Jeremiah 11:1-5: a reflection

1The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2“Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 3and say to them, the LORD, the God of Israel says: ‘Cursed is the man who doesn’t hear the words of this covenant, 4which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron furnace,’ saying, ‘Obey my voice and do them, according to all which I command you; so you shall be my people, and I will be your God; 5that I may establish the oath which I swore to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as it is today.” Then I answered, and said, “Amen, LORD.”

God calls Jeremiah to remind the people of the covenant, and at its heart is a simple, weighty exchange: Obey my voice and do all that I command you, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. This is the covenant relationship: God binding himself to be their God, and they to be his people, walking in obedience to him. And notice Jeremiah's response to hearing this word: he says simply, Amen, LORD, affirming and agreeing with God's word.

Notice two things: the heart of the covenant, and Jeremiah's Amen. The heart of the covenant is the relationship of belonging: you shall be my people, and I will be your God. God binds himself to his people, and calls them to be his, walking in obedience. And Jeremiah's response to hearing God's word is a simple, wholehearted Amen, LORD, agreeing with God's word, affirming it, saying yes to it. He does not argue or resist; he says Amen, so let it be, affirming God's word as good and right.

Both are worth taking to heart. The heart of our relationship with God is the same belonging: through Christ, God is our God, and we are his people, called to walk in obedience to him. And Jeremiah's Amen models the response we should give to God's word: not argument or resistance, but a wholehearted Amen, agreeing with it, affirming it, saying yes to it. When you hear God's word, do you respond with an Amen, agreeing and affirming, or with resistance and argument? Say Amen to God's word, as Jeremiah did; affirm it as good and right, agreeing with it wholeheartedly, rather than arguing or resisting. And rest in the covenant relationship God offers: to be your God, and to make you his people, as you walk with him. Say Amen to God's word and his covenant, affirming and embracing what he says, as Jeremiah said Amen, LORD, to the covenant of belonging God set before his people.

Lord, you called Jeremiah to remind the people of the covenant, and at its heart was a simple, weighty exchange: obey my voice and do all that I command you, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God; and Jeremiah responded simply, Amen, LORD. Show me both the heart of the covenant, and his Amen. The heart of the covenant is the relationship of belonging: you shall be my people, and I will be your God. You bind yourself to your people, and call them to be yours, walking in obedience. And Jeremiah's response to your word was a wholehearted Amen, agreeing with it, affirming it, saying yes to it, rather than arguing or resisting. Help me take both to heart. The heart of my relationship with you is the same belonging: through Christ, you are my God, and I am your people, called to walk in obedience. And Jeremiah's Amen models the response I should give to your word: not argument or resistance, but a wholehearted Amen. When I hear your word, do I respond with an Amen, agreeing and affirming, or with resistance and argument? Help me say Amen to your word, as Jeremiah did; help me affirm it as good and right, agreeing with it wholeheartedly. And help me rest in the covenant relationship you offer: to be my God, and to make me your people, Lord, as I walk with you. Help me say Amen to your word and your covenant.