Jeremiah 31:27-34 (NRSV)
Read Jeremiah 31:27-34 on biblegateway.com
Verse 27The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals. Verse 28And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord. Verse 29In those days they shall no longer say: "The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." Verse 30But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge. Verse 31The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Verse 32It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt-a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. Verse 33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Verse 34No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the Lord," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
Devotion
In my family we joke with one another and say, “You’ve got the curse!” if and when one of us begins to emulate the quirky idiosyncrasies of an older family member. It is like when my mom hums to herself while making bread just like my grandmother did, or when my dad stands slightly askew with his hands behind his back like my great-uncle always did, as if he was watching the corn grow. We are the recipients of the older generations’ habits – some good, some bad.
Although Israel has unfortunately (but not entirely without fault of its own) inherited the curse of life outside the generous protection of the God, who once made the nation his bride, Israel has not been forgotten. Sour grapes cause sore teeth today, but God will give sweet wine in good time. Our pain may be the curse of our own actions or those of previous generations, but God’s grace is sufficient for a future filled with hope and sweet peace.
Prayer
Loving God, teach us good habits of faithful living, that your generous gift of grace may be a constant out-pouring of sweet wine. Amen.