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Jeremiah 31:33-34 - The New Covenant: God's Law In Our Mind and Heart.

Jeremiah 31:33-34 (NIV) "This is the 
covenant I will make with the people of Israel after 
that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law 
in their minds and write it on their hearts. I 
will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 
No longer will they teach their neighbor, or 
say to anyone, 'Know the LORD,' because they 
will all know me, from the least of them to the 
greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their 
wickedness and will remember their sins no more." 

INTRODUCTION

The old covenant, broken by the people, 
would be replaced by a new covenant... It offers a 
unique personal relationship with God himself, with 
his laws written on individuals' hearts instead 
of on stone. Jeremiah looked forward to the day 
when Jesus would come to establish this covenant. 
But for us today, this covenant is here. We have 
the wonderful opportunity to make a fresh start 
and establish a permanent, personal relationship 
with God (29:11; 32:38-40). [Life Application 
SB] 

God would write his law on their hearts 
rather than on tablets of stone, as he did the Ten 
Commandments. In 17:1 their sin was engraved on their 
hearts so that they wanted above all to disobey. 
This change seems to describe an experience very 
much like the new birth, with God taking the 
initiative. When we turn our lives over to God, he, by 
his Holy Spirit, builds into us the desire to 
obey him. [Life Application SB] 

The same law that was engraved upon the 
tables of stone is written by the Holy Spirit upon 
the tables of the heart. Instead of going about 
to establish our own righteousness we accept 
the righteousness of Christ. His blood atones 
for our sins. His obedience is accepted for us. 
Then the heart renewed by the Holy Spirit will 
bring forth "the fruits of the Spirit." Through 
the grace of Christ we shall live in obedience 
to the law of God written upon our hearts. 
Having the Spirit of Christ, we shall walk even as 
He walked. PP370-2 

COMMENTARY PEARL

Hardwired For Happiness
   We have the desire for happiness deeply 
ingrained within us. In other words, God has hardwired 
us to be happy. So where do we find this 
happiness? 
   We wont find it is in this world, 
because the world bases happiness on how well things 
are going. If things are going reasonably well, 
then were happy. If things are not going so 
well, then were unhappy. 
   When you obtain everything, when you have 
all your dreams fulfilled, when you reach all 
your goals and maybe surpass them, you find how 
empty it is. And then you realize that happiness 
isnt in those things at all. 
   I think in many cases, the people you 
follow on social media and those you admire or look 
up to may have a far more miserable life than 
you have. 
   One Gallup study on the subject of 
happiness found that spiritually committed people are 
twice as likely to report being very happy than 
the least spiritually committed people. 
   Ill take that a step further: Godly 
people will be the happiest people. As the Bible 
says, Happy are the people whose God is the 
Lord! (Psalm 144:15 NKJV). 
   C. S. Lewis put it this way: God 
designed the human machine to run on Himself. He 
Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to 
burn, or the food our spirits were designed to 
feed on. There is no other. That is why it is 
just no good asking God to make us happy in our 
own way  God cannot give us a happiness and 
peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. 
There is no such thing. 
   The more we chase after the Lord, the 
more godly well become - and the more well 
find the happiness that has eluded us for so 
long. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries; 
https://www.harvestdaily.com re Psalm 144:15] 

COMMENTARY

Knowing God
   In the days of the prophet Jeremiah, God 
refused to break the covenant He had made with His 
people. Despite His steadfast love, though, God's 
people continued to sin. This presented a problem: 
how could God fulfill the promises He had made 
to bless His people when they continually 
demonstrated their unfaithfulness to Him? 
   As a part of His great plan, God pledged 
a new covenant - a work of inner re-creation. 
As the theologian Alec Motyer writes, "When his 
people could not rise to the height of his 
standards, the Lord does not lower his standards to 
match their ability, he transforms his people." 
   This new covenant is the purpose and 
promise of God to regenerate hearts through the 
blood of the Lord Jesus. He takes our hearts and 
He makes them the perfect shape - like fitting 
a piece in a jigsaw puzzle - so that His law 
becomes a delight to us. 
   In God's declaration of this new 
covenant, the verb "know" is key. In the original 
Hebrew, its meaning is clear from the very beginning 
in Genesis: the straightforward statement that 
Adam "knew" his wife and they bore children 
(Genesis 4:1) demonstrates the level of intimacy it 
conveys. God is saying that when His people come to 
an understanding of His love, they won't simply 
be doing Bible studies at arm's length; they'll 
be people who truly know Him. 
   What Jeremiah spoke of in the future 
tense, we are able to enjoy in the present; for in 
between his prophecy and our time, the Lord Jesus 
held up a cup of wine the night before He died 
and announced, "This cup that is poured out for 
you is the new covenant in my blood" (Luke 
22:20). By God's grace, you and I may know the King 
of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Not only this, 
but He also knows each of our names, 
individually; and He knows our needs and is committed to 
our well-being. Jesus bears our names before the 
Father - and because of all He is and all He's 
done, those names are written in the Book of 
Life. 
   What kind of King is this? The answer is 
beyond our ability to fully comprehend. Someday, we 
will see Him face-to-face and understand far more 
than we do today. But still, today you can go 
about with the confidence that comes from knowing 
that you know the God who redeemed you through 
His Son, who dwells in and works in you by His 
Spirit, and in whose throne room you will one day 
stand. [Truth for Life by Alistair Begg] 

CLOSING THOUGHT

Who Says We Cant Change?
   Heres some good news. You arent 
stuck with todays personality. You arent 
condemned to grumpydom. You are tweak-able! So 
what if you were born a bigot? You dont have 
to die one. 
   Where did we get the idea we cant 
change? Where do statements come from such as, 
Its just my nature to worry, or  Ill 
always be pessimistic. Im just that way. Or, 
I have a bad temper. I cant help the way I 
react? Who says? Would we say, its just my 
nature to have a broken leg. I cant do anything 
about it. Of course not. If our body 
malfunctions, we seek help. Shouldnt we do the same 
with our hearts? Cant we seek aid for our sour 
attitudes? Of course we can. Jesus can change our 
hearts! He wants us to have a heart like his! [Max 
Lucado Daily Devotional at maxlucado.com] 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC

John 17:3 - A Supreme Relationship with 
Jesus Christ is Eternal Life. 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2018/20180823-1030.html 

Jeremiah 31:33, 34 - The New Covenant: God's 
Law In Our Minds. 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2005/20050725-1103.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Most Important Decision in Life: 
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0 

A Man without Equal by Bill Bright: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo 

Steps to Peace by Billy Graham: 
https://stepstopeace.org/ 

Seeking God Made Real: 
http://vimeo.com/31489782 

Prayer Made Real: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE 

LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES 

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: 
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/ 

Amazing Facts Bible Studies: 
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx  

Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study 
Guides: 
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover 

Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: 
http://www.bibleresearch.info/ 

LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS

Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of 
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible 

Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug 
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/  

Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW: 
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens 

Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657  

Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The 
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE