Verse 14
"For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: As I thought to do evil unto you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I repented not; so again have I thought in these days to do good unto Jerusalem and the house of Judah; fear ye not."
The basis of the change announced here was effectively and clearly explained by the prophet Jeremiah:
"Thus saith Jehovah, At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to break down and destroy it; if that nation concerning which I have spoken, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them."And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if they do that which is evil in my sight, that they obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them (Jeremiah 18:7-10)."
No factor of the divine providence is any more ignored or denied than is this one. All of God's promises, either for destruction or for blessing are contingent, always, invariably, and eternally contingent upon the status of the recipient with regard to the fact of whether or not he is obedient to the Lord. There are no preferred classes where this rule is suspended, not even for those who say they "believe" but do not obey the teachings of the Lord.
The purpose of these verses is to show that obedience will be the primary condition in the establishment of the New Covenant.
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