GOD’S NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I
made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the
land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband, says
the LORD. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it
upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no
longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know
the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,
says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no
more.” Jeremiah 31:31–34 RSV

God makes the new covenant with the house of Israel and the house
of Judah. The nations are privileged to be grafted into it, but they
were not the initial recipients. They have been joined to a covenant with
the sons of Jacob. The new covenant that Jesus mentioned during the Last
Supper is not primarily a gift to the Church, but a promise—found in the
Old Testament—made to the children of Israel.

The new covenant takes its full meaning when one sees it from the perspective
of the Mosaic covenant. God promises to provide a new way to be in
a righteous relationship with Him after His people failed to keep the law.
God doesn’t abandon His people, nor does He give up on the righteousness
of His law. He keeps both. He doesn’t replace His people, nor does
He change His desire for righteous living. God does a new thing: He provides
more resources to empower His people to walk in the righteousness
of the law before Him (Romans 8:4).

God pledges to establish a new relationship based on the foundation of
the forgiveness of sins—the work of Jesus. Having taken care of their iniquity
and broken the power of sin, He confirms that the house of Israel will
know Him from within—the work of the Holy Spirit. He guarantees that He
will write His law upon their heart and He will be their God.



PRAYER I

Our Father,

We bless Your holy name. We praise You for making a new covenant with
the house of Israel. We worship You for Your gentleness in providing all the
means for Your people to obey You. We thank you for allowing the believers
of the nations to be part of this marvelous covenant. We praise You for
establishing forgiveness as the foundation of our relationship with You. We
are not under condemnation. You have given us hope that our relationship
with You doesn’t end with our sins. We praise You for the forgiveness of
sins through the sacrifice of Your Son. We thank you for the Holy Spirit,
who enables us to live a godly life before Your eyes. Open the eyes of the
Jewish people. Let them see that the new covenant belongs to them. Let them
discover that the coming of Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the
sins, transforms everything in their relationship with You. Let them hear Jesus’
words: “Come to Me! My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.





PRAYER II

Day 13 (Day 43 of the Omer, 19 May 2023)

Verse 11 “Indeed the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the world: ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, “Surely your salvation is coming; behold, His reward is with Him and His work [many English versions use the word “recompense”] before Him.”

God of my Salvation, I revel in Your goodness and exalt Your excellence! Thank You for the New Covenant You gave to Israel, different from the covenant You made with our forefathers, but a new heart covenant in which You Yourself write the law on our hearts. Thank You that by Your New Covenant, You restore us to relationship with You, undeserving as we are.

Thank You that Your New Covenant is stupendously accessible not only to Israel, but to all nations on earth. And now, Yeshua, I ask You to inspire multitudes of Your followers to the ends of the earth to not just pray, but to proclaim to Zion that in You, Salvation is coming and Your reward is with You. Firebrand a myriad of hearts in Your Church, compelling them to speak of You -- sensitively yet boldly -- to Jewish people worldwide. Author of Truth, please break any deception off my Christian brothers and sisters that causes some to believe Jews can be saved apart from grace by faith in Yeshua. Expose this theological error, I pray. Do not allow it to cause Christian lovers of Israel to shrink from sharing the gospel with Israel. Remind Your Church that Yeshua told the Jews of His day He alone is the way, truth and life, and that no one comes to the Father but by Him. Let a new “Yes” arise in Your ekklesia to Your call to provoke Israel to jealousy for her Messiah.

Let this now include sharing -- gently but forthrightly -- the good news of salvation in You, our only Messiah. May the fire of Your love burn away any fear of the Jews, fear of offense or fear of political incorrectness. Lord of the Harvest, please send to us laborers from the nations, even as You are raising up laborers from Zion. Anoint Jewish and Gentile evangelists to co-operate and co-labor in sowing and reaping a “bumper crop” of Israeli souls. For this Your heart has long yearned. Therefore I declare, let it be so! Thank You for hearing my supplications and making them acceptable before You.

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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon