-34“I will put My Teaching into their inmost being and inscribe it upon their hearts. Then I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Jeremiah 31:33bThe text contains some of the most familiar words of this prophetic book. Jeremiah is speaking to the exiles in Babylon and envisioning the future that God intends for them. Through the prophet, God promises them a future, when God will “build and plant” the people in Judah and establish a “new” covenant. It is this last promise that needs some closer consideration. What about the covenant will be “new?” God does not say that there will be new commandments or teachings; the content will not change. Rather, it is how people will know the covenant that will be new. Whereas in their past, the Israelites had a tradition of a “written,” or text-based, covenant with God (though that was probably a later development), now God says that the covenant will be “written” on their hearts. There will be no need for monuments containing the commandments or for teaching others about God’s desires. All will know the covenant intuitively.How could this be possible? Certainly, children and new community members will need instruction in what the covenant requires, wouldn’t they? There is no reason to take this text literally, implying that no one will ever need a reminder about how God wants us to live.If a community structures its life together with a clear sense of accountability and acts in ways that consider the current need and possible future results, it will embody the covenant requirements. They will love God with all their being and love their neighbors as themselves; their living will “teach” the next generation. Their faith will lead them into a new future.Dr. Lisa W. DavisonJohnnie Eargle Cadieux Professor of Hebrew Bible andDirector of Formation for DOC Students Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.