Returning to the Lord: Obedience, Renewal, and the New Covenant in Christ (Deuteronomy 26:16–19 & Luke 22:20)

This day the Lord, your God, is commanding you to observe these statutes and ordinances. Be careful, then, to observe them with your whole heart and with your whole being. 17 Today you have accepted the Lord’s agreement: he will be your God, and you will walk in his ways, observe his statutes, commandments, and ordinances, and obey his voice. 18 And today the Lord has accepted your agreement: you will be a people specially his own, as he promised you, you will keep all his commandments, 19 and he will set you high in praise and renown and glory above all nations he has made, and you will be a people holy to the Lord, your God, as he promised.

During Lent, the Church calls believers to repentance, obedience, and renewal of their covenant with God, making Deuteronomy 26:16-19 especially relevant.  This passage marks Israel’s formal commitment to obey God’s commandments and be His holy people, mirroring the Christian journey of conversion and renewal during Lent.

It emphasizes Israel’s covenant responsibility (Ex. 19:5-6) and God’s promise to make them holy (Lev. 19:2).  The covenant is bilateral—God chooses Israel, and in response, Israel pledges faithfulness, which demands interior conversion, as mere external observance is insufficient.

This call to obedience echoes Joel 2:12-13, where God summons Israel to return to Him with all their heart: "Even now—oracle of the LORD—return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting in punishment."

Just as Deuteronomy 26 urges wholehearted obedience, Joel calls for true interior conversion, aligning with Lent’s invitation to repentance and renewal.

In Luke 22:20, Jesus establishes the New Covenant in His blood, surpassing Israel’s covenant renewal in Deuteronomy 26.  Through His sacrifice, He inaugurates a new relationship between God and His people.

The Church, as described in 1 Peter 2:9-10, fulfills Israel’s vocation, becoming a chosen race, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation.  Those who belong to Christ now inherit Israel’s divine calling, set apart to proclaim God’s glory.

Christ’s perfect obedience, as seen in Philippians 2:8-9, fulfills Israel’s call to follow God’s commands.  By humbling Himself to death on a cross, He achieves what Israel could not.  Through His exaltation, He brings His people into true glory.

Ultimately, Deuteronomy 26:16-19 is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the perfect Son who completes the Law (Matt 5:17).  The Old Covenant, based on external observance, is now fulfilled in the New Covenant, which writes the Law on believers' hearts (Jer 31:33; Heb 8:10).  Through His Passion, death, and resurrection, Christ secures salvation for all who follow Him in faith and obedience (Rom 5:19).

During Lent, Christians prepare to fully embrace their identity as God’s holy people, looking forward to the ultimate fulfillment of salvation in Christ (Rev 21:3).

Heavenly Father, You have called us to be Your holy people, to walk in Your ways with all our heart and soul.  As You urged Israel to obedience, so too do You call us to true repentance and renewal.  Help us, Lord, to rend our hearts and return to You in faith, trusting in the New Covenant sealed in Christ’s blood.  This we pray through Christ our Lord.  Amen!.

                                                       

Sources

• McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
• Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
• Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
• Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
• Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: The Pentateuch. Four Courts Press, 2017
• Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
• Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
• Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.