Hebrews 8:11-12
"And they (coming back to Jeremiah 31:31) shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."
What this is telling me is that no matter the person from the day of Christ's return or ascension and the giving of the Blessing, the Holy Spirit, to mankind all mankind knows God or of God. Now this is within mans conscience and therefore not all will choose Him and for those who choose to repent of their sin nature they will become known of Him. Whereas those who choose not to know Him will remain in their sin. Now does this make since? Then those who have chosen Him above all others they'll learn of Him and come to truly know Him as He supplies all their spiritual needs.
Then again we have the practical side which is. Here again, we while in the human realm can comprehend the Grace of God, even concerning the Hebrews. My, God should have cast them out of His thinking centuries and centuries ago. They have no reason to still be in God’s favor. They’ve been a rebellious people, an ungodly people. In fact let me take you back to another verse, go all the way back to II Samuel chapter 7 and it just shows the mind of a merciful God.
God has never changed. He has never even had a thought of casting away His People, the Hebrews. Because of His love of Abraham and Abraham's devotion to Him. Even as Paul says in Romans 11, "hath God cast away His People?" God forbid. Don’t even think such a thing. That even though they have rejected Him and crucified Him, yet God has not cast away His people, the Hebrews. Alright and the promise begins way back here in II Samuel chapter 7 verse 14 where God is addressing King David and He tells David concerning the Nation of Israel:
I Samuel 7:14
"I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men;"
In other words, in another place, Isaiah speaks of people coming in with a language that the Hebrews couldn’t understand. They’d be overrun by their Gentile enemies. But that’s not going to stop God. He said, "I will chasten them with the rod of men and with the stripes of the children of men." Verse 15:
II Samuel 7:15a
"But (even though they are iniquitous and steeped in unbelief, yet God says) my mercy shall not depart away from him,…"
Now go back to Exodus chapter 33 verse 19. And don’t forget these things. These are the very words of the Eternal God. And it’s nothing that men or nations or governments can ever change, it’s set in concrete, as I like to so often express it. All mankind has to find the keys or secret things for themselves and then as the Holy Spirit leads share them with others. The others then have to either receive or reject the teaching or law, if rejected that individual then remains under the term of lawlessness, because of unbelief. This plan of God is seen as far back as Genesis and is only received by way of inspiration or revelation within us and is the foundation upon which Christ builds His house. Now to Exodus chapter 33:
Exodus 33:19
"And he (God) said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, (that is before Moses) and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; (He declared His name or gave His name to Moses as an inheritance or possession. Now here comes the promise.) and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy."
If you’ll remember when we were teaching in Romans, I used the analogy, it’s just like someone who has stepped out in the bright sunlight and these things just come down upon him, but God retreated and He retreated into His Sovereignty. Even though men may have just exclaimed "No way!" But God retreats into His Sovereignty, He is Absolute, and in His Sovereignty what does He say? "I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy. And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious." Nobody can change that. He’s Sovereign.
And though we as mortals can understand some of these things, we have to remember that in His Sovereignty God can do whatever He wants to do even though we as humans may sometimes think it’s ridiculous. But from His Sovereignty, never. What God did with Moses He does with those who willing chose the higher ground or ancient path which the Lord took and we're required to take as well. Because like Moses here revealed we're to carry His name as our inheritance as well. But with this one difference in so doing we become a God-child as in the beginning, in the second Adam. Now, Hebrews 8 again, verse 12 - with what we’ve just been seeing from the Old Testament, for God says:
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