Journey Through The Bible
     Old Testament Reading: 2 Kings 4-7
     New Testament Reading: Hebrews 8

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And each person will not teach his fellow citizen, and each his brother or sister, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them. For I will forgive their wrongdoing, and I will never again remember their sins (Hebrews 8:10-12).

God’s first Covenant with Israel, given through Moses, was not corrupt, it was just insufficient. The Old Covenant reflected the righteousness of God, but it could not produce righteousness in the Believer’s life. It told what man must do to live up to the righteousness of God. (Something impossible to do.) The New Covenant tells what God will do. (Notice the repetition of the words I will.)

God will put His laws into their minds so that they will know them and write them on their hearts so that they will love them. They will want to obey, not through fear of punishment, but through love for Him. The laws will no longer be written in stone, but on the fleshly tables of the heart.

I will be their God, and they will be my people. The Old Covenant told people to stand at a distance, in the temple courts and divided by a curtain from the Holy of Holies, where God’s presence appeared. God’s grace in the New Covenant calls man to come near.

And each person will not teach his fellow citizen, and each his brother or sister, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them (v11) is a quotation of Jeremiah 31:34 It refers to that day when Israel shall rejoice in the promised kingdom. On that day, there will be no need to share the Gospel with others because everyone will know the Lord personally. Until then, it is our privilege and responsibility to share the Gospel message with a lost world. The future promised kingdom also provides hope for us today in our daily struggles as we look forward with joy to that glorious day awaiting us.

Best of all, because of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice, the New Covenant promises God doesn’t just forgive sins, he remembers them no more. Certainly, our all-knowing God doesn’t actually forget anything. If He did, He would cease to be God! I will never again remember their sins (v12) implies that while God can recall our sin, He will no longer hold our sins against us. He deals with us based on grace and mercy and no longer by law and merit, as with the Old Covenant.

The Old Covenant could not deal effectively with sins. It provided for the atonement (a covering) of sins but not for their removal. In the New Covenant, once God has forgiven our sin, the matter is never brought before us again, and we must no longer feel guilty for sins that God forgave. The matter is settled for all eternity!