Jeremiah 31: 31-34 “That’s right. The time is coming when I will make a brand-new covenant with Israel and Judah. It won’t be a repeat of the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took their hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant even though I did my part as their Master.” God’s Decree.
“This is the brand-new covenant that I will make with Israel when the time comes. I will put my law within them—write it on their hearts!—and be their God. And they will be my people. They will no longer go around setting up schools to teach each other about God. They’ll know me firsthand, the dull and the bright, the smart and the slow. I’ll wipe the slate clean for each of them. I’ll forget they ever sinned!” God’s Decree.
I sometimes use this passage in worship as a call to confession. I find the idea of God's new covenant being written on our heart to be very powerful. It also helps us understand why in the world God's Son would come as a human baby, instead of some godlike warrior. God's covenant with humanity grows out of God's love and makes love, not compulsion, the foundation for the covenant. Could God force us into covenantal relationship? Yes. But God chooses the path of love. Will your heart receive the God of love who comes in the Christ-child?
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