Our living God Pt 15: A new covenant

Jeremiah 31:31-34                31“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.  32It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD.  33“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD.  “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.  I will be their God, and they will be my people.  34No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD.  “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

The days are coming

In these verses, God makes a remarkable promise to His people.  He tells them that "the days are coming" when He will establish a new covenant with them.  This declaration is significant because it points to a major shift in the way God will relate to His people.

During Jeremiah’s time, the people of Israel and Judah were struggling.  They had repeatedly broken the covenant that God had made with them at Mount Sinai.  This covenant, often called the Old Covenant, was based on the Law given to Moses, which required the people to obey God's commandments in order to receive His blessings.  However, history showed that the Israelites failed to keep their end of the agreement.  Time and again, they turned away from God, worshiping other gods and disobeying His laws.  Because of this, they suffered consequences, including exile and oppression from foreign nations.

But in this passage, God offers hope.  He promises that a new covenant is coming—one that will not be like the old one.  This is a message of restoration and renewal.  Despite their past failures, God is not giving up on His people.  He is preparing something better which  will transform their relationship with Him forever.

I was a husband to them

God describes His relationship with Israel using the imagery of marriage.  He says, “I was a husband to them.” This metaphor is powerful because marriage is meant to be a bond of love, faithfulness, and commitment.  In the Old Covenant, God was like a devoted husband who cared for, provided for, and protected His people.  However, Israel was like an unfaithful spouse.  Repeatedly, they turned their backs on God, breaking the covenant and seeking after other gods.

Throughout the Bible, we see examples of Israel’s unfaithfulness.  They worshiped idols, ignored God's commands, and often relied on political alliances instead of trusting in Him.  Yet, despite their betrayal, God remained faithful.  Even when they faced exile and punishment, He never abandoned them completely.  His love for them endured.

By saying, “I was a husband to them,” God reminds His people of His deep love and commitment.  But He also acknowledges that the old way of doing things was not working.  Just as a broken marriage cannot continue without change, God saw that the relationship between Him and His people needed a transformation.  The new covenant He promises is His way of rebuilding that relationship in a way that will last.

In their minds and on their hearts

One of the most striking promises in this passage is that under the new covenant, God’s law will be written “in their minds and on their hearts.”  This is a major difference from the Old Covenant, where the law was given on stone tablets and written in scrolls.  Under that system, people had to learn God’s commands and strive to follow them.  But mostly they followed the rules outwardly without genuinely loving God in their hearts.  Their obedience was often motivated by fear or duty rather than genuine love and devotion.

In the new covenant, God promises something different.  Instead of His laws being external rules, they will become part of the people’s very being.  This means that they will no longer follow God just because they are supposed to but because they want to.  Their love for Him will be real, not forced.

This change happens through an internal transformation.  Instead of trying to obey God through sheer willpower, His people will have His Spirit guiding them from within.  This is what makes the new covenant so powerful.  It is not just about following laws—it is about having a personal relationship with God, where His ways become a natural part of who we are.

This promise finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.  Through His death and resurrection, He established the new covenant, making it possible for people to be changed from the inside out.  When someone believes in Jesus, they receive the Holy Spirit, who helps them understand and follow God’s ways.  This is a relationship built on love, not just rules.

Remember their sins no more

One of the most comforting promises in this passage is that under the new covenant, God will “remember their sins no more.” This does not mean that God somehow forgets things like humans do.  Instead, it means that He will no longer hold people’s sins against them.

In the Old Testament, sin required sacrifices.  The people had to bring offerings to the temple to atone for their wrongdoings.  However, these sacrifices had to be repeated over and over again because they could never completely remove sin.  They only served as a temporary covering.

But under the new covenant, Jesus became the perfect sacrifice.  When He died on the cross, He took the punishment for all sins...past, present, and future.  Because of his sacrifice, those who trust in Him are completely forgiven.  Their sins are not just covered but erased in God’s eyes.

This is an incredible gift.  People often struggle with guilt and regret over their past mistakes.  But God’s promise in this passage assures us that through Jesus, we can be completely cleansed.  We do not have to live in shame.  Instead, we can live in the freedom of knowing that we are fully accepted and loved by God.

This also changes how we relate to others.  Since God has shown us such great mercy, we are called to extend that same mercy to others.  When we understand how much we have been forgiven, it becomes easier to forgive those who have wronged us.

What about me?

Jesus said we should love the LORD our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (the greatest commandment).  This was almost completely unheard of in those days because everything was based in obedience to external rules.  In much the same way, the secular modern world bases everything on ‘what is right for me.’ 

But, believer, I hope this attitude does not apply to you.  If you take this passage to heart and realize that God wants personal relationship with you through his Son, then everything will change for you.  Freedom from obedience to rules through relationship takes the pressure off; repentance is easier; desiring that your life please God becomes the raison d’etre.  Please, make it so.