Heart of the Matter

The Bible details several covenants that God made with His followers. A covenant is a coming together or agreement between two parties – God and His people. They agree to fulfill certain commitments and requirements, in exchange for specific privileges or consequences. God made covenants with Adam (Genesis 3:15), Noah (Genesis 9:8-17), Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3), Moses (Deuteronomy 11:26-28), Israel (Leviticus 26:1-13) and David (2 Samuel 7:8-16).

The high point in the book of Jeremiah is when God announces His “new” covenant with His people. The Hebrew word for “new” is chadash. It means “to renew, repair, restore.” The new covenant did not replace the earlier covenants, it renews and restores them. Restoration was needed because Israel had broken the earlier covenant God made with them (Leviticus 26:1-3).

Why would God expect that Israel would be able to fulfill the new covenant when they had repeatedly and willfully violated the earlier covenant? Because He was going to empower them by giving them a new heart and a new Spirit.

In Ezekiel 36:26-28 God promises, “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”

Just as the hard drive of a computer comes preloaded with its operating system, the new heart will contain God’s operating system for believers – His law. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares Yehovah, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (Jeremiah 31:33)

Yehovah had previously commanded His people to put His law on their heart, “Place on your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 32:46). They failed to do this which resulted in them breaking His covenant.

Having the law written on our hearts enables us to obey it, “It is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified…in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts” (Romans 12:13-15).

In Psalm 37 David describes the behavior of the righteous. He attributes their obedience to “The law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip” (Psalm 37:31).

A law-filled heart results in righteousness and salvation. “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, a people in whose heart is My law; …My righteousness will be forever, and My salvation to all generations” (Isaiah 51:7-8).

A law-filled heart also prepares us for service, “I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8).