NOTES for Jer 31:23-40
Today the prophet speaks of the future new covenant with His people. This covenant will be based on direct knowledge of the Lord, on personal faith, and on each person's personal responsibility before God.
This change of covenant from the old to the new does not happen automatically. If today we speak of ourselves as participants in the new covenant established through Jesus Christ, then unfortunately this does not mean that we have already grasped and embodied in life the New Testament principles spoken of in this prophecy of Jeremiah. Many Christians still live not by their own faith but by someone else's, saying: "I believe what the Church believes," or "Let the church leaders answer before God for all church problems." Every day we need to break through to our own heart, so that we ourselves love, believe, trust God, and take responsibility for ourselves and for our neighbors. This is incompatible with a consumer attitude toward God or toward the Church. It requires personal knowledge of God as a Person and of His will.