of the world.  Among the words He uttered on the cross, those concerning His adversaries were brief and flavoured with love and grace in Luke 23:34:  "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."

Incredible!  Jesus knew His Father knew all things and thus had no need to explain His situation in detail.  Jeremiah desired no atonement or forgiveness of sin for those who had wronged him, but that was and is the desire of Jesus' heart.  Jesus was flogged and asked for them to be forgiven; He was crucified and killed according to their designs but breathed compassion and grace to the Father as He laid down his life for lost sinners.  The Law condemns without mercy, but the Gospel offers atonement and forgiveness by grace.  Followers of Jesus ought not to resemble Jeremiah in desiring the destruction of the wicked but to walk in agreement with the love of Christ that longs for their salvation and redemption.