A Covenant Written on the Heart - by Stephen Blankenship

Verse of the Month Scripture Reference: Jeremiah 31:33
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”  — Jeremiah 31:33 (ESV)

Jeremiah’s prophecy comes at one of the lowest points in Israel’s history. Babylon’s armies have overrun Jerusalem, the temple is in ruins, and many of God’s people are in exile. The covenant God made at Mount Sinai — with its commandments carved on stone tablets — had been repeatedly broken. Israel had turned to idols, neglected justice, and abandoned God’s ways.

Yet right in the middle of this national crisis, Jeremiah delivers an extraordinary message of hope. God is not done with His people. In fact, He promises something radically new — a covenant unlike the one they failed to keep.

The Heart of the New Covenant

The covenant Jeremiah describes is not simply a new set of rules. It is a transformation of the inner life:

•Internal Law — “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.” No longer will God’s commands be only external words on stone; they will be etched into the deepest parts of His people.

•Personal Relationship — “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” This is covenant language — a binding, intimate relationship in which God claims His people and they belong fully to Him.

•Unbreakable Bond — Unlike the old covenant, which the people shattered through disobedience, this new covenant is sustained by God’s own power to change hearts.

This idea isn’t brand-new in the Bible. Earlier, in Deuteronomy 30:6, God promised to “circumcise your heart” so His people could love Him fully. But Jeremiah gives the most explicit vision of this coming transformation.

Fulfillment in the New Testament

Centuries later, the author of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah 31 almost word-for-word (Hebrews 8:8–12; 10:16–17) to explain the work of Jesus Christ.

Let’s look at how this is connected:
•The Old Covenant was temporary — Hebrews 8:7 says the first covenant was not faultless because the people couldn’t keep it.
•The New Covenant is internal — God’s law is written on minds and hearts, a work of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:3).
•Direct access to God — All God’s people can know Him personally, without a human mediator other than Christ.
•Forgiveness as the foundation — Hebrews 10:17 emphasizes, “I will remember their sins no more.” Forgiveness makes the inward change possible.

In the New Testament, Jesus calls His death “the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20). By His sacrifice, He not only forgives sin but transforms the heart so we can love and obey God from within.

Why It Matters Today

Jeremiah 31:33 isn’t just an ancient promise; it’s an invitation into a living reality. God doesn’t ask us to follow Him by sheer willpower. He gives us a new heart, fills us with His Spirit, and enables us to live in a relationship of love and trust.

The shift from law on stone to law in the heart is the difference between external compliance and inward joy. It’s the difference between religion as a burden and faith as life itself.

Jeremiah foresaw a covenant that would change everything — from the inside out. Hebrews tells us this covenant has come in Christ. And for everyone who belongs to Him, the words still hold true: “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”  — Jeremiah 31:33 (ESV)

At Glory Fellowship Jeremiah 31:33 is our corporate scripture memory verse of the month.
For more on this verse and the Book of Jeremiah you can follow the sermon series on our Glory Website on in our Glory App.

This has been a Verse of the Month (VOM) Quicktake.  #vomquicktake #vom #foroursake