Hebrews 8:10
For this is the new covenant that I will make with the house of Israel…I will put my laws into their minds and I will write them upon their hearts.
There are several ways to get a person to do something. They can be forced by decree. A child can be told to clean his room and all the while he is hating the task. Another way to motivate is to help him to want to do it. Have some of his friends over and they comment on the sloppy state of the room. The child get embarrassed and begins to clean the room to avoid that same situation. In time, they enjoy the feeling of neatness and order and he begins to clean up, because the order is peaceful and satisfying.
When God gave the first covenant, it was external. The people did it because they wanted a relationship with Him. Peter makes a comment on how difficult it was. Acts 15:10 it was “a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear.” While it was appreciated, it wasn’t easy.
This was the dark canvas onto which the brilliant colors of the new covenant was to come. To begin with the new covenant wouldn’t have been appreciated.
God now puts His law on our hearts. His will is exactly the thing we want to do. God uses the analogy of seeds to describle the bible. As we read it, it’s planted within and grows. As we go through our day, we want to do what He would do. It’s not imposed by guilt, but motivated by desire. This is partly why it’s called the good news. Israel in Jesus’ time was well aware of how combersome the law was. Then this new liberating way to relate to God arrives. They came by the thousands.
This doesn’t mean everything we want is His will. He guides us in several ways: 1) ok by bible standards, 2) peace in my heart, 3) others advice and 4) circumstances. Big decisions should pass these tests. With the every day ones, we do what we want. As we are in the bible and wanting to do what He wants, our wishes are often what He wants. Truly good news.