A Prophecy Fulfilled

When foretelling the new covenant, Jeremiah wrote:  "This is the covenant that i shall conclude with the house of Israel after those days," is the utterance of Jehovah. 'I will my Law within them, and in their heart I shall write it.' " (Jeremiah 31:33)  It is a characteristic of those in the new covenant that they serve Jehovah out of love.  (John 13:35; Hebrews 1:9)  Jehovah's Law is written in their heart, and they fervently desire to do his will.  True, in ancient Israel some faithful individuals loved Jehovah''s law intensely.  (Psalm 119:97) But many did not. Yet they remained part of the nation. No one can remain in the new covenant If God's law is not written in his heart.

Jehovah further said regarding those in the new covenant:  "They will become their God, and they themselves will become my people."  (Jeremiah 31:33) In ancient Israel many worshiped the gods of the nations, but they remained Israelites.  On the basis of the new covenant, Jehovah created  a spiritual nation, "the Israel of God," to replace fleshly Israel.  (Galatians 6:16; Matthew 321:43; Romans 9:6-8)  However, no one remains a part of the new covenant nation if he ceases to worship Jehovah and him alone. 

Jehovah also said: "They will all of them know me, from the least one of them even to the greatest one of them."  (Jeremiah 31:34)  In Israel, many just ignored Jehovah, saying in effect:  "Jehovah will not do good, and he will not do bad." (Zephaniah 1:12) No one remains part of the Israel of God if he ignores Jehovah or pollutes pure worship.  (Matthew 6:24; Colossians 3:5)  Spiritual Israelites are "the people who are knowing their God." (Daniel 11:32)  They delight to 'take in knowledge of the only true God and of Jesus Christ.' (John 17:3) Knowing Jesus deepens their knowledge of God since, in a unique way, Jesus "is the one that has explained [God]." -John 1:18; 14:9-11. 

Next time: Conclusion of A Prophecy Fulfilled

From the Watchtower magazine, 1998