For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ~Hebrews 8:10
This is the New Covenant. This entire quote in Hebrews 8 is from Jeremiah 31. How awesome would it have been to be standing with the Israelites hearing Jeremiah proclaim these words! God spoke a lot of hope through Jeremiah – things like the famous verse from Jeremiah 29:11, “I have a plan for you,” while the Israelites were facing an impossible enemy.
In this section from Jeremiah 31 (and Hebrews 8), God is basically saying, “Look, the Old Covenant (the Law) isn’t working because it’s impossible to measure up. But I’m giving you a New Covenant; one that you still cannot meet, but the Holy Spirit will write the law on your minds and hearts. With the law on the inside, you will be able to follow me. I will be your God and you will be My people.”
The Old Covenant was based on rules. We like rules. We like knowing our limits and what to expect. People thrive when there is structure, predictability, and boundaries. That’s why we’re told in 1 Corinthians 14 that God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
But the Law was impossible to live up to. It sounds easy enough: don’t lie, kill, or covet. Keep the Sabbath. Worship God alone.
It’s that last one that gets us (which is actually the first commandment listed in Exodus 20). Worshiping God alone is hard even with the Holy Spirit’s help. How often are we swayed by a bigger pay check, or a bigger house? Sometimes those things are necessary in order to take care of a big family or a unique health situation, and sometimes God gives people extra and asks them to turn around and bless others by hosting gatherings or providing the others. But be careful not to be sold simply on the paycheck alone. Or what about the latest campaign promise that if we vote for whomever, our life will be better? We are not to put our hope in man. We’re to honor the authorities of our nation, but only God can actually follow through with the promise of peace that passes understanding.
Anything that pulls our attention away from worshiping the True God is an idol. At different points in history idols have been physical objects, but in the Gospels, Jesus says that God looks at the heart. It’s not enough just to keep our homes clear of idols; we need our hearts to be clean as well.
God knew that. And that’s why He gave us the New Covenant. “Covenant” is legal language. So is “advocate” in John 14. We are legally His, bought with Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, guaranteed eternal life by His resurrection, and sealed in the New Covenant with the Holy Spirit. Because of Christ, God has written the law on our minds and hearts, and we are His.