Jeremiah 3:16

AN OBSOLETE WATCHWORD

‘And it shall come to pass … they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord: neither shall it come to mind.’

Jeremiah 3:16

I. There was a time in Israel when the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord was the symbol of the national hopes and deliverances.—If Israel was smitten before her enemies, it was thither that the people turned for help. On one memorable occasion they brought from Shiloh the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of Hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubim, and when it came into the camp all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again; and even the Philistines were afraid. But Jeremiah says that this would never be done in the coming time. Why? Partly because the people would rely more on the spiritual presence than the material emblem, and partly because a new covenant would have been inaugurated, superseding the old.

II. In all true lives there is something of this.—We outgrow our old experiences, and get as far beyond them, as they were once beyond anything we had attained. It seems to you that you cannot look for higher heights, more heavenly experiences, or deeper insight than you have had. Beware, lest you limit God. Your highest watermark shall be overleapt when the tide comes in again.

Illustration

‘The doctrine of setting aside of ancient codes by the authority of the Inner Law is implied in many passages of Jeremiah. The superseding of the Mosaic Law is here set forth by a most expressive symbol. “The Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah” shall no longer be the watchword of Israel. The Ark and the Mosaic Torah were inseparably connected; if the Ark was to perish and be forgotten, the Law must also be annulled.’