Tuesday, August 16
New covenant
Scripture: Jeremiah 31-32, Proverbs 19, Revelation 19
Jeremiah 31:33–34 “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days”—the Lord’s declaration. “I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “For I will forgive their iniquity and never again remember their sin.”
Observation
This beautiful passage is repeated in Hebrews 8 (where it is the longest OT quote in the NT!) and is fulfilled by Jesus. Hebrews makes it clear that the old covenant is obsolete and outdated, replaced by the new. This is an important distinction because many Christians still try to live under both covenants and we are living under the new, not the old.
The new is characterized by this:
- God’s law and teaching is internalized, written on our hearts as opposed to tablets of stone. This refers to the internal presence of the Spirit who leads and guides us.
- All of us will know the Lord. Relationship with God will be the norm, not the exception, experienced by all not just an elite few.
- Our sin will be forgiven and forgotten. This was made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus.
Application
Today I will live gratefully and freely in the new covenant that Jesus made possible. I will walk in the Spirit and let Him lead me. I will enjoy my relationship with God, talking with Him during the day. And I will rejoice in full forgiveness and share this good news with others.
Prayer: Lord, thanks for the new covenant and the freedom and life You brought to us. Help me today and every day live in that new relationship.