Jeremiah 32:39-40 - Words of the Bible - One Heart and One Way | Speak His Word Only
Jeremiah 32:39–40 KJV
“And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:
And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.”
Opening Summary
Jeremiah 32:39–40 is a beautiful promise of restoration, covenant faithfulness, inward transformation, and God's preserving grace.
Israel and Judah had repeatedly turned away from God. Their history demonstrated that external commandments alone did not change the human heart. Yet in the middle of judgment and impending national disaster, God announced what He Himself would do.
Notice the repeated words:
“I will give...”
“I will make...”
“I will not turn away...”
“I will put...”
The passage emphasizes God's initiative.
God promises to work within His people so that their relationship with Him will not merely consist of external religious observance. He promises one heart, one way, an everlasting covenant, and His fear placed within their hearts.
“I Will Give Them One Heart”
God declares:
“I will give them one heart.”
This speaks of an inward unity of purpose and devotion toward God.
Israel's problem had repeatedly been a divided heart.
They worshipped the LORD while being tempted by the gods of surrounding nations. Their allegiance became divided.
But God promises something different:
one heart.
A heart centered upon Him.
A heart no longer constantly pulled between competing loyalties.
David expressed a similar desire:
“Unite my heart to fear thy name.”
— Psalm 86:11 KJV
A divided heart says:
“I want God, but I also want what draws me away from God.”
A united heart says:
“My heart belongs to the LORD.”
“And One Way”
God continues:
“and one way.”
Biblically, a way often represents the direction or manner of one's life.
God was not merely promising that His people would think differently.
Their changed hearts would produce a changed walk.
The heart and the way belong together.
One heart produces one direction.
God's work within His people is intended to become visible through the way they live.
This principle appears throughout Scripture.
God changes the inner person, and that inward transformation produces outward fruit.
“That They May Fear Me for Ever”
The fear of the LORD in this passage should not simply be understood as terror.
It includes reverence, awe, honor, submission, and a serious recognition of who God is.
When we truly fear God, we do not treat Him casually.
We recognize His holiness.
We respect His authority.
We value His Word.
We desire to obey Him.
This kind of fear does not drive the believer away from God.
According to this passage, it helps keep God's people near Him.
“For the Good of Them”
God says this fear will be:
“for the good of them.”
This is important.
Sometimes people view God's commandments and correction as though God were attempting to deprive them of something good.
But Scripture repeatedly presents obedience to God as being connected with the good of His people.
God knows where rebellion leads.
God knows what sin destroys.
God knows what idolatry produces.
Therefore, His instructions are not given because He desires our destruction.
They are given because He knows what leads to life.
“And of Their Children After Them”
Once again, Scripture brings us back to generational responsibility.
This connects beautifully with Deuteronomy 6.
God told Israel:
“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children...”
— Deuteronomy 6:7 KJV
Jeremiah now speaks about God's work being:
“for the good of them, and of their children after them.”
Our walk with God affects more than ourselves.
Children watch.
Grandchildren watch.
Future generations inherit the consequences of decisions made before they were born.
This does not mean children automatically inherit their parents' faith. Each person must respond to God.
But a household in which God is honored provides a powerful spiritual heritage for the generations that follow.
“I Will Make an Everlasting Covenant With Them”
Verse 40 moves directly into covenant language:
“And I will make an everlasting covenant with them.”
Jeremiah has already been preparing us for the great promise that appears in Jeremiah 31:
“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant...”
— Jeremiah 31:31 KJV
Jeremiah 31:33 adds:
“I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts...”
Notice the connection.
Jeremiah 31:
God's law written upon the heart.
Jeremiah 32:
God's fear placed within the heart.
The covenant work God promised would reach deeper than outward regulation.
God would work within His people.
“I Will Not Turn Away From Them”
This is a remarkable promise:
“that I will not turn away from them, to do them good.”
Israel's history contained repeated cycles:
God blessed.
The people wandered.
God corrected them.
They cried unto Him.
God restored them.
Then they wandered again.
Yet God speaks of an everlasting covenant in which His covenant purpose toward His people remains steadfast.
The security of this promise rests first upon God's faithfulness.
God says:
“I will not turn away from them.”
“To Do Them Good”
Again, God emphasizes His goodness.
He does not merely say:
“I will not turn away from them.”
He adds:
“to do them good.”
God's covenant purpose is not simply restraint from judgment.
There is positive goodness.
He desires restoration.
He desires relationship.
He desires faithfulness.
He desires His people to walk with Him.
“I Will Put My Fear in Their Hearts”
This may be the central statement of the passage.
Earlier God said:
“that they may fear me.”
Now He explains how:
“I will put my fear in their hearts.”
God is promising an internal work.
This is much deeper than external religious behavior.
A person can appear religious outwardly while having little reverence for God inwardly.
God promises something that reaches the heart.
This connects with Ezekiel's promise:
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you...”
— Ezekiel 36:26 KJV
God's redemptive purpose involves transforming people from within.
The Fear of God Is Placed in the Heart
Notice where God places His fear.
Not merely:
upon stone.
Not merely:
upon a scroll.
Not merely:
upon the lips.
But:
“in their hearts.”
This is inward transformation.
God desires more than people who know religious vocabulary.
He desires hearts that reverence Him.
When the fear of God resides in the heart, it affects decisions even when nobody else is watching.
You begin asking:
Does this please God?
Does this honor God?
Is this consistent with His Word?
Would this draw me closer to Him or farther away?
That is the fruit of a heart becoming conscious of God.
“That They Shall Not Depart From Me”
This statement reveals the purpose of God's inward work.
God puts His fear within their hearts:
“that they shall not depart from me.”
The fear of the LORD therefore functions as a preserving influence.
It draws God's people toward continued faithfulness.
This is very different from a merely external religion that says:
“How much can I get away with?”
A heart that fears God asks:
“How can I remain faithful to Him?”
The goal is not merely avoiding punishment.
The goal is remaining with God.
A Powerful Connection to Deuteronomy
This passage beautifully connects with the chapters we have been studying.
Deuteronomy 6 commands:
Love the LORD with all your heart.
Deuteronomy 13 warns:
Do not allow anyone to entice you away from Him.
Deuteronomy 18 teaches:
Discern what is truly spoken by God.
Jeremiah 32 reveals something deeper:
God Himself promises to work within the hearts of His people so that they will not depart from Him.
What God commanded under the covenant points toward the necessity of an inward work of grace.
The human heart needs more than information.
The heart needs transformation.
From External Commandment to Internal Transformation
This is one of the great themes running through Scripture.
God's Word tells us what is righteous.
But humanity's problem is deeper than simply not knowing what is right.
The heart itself must be changed.
Therefore God promises:
“I will give them one heart.”
“I will put my fear in their hearts.”
Jeremiah 31 says:
“I will put my law in their inward parts.”
Ezekiel 36 says:
“A new heart also will I give you.”
These promises point toward God's redemptive work under the New Covenant, established through Jesus Christ.
God does not merely call people to walk differently.
He works within them so that a different walk becomes possible.
Personal Application
Jeremiah 32:39–40 gives us several important questions to consider.
Is my heart divided, or am I becoming single-hearted toward God?
Do I fear God only because of consequences, or do I reverence Him because I know who He is?
Is my Christianity merely external, or is God's Word transforming my heart?
Are my decisions establishing a godly heritage for those coming after me?
Do I desire simply God's blessings, or do I desire to remain close to God Himself?
There is also great encouragement here.
God is not merely standing at a distance commanding His people to change themselves.
He says:
“I will give.”
“I will make.”
“I will put.”
God works upon the heart.
Therefore our prayer can become:
Lord, unite my heart.
Give me one way.
Put Your fear within me.
Keep my heart from wandering.
Teach me to remain faithful to You.
Jeremiah 32:39–40 reveals the heart of God's covenant promise:
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