For if that first covenant had been faultless, no place would have been sought for a second one. 8 But he finds fault with them and says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will conclude a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 9 It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they did not stand by my covenant and I ignored them, says the Lord. 10 But this is the covenant I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds and I will write them upon their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 11 And they shall not teach, each one his fellow citizen and kinsman, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know me, from least to greatest. 12 For I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sins no more.” 13 When he speaks of a “new” covenant, he declares the first one obsolete. And what has become obsolete and has grown old is close to disappearing.
A new covenant is needed because of the ineffectiveness of the first covenant, the covenant God made with the Israelites at Mt. Sinai when they were given the Ten Commandments (Ex. 19:3-9). The first covenant could not give the people the power to keep its laws and they were unable to remain faithful to God. Therefore, God himself announced through the oracle in Jerimiah that he would establish a new covenant (v. 8; Jer. 31:31-34). The New Covenant (Lk. 22:20) is based on the eternal priesthood of Jesus; therefore, it is a better covenant (Heb. 7:22-24). The old covenant will disappear because the new covenant was made on a better promise; “Now he has obtained so much more excellent a ministry as he is mediator of a better covenant, enacted on better promises (Heb. 8:6).”
The new covenant will be made with the Christian community – ‘the house of Israel and the house of Judah (v. 8).’ The new covenant will be an interior covenant written in their minds and on their hearts (Ez. 11:19), part of their very being, not like with the first covenant with the Israelites which was based on external teaching, and discipline by the Mosaic Law. The Christian community will be the beneficiaries of the new covenant, God’s people (Deut. 7:6). No one will need to be taught about God because everyone will instinctively know God (v. 11). God will forgive their sins thus removing the greatest barrier to keeping his covenant. The first covenant has become obsolete (v. 13)
Almighty God, you made a new covenant with us by the blood of Jesus Christ because of the love you have for us. Grant us the grace to love you in return so that the power of the new covenant may lead to righteousness. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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