(a) What did Jeremiah and Ezekiel teach about the New Covenant ? (b) In what ways has our society deviated from this teaching?

(a) The teaching of Jeremiah and Ezekiel on the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:24-28; 11:19-20)

Jeremiah's teaching:

• The Lord promised, Behold, the days are coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
• It would not be like the old covenant made at the Exodus, which they broke, though the Lord was a husband to them.
• Under the new covenant God would put His law within them and write it on their hearts, so that obedience would spring from an inward change rather than external commands on tablets of stone.
• He would be their God and they would be His people.
• They would all know the Lord personally, from the least to the greatest, so that no one would need to teach his neighbour to know Him.
• God would forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.

Ezekiel's teaching:

• God promised to gather His people from the nations and bring them back to their own land.
• He would sprinkle clean water on them to cleanse them from all their uncleanness and idols.
• He would give them a new heart and put a new spirit within them, removing the heart of stone and giving a heart of flesh.
• He would put His own Spirit within them and cause them to walk in His statutes and obey His rules.
• Then they would be His people and He would be their God, dwelling in a renewed relationship of obedience and holiness.

(b) Ways our society has deviated from this teaching

1. Widespread disobedience to God's laws, with many living in sin, injustice and immorality despite outward religion.
2. Idolatry in the form of love of money, materialism and worship of pleasure, wealth and power in place of God.
3. Formal, heartless religion, keeping outward ceremonies while the heart remains unchanged, contrary to the inward law God desires.
4. Lack of true knowledge of God, so that many claim His name yet neither know Him nor obey Him.
5. Unforgiveness, hatred and division among people, instead of the reconciled, holy community the covenant envisions.