“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33)
In our nation these days there is a great outcry against the sin of racism. This is accompanied by a demand for equality, the acceptance of all people of all races and ethnicities as worthy of equal treatment and respect. This equality was foreseen by the prophet Jeremiah, though it was not produced by the secular government. Such human governments can work to curb and punish bad behavior and encourage good but only to a degree. Government cannot change the hearts of men. Such a change is the work of God Almighty.
Jeremiah’s words tell of a time when all peoples would be gathered into the Kingdom of God, not just Jews. Those chosen would include the disadvantaged, the weak, and the despised from all nationalities and tongues. They would be united by their tears of repentance as well as their faith in the Lord for these are the ones the Lord has redeemed. These are the ones with whom He makes a New Covenant. This covenant would be different from the Mosaic Covenant, which the people of Israel and Judah had never been able to keep.
We who have placed our faith and trust in Jesus are the beneficiaries of this New Covenant. We have done nothing to deserve or merit it. It is all God’s work. In the New Covenant, God’s Law of love is no longer external but internal marked primarily by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The Lord inscribes His Law in the heart, mind, and will. External written codes are removed as is the need for any human mediator for Jesus is the mediator. He enables us to resist temptation and walk in obedience. He helps us obey Him for He gives us His love and mercy as well as forgiveness of our sins.
All human beings need Jesus as mediator for we are all sinners, just as weak and vacillating as were the children of the Old Covenant. We are surrounded by great temptation and idolatry in the 21st Century. As we are humbled in the knowledge of our weakness we are ever aware of our need for the Lord’s help. Humility helps us to look at ourselves and our weaknesses realistically. It helps us treat our fellow Christian brethren with compassion as well as to extend mercy and kindness to all the wretched sinners still enslaved to Satan.