This is part 1 of a discussion of GOD’s covenants, Law, judgements, and ordinances being in and on the heart of his people. I am not a Biblical scholar, my degree is not in anything that pertains to this study. I do have several bibles and do know how to read.
I don’t know about you but my time spent in church during this lifetime has left me with a vague concept of “Old Covenant” (covenant of the written law) for the Jewish people and “New Covenant” (covenant of faith) for believers in Yeshua. The idea that goes with those concepts is that as believers in Yeshua, we are not “under” any written law, that the “New” Covenant has God’s law written on our hearts. Let’s just dig around a while in some scriptures that talk about covenants and law, etc and see what we come up with.
In the fourth chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses talks again to the Israelites about the importance of them keeping the whole law3. In his speech to them some of what he covers is:
- God’s Covenant which He declared to them, that is, the Ten Commandments and that they had been commanded to perform.1
- At the same time that His Covenant had been declared to the Israelites, Moses was commanded to teach them the statutes and judgements that they would live by in the land of Canaan that they were going to take possession of. 2
They were not to add to the word that Moses was commanding them, nor to take away from it, so that they would be keeping the commandments of GOD. To add to the word or take away from it would be changing it. They were to keep (Hebrew word H8104-shamar: watch, guard, to hedge about as with thorns) them and do (Hebrew word H6213a-asah: practice, perform, accomplish) them.4
The covenant (that is, The Ten Commandments) that GOD had made with the Israelites at Horeb was a new covenant, not the covenant of their fathers.5 That covenant (The Ten Commandments) includes these words: “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them nor serve them…”6
To do so would be to forget the covenant that GOD made with them. The result of that would be for the Israelites to be scattered among other nations and serving idols. Because they had not kept and performed the covenant (Ten Commandments) that GOD had made with them.
The previous covenant made with the Israelites’ fathers would not be forgotten by GOD though, Deut 4:29 – 31 says that GOD is a compassionate GOD, He would not abandon the Israelites, nor forget the covenant with their fathers which He swore to them. Then in verse 37 it says because He loved their fathers, He chose their descendants after them and He personally brought them from Egypt by His great power.
So when the time came that Israel forgot their covenant of GOD which He made with them and they took up the worship of Idols, they perished from the land that GOD had given them. They were scattered among the nations. But when they again sought the LORD and searched for Him with all of their heart and all of their soul GOD heard them. They returned to GOD and listened to Him. He kept His promise and did not forget the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Israelites were the beneficiaries of that covenant and also the instrument of blessing for other beneficiaries of the covenant with Abaham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Israelite nation was given the land promised to their fathers (beneficiaries) and all of the families of the earth would be blessed through them (instruments for other beneficiaries). GOD promised Abraham that his descendants would be numerous; as the stars in the sky.
This is the covenant of the Israelites fathers that GOD said He would not forget even though the Israelites sought Idols and became scattered throughout the nations.
So back to the law that Moses was teaching the Israelites prior to their occupation of Canaan. It included the covenant made with them at Horeb, that covenant being The Ten Commandments and it included ordinances and judgments to govern their daily lives. There are numerous references to their history and the law being in and/or on their heart in Deuteronomy. In these scriptures the Hebrew word that is translated into the English word “heart” is Strong’s Number H3824, lebab which the Brown-Driver-Riggs Lexicon defines as “inner man, mind, will, heart”. Let’s take a look at these scriptures and note that GOD’s law is meant to be in or on the heart of His people:
- 4:9: “Only be careful for yourself and watch over your soul diligently so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart of your heart all the days of your life…
- 4:39: “Therefore know today, and take it to your heart, that the LORD, He is GOD in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.
- 5:29 ‘If only they had such a heart in them, to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it would go well with them and with their sons forever!
- 6:5 “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
- 6:6 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
- 8:2 “And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, in order to humble you, putting you to the test, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
- 10:12-13 “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep (H8104) the LORD’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?
- 10:16 …on your fathers did the LORD set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as this day, “So circumcise your heart, and do not stiffen your neck any longer.”
- 11:13 “And it shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul,
- 11:16 “Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them.”
- 11:18 “You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall tie them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets on your forehead.
- 13:3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
- 26:16 “This day the LORD your God commands you to perform these statutes and ordinances. Therefore you shall be careful to perform them with all your heart and with all your soul.
- 28:47 “Since you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a cheerful heart, in gratitude for the abundance of all things”
- 30:2 and you return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul in accordance with everything that I am commanding you today, you and your sons,
- 30:6 “Moreover, the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul, so that you may live.
- 30:10 if you obey the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.
- 30:14 “On the contrary, the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may follow it.
- 30:17 “But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but allow yourself to be led astray and you worship other gods and serve them,
- 32:46 he said to them, “Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you will command your sons to follow carefully, all the words of this Law.
The law and covenant with the Israelites was always a matter of the heart… Continued in Part 2
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- Deut 4:13: “So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone.
- Deut 4:14: “The LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, so that you would perform them in the land where you are going over to take possession of it.
- Deut 4:8: “Or what great nation is there that has statues and judgments as righteous as this whole Law which I am setting before you today?
- Deut 4:2, 6:
- Deut 4:31, 37; 5:3
- Exodus 20:4; Deut 5:8-9
