Articles
“Where are the Good Days?”
“Where are the Good Days?”
Tyler King
Many can think of a time in their life they would consider to be the “good days.” For most, the good days are likely when they were at the top of their fitness or the peak of their academics. For others, it is probably times that involved simpler lifestyles and more relaxed atmospheres. The present is seldom regarded as the good days, while the past can often flood the memory with wonderful realities. When looking at the timeline of humanity, we are reminded that we are currently living in the best time available because of our accessible relationship with God.
God spoke through Jeremiah, “The days are coming, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel, and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant though I was a husband to them.” Later in the New Testament, the Hebrew writer eloquently analyzes this very text and conveys the truth of these great days. We are living in the days of the new covenant, and we ought to consider that a blessing for three reasons:
These are good days because of a better covenant (Jer. 31:31-32)
The first covenant could not cleanse the conscience (Heb. 9:9). The weight of sin was constantly burdening the minds of those who tried to keep the law. Moreover, we now have the most perfect High Priest who can stand between us and God’s wrath (Heb. 9:11). It was through Christ that we have secured redemption and inheritance (Heb. 9:12, 15).
These are the good days because of a better knowledge (Jer. 31:33-34a)
God told the people “I will put my law in their minds and write in on their hearts… They will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest” (Jer. 31:33, 34). We are reminded by the Hebrew writer that we are to have soft hearts, not rebellious ones (Heb. 3:8). It is a soft heart that can be molded and shaped by the potter, but the hard hearts that break and shatter with any degree of effort. Because of Christ’s blood, our hearts can be cleansed and ready to be offered before God to allow Him to make us greater (Heb. 10:22).
These are the good days because of a better life (Jer. 31:34b)
When looking back at the old covenant, one can recognize how difficult everyday life was. Consider the constant sacrifices, the relentless guilt, the ritualistic tasks, the unending burden of religious leaders, and the bombardment of hatred from foreign nations. The new covenant provides a better life through God’s mercy (Heb. 9:15) and God’s forgiveness (Heb. 9:22). Gone are the days where we must remind ourselves of our guilt. If we are faithful to Him, He remains faithful to us. It is a life of peace, joy, hope, assurance, and thanksgiving. There is no better life than that of a Christian, and there is no better day to embrace than the one in the present. God comforts the people, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
