NEW COVENANT |
| Jeremiah 31-33: 31“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—32not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. 33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Change in religious understanding usually means one should expect resistance. It is no surprise that the majority of Jewish people rebelled against God and Moses at Mt. Sinai. They had developed their own religious understanding while living over 430 years in Egypt. Suddenly, they were told there were new rules, new expectation. As soon as Moses was gone for around 40 days, they reverted back to their own comfortable practice of religion. This majority is no different that the majority of people in our own day who insist on creating their own religious beliefs instead of God's word. It was not easy to give up the gods that the Israelites had come to love and trust in Egypt even if they were only false idols. It is no surprise that many Jewish people had difficulty in believing that God was speaking to Moses 'eyebrow to eyebrow'. Most people do not believe in the 'miraculous' unless it is something they have experienced. Many people in our day reject the Bible as the divinely inspired word of God just as ancient Israel rejected the claim by Moses that God told him what to write. There is a wonderful lesson here for all mankind. Even when God's chosen people rebelled despite the evidence they were offered, the Lord still pursued them, hoping they would come to love Him and obey His word. They also felt the sting of God's wrath when they persisted despite His patient persistence; it was God's hope that some would finally repent of their resistance to His word and turn to Him. Despite God's faithfulness, by the time of Jeremiah, it became clear that most of Israel would never put its faith in God's word. Of course, this is true of the Gentiles today despite even further evidence given to us through Jesus and the apostles. Most people will die in their unbelief, but it will not be God's fault who has even offered His son, Jesus, so we could fellowship with Him. What a marvelous lesson from Israel as we discover that the Holy One promises His love and salvation to all those, who are humble and repentant sinners, willing to put their faith in Jesus. It was to the faithful in Israel that God made an awesome promise through Jeremiah: I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. (Ezekiel 36:26-27) Moses and the prophets wrote often about the transformation God would offer Israel. Jeremiah 18 and Ezekiel 36 are just two placed where His people were told there would be a new Covenant: something radically different would take place. God would give the humble and repentant people, who put their faith in His Messiah, a brand new heart that could love Him and seek to serve Him. The good news is that these wonderful promises of God were intended not only for Jewish people willing to accept them. They were for Gentiles also; this should not surprise anyone. God said to Abraham that he would be the father of 'many nations'. (Gen. 12:1-3) Messiah, Himself, made the announcement that He had come to introduce the covenant promised by Moses and the prophets. He announced to His disciples in 27Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” (See Matt. 26:27-29) Hard to believe? Yes, the new covenant is bound to be difficult to grasp when it is so different from the old covenant. It is always difficult for human beings to grasp the profound truths found in the word of God whether one is a Jew or Gentile. Despite this, there are millions in every generation whose lives demonstrate that they are different because of the new testament or covenant God has given mankind through Jesus. Prayer: I thank you, Holy One, that you chose to be merciful though we are poor, wretched sinners. You gave us your 'Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world', and you have paid the price for all of our sins. Almighty God, have mercy on me and cover me with the righteousness of Jesus. Continue to cleanse me each day as you transform me into a servant of Jesus Christ who joins all people of faith to become a light in the world of darkness. May many others come to know Jesus as their Savior. Amen. |
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