It's Inside

Jeremiah 31:27-34

For those unfamiliar with the lectionary it's a weekly grouping of passages some churches or pastors use in planning their services and sermons, bible studies, or Sunday schools. There is almost always a passage from the Psalms and the Epistles as well as verses from both the Old and New Testament. These passages are normally read together to formulate a theme, if you will, which the church can focus on to guide their lives for the week.

For the purpose of this writing (and the others) I read them one day at a time in order to not be influenced in my personal reflections for the day. For that reason I am always surprised when I find a connection as obvious as the one I found today.

Yesterday I talked about the Psalm being one of praise and thanksgiving for the Mosaic laws passed down from generation to generation among the Hebrew people. I also mentioned that there was no mention of a written law, therefore implying to me that the Psalm's author was talking about the relationship between God and God's people that the law brings.

Today's passage has Jeremiah making the promise on God's behalf that one day all people will live together. Jeremiah is speaking to a divided people, in a divided land, banished from all they know and having all they own taken away. Yet, God makes the promise that Judah and Israel will once again be united and all of its people and animals will be returned - all things will once again have God's people living in peace and prosperity.

Then Jeremiah sends this message from God: I will bring a new covenant to the people of Israel and Judah. A new covenant, a new law, a new witness, a new promise, a new precept.

God says the new covenant will be this: "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." The promise isn't that God will write a new law in a book for all people to follow for all time. The precept is that all people will know who God is because they will know God's law in their hearts.

To put it another way - we will know what is God's way because it will feel right. God understood that the law was getting in the way of God's intention for creation. God saw that some people were using the law in such a way as to separate relationships between God, each other, themselves, and creation. God saw all this and, in the story as told by the Hebrew people, allowed God's people to become physically divided from God and each other in the hopes they will understand we all need one another.

But, not to worry, because one day we will be united. Such is the promise given to us from God.

This new covenant is a precept from God to know God in your hearts, and not to know God from laws which force others to live on the outside. Instead, God wants to bring everyone inside the unconditional acceptance which God intends for all people to live. Let God in, and live with God inside you.