Old and New Testament Parallels

28 Aug

Jeremiah 29:11-13 was a message to the Children of Israel, but it carries over to us, as well, to the New Testament Church: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall you call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And you shall seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, says the LORD, and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, says the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.”

The continuum of God’s dealings with Israel in this passage starts with His Sovereignty and they mirror the spiritual journey of His Church today:

God knows His plans. His thoughts for His people are not evil, but ultimately good and accomplishing His will for His people: “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace” (James 3:17-18).
When His people call upon and pray to God, He will answer: “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asks receives, and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened” (Luke 11:9-10).
Out of the prayers of His people come a sincere search for God that is rewarded by His being found, His revealing Himself to those who search with all their hearts. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).
God will ultimately gather us together from wherever we are in the world and take us to our Promised Land. For Israel, the promise was fulfilled in May of 1948. But for His Church, we are to be gathered into Heaven in the future: “That in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in Him” (Eph. 1:10)

Before salvation our captivity was in the form of the Law, which both spotlighted our thoughts and behaviors as sin and showed us our need for a Savior. Our faith in Christ connects us to the promise, not only for Jews, but also for Gentiles: “But the Scripture has concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you be Christ’s, then are you Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:22-29).

Just like the Children of Israel in captivity to Babylon, we look for a better place in our future. Whereas Israel’s Promised Land was a physical place in the Middle East, the country we seek is not an earthly country, but a Heavenly country. Hebrews 11:13-16 describes this longing in terms of a long-held desire of the Faithful of ancient times: “These all died in faith not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, being persuaded of them, they embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly. Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for He has prepared for them a [Heavenly] city.”