"a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit"         (James 2:15-16 NKJV)

New Covenant

31 "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah- 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (Jeremiah 31: 31-34)

Interpretations are: (Jeremiah 31: 31-34)

31:31 days are coming: In Jeremiah, this phrase usually introduces a special occasion of divine intervention in history. new covenant: As contrasted with the Mosaic and Deuteronomic covenant. house of Israel . . . house of Judah: According to 11:10, both kingdoms had broken God's covenant by rejecting His words and by worshiping other gods.

31:32 The old covenant demanded adherence to stipulations (see Ex. 19:1) which the people were unable to keep. Above all other commandments, the people were commanded to love and serve God and abandon all others (see Ex. 23:33; Deut. 6:4, 5). This they did not do. fathers: From the wilderness period (see Ex. 32:1; Num. 25:1) until the days of Manasseh, the history of Israel was permeated with idolatrous activity, only occasionally broken by periods of true faithfulness to God. The people seemed incapable of acting in sustained obedience to the covenant. husband: As Hosea was to Gomer, the Lord had been a faithful and devoted husband to Israel.

31:33 I will make: The new covenant would be initiated by God Himself, assuring its effectiveness. after those days: This expression looks forward to the time of fulfillment of the new covenant, which found fruition in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. put My law in their minds . . . write it on their hearts: Together the mind and heart describe the total inner motivations of mind, will, emotion, and spirit.

31:34 No more shall every man teach: No longer would intermediaries like priests or prophets be needed to show the people how to know the Lord. From youngest to oldest, from peasant farmer to kings and princes, all would know God. Knowledge of God is a major theme of Jeremiah (2:8; 4:22; 5:4; 8:7) as well as of other prophets (see Hos. 5:4). This knowledge is an intimate relationship with God evidenced by faith, obedience, and devotion. God will forgive and will purposefully not remember the sin and iniquity of His people who come to Him in repentance and faith. Jesus the Messiah fulfilled this promised New Covenant through His work on the cross (see Matt. 26:26; Mark 14:22; 1 Cor. 11:25).