MAIN POINT: God promised a new and better covenant.
KEY PASSAGE: Ezekiel 11:19-20
BIG PICTURE QUESTION: Why should we obey God? We obey God because He loves us.
Shortly after God had rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, He made a covenant with them at Mount Sinai. The terms of the covenant are found in Exodus 19. God said through Moses, “If you will listen to Me and carefully keep My covenant, you will be My own possession out of all the peoples, ... and you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation” (vv. 5-6). God’s people responded, “We will do all that the Lord has spoken.”
But the people did not do all that the Lord had spoken. The people had God’s law, but they were not able to obey Him because of the sinfulness of their hearts. God punished His people for their unfaithfulness, eventually sending the Northern Kingdom into exile. But God was faithful; He preserved two tribes, keeping His promise to establish David’s house forever.
The Israelites in Jeremiah’s day broke the covenant just like their ancestors before them. The prophet Jeremiah told about a new covenant. He prophesied about a coming day when God would forgive sin and write His law on the hearts of His people. This prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus.
Jesus did not come to get rid of the law. (See Matt. 5:17.) Through His sinless life, Jesus fulfilled the demands of the old covenant.
The new covenant promised that God would forgive sin. God forgives sin through His Son, Jesus. He changes our hearts and gives us power through His Spirit to obey His.
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