How does the Lord describe the rebuilding of the city?

In the structure of Jeremiah 31:23–40, this final passage (Jeremiah 31:38–40) speaks of the rebuilding of Jerusalem and it parallelsJeremiah 31:23–26. The Lord’s new covenant promise (Jeremiah 31:31–34) that overcomes the sinful hearts of his people (Jeremiah 31:27–30) means that his commitment to them is unshakable (Jeremiah 31:35–37). All of this means that the Lord will restore his people in the place where he dwells with them (Jeremiah 31:23–26;Jeremiah 31:38–40).

A number of features should be noted in Jeremiah’s description of the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

First, the rebuilt city will be sacred to the Lord. The same point is made with the words the city shall be rebuilt for the Lord. Not only is the city built by the Lord (see Jeremiah 31:4) but it will be built in his honour and set apart for his purposes. No mention is made here of the temple being rebuilt in Jerusalem. It is in fact notable that Jeremiah never explicitly mentions the rebuilding of the temple in his book. What is promised is that Jerusalem will be the place where the joy of worshipping the Lord is restored as they bring their thank offerings to the house of the Lord (Jeremiah 33:7–11). The presence of the temple in the rebuilt Jerusalem is certainly assumed, but Jeremiah’s focus seems to be more on the whole city being a place where the Lord is present with his people and worshipped¹.

Secondly, the rebuilt city includes areas that had previously been used to worship pagan gods. The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook of Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the Lord. This description of the south-western boundary of the city includes the valley of Ben-Hinnom². This had been the place where the people of Judah had offered their children as sacrifices and where the Lord said many bodies would be buried when the Babylonian invasion came (see Jeremiah 7:30–34). This polluted and defiled place would be sanctified and made sacred to the Lord. The Lord would make it holy and the people would no longer defile it. This transformation speaks not only of the renewal of the city, but of the people as well³.

Thirdly, the city shall not be uprooted or overthrown anymore forever. No mention is made of the building of any fortifications. This city will be kept safe because the Lord will make it 'sacred.” Never again will the sins of his people cause it to be destroyed⁴.

A final comment should be made concerning Jeremiah 31:23–40. These verses speak of the new covenant that the Lord will make, which involves the spiritual transformation of his people and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Throughout this passage the phrase the days are coming is used (Jeremiah 31:27; Jeremiah 31:31,Jeremiah 31:38). This phrase speaks of something that has already been set in motion, but will be completed at some unspecified time in the future. This points to the eschatological nature of the new covenant. Those who returned from exile would experience something of the new covenant, but a much greater fulfillment comes about with the coming of Christ. It is his death that establishes the new covenant (Luke 22:14–20) as he offers himself as the perfect sacrifice that makes the forgiveness of sin possible. It is his resurrection that inaugurates the eternal kingdom. The heart transformation promised in Jeremiah begins with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost after Christ’s ascension (Acts 2:1–47). It is also through Christ that these blessings overflow beyond the people of Israel to all the nations as the gospel is preached. The final stage of fulfilment comes when Christ returns and the new heavens and new earth replace this world of sin and rebellion and the Lord dwells with his people perfectly, as pictured by the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9–27).