Was the Old
Covenant Only about Externals?
Several passages from both the Old and
New Testament contrast the physical requirements of the Old Covenant with the interior
transformation of the New. (See, e.g., Jer 31:33; Ezek 36:26-27; Mark 7:18-23;
2 Cor 3:3; Gal 4:3, 9; Col 2:20-23; Heb 9:9-14) Nevertheless, the Old Covenant
was only about externals. The exodus was an external divine intervention calling
for a profound interpersonal response: “I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought
you to myself. Now, if you will really listen to my voice and keep my covenant,
you will be my treasured possession among all nations” (Exod 19:4b-5a, author’s
translation). Moses clearly believed God’s saving actions ought to evoke a
heart response from the Israelites (Deut 10:16). This, indeed, is the central point
of the book of Deuteronomy, with its emphasis on “Remember!” and “Love!” (For “remember,”
see, e.g., Deut 5:15; for “love,” see especially Deut 6:5 and 10:12) The law
too is concerned with an internal response, as the commandments against
coveting indicate (Exod 20:17; Deut 5:21). Examples of an interior response
under the Mosaic covenant can also be found in prayers of the Psalmer and the experience
of the prophets (Isa 6) and martyrs (2 Macc 7). Nevertheless, although God’s
acts of salvation in the Old Testament deserved and sometimes evoked the love he
sought from Israel (Deut 6:50, a greater interior grace was necessary to
overcome the power of sin in the human heart (Deut 30:6; Jer 31:33-34; Rom
7:7-25). (Albert Vanhoye and Peter S. Williamson, Galatians [Catholic
Commentary on Sacred Scripture; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2019], 187)
