The last post ended with a passage that referenced the covenant that Jesus had mediated. The author of Hebrews now goes on to describe this “new” covenant. And he looks back to Jeremiah and his prophecy concerning a covenant that would replace the one broken by Israel. This covenant is quoted in full here, and later a part of the quote is repeated.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Table of contents
The Old Covenant
The book of Exodus records God’s deliverance of Israel from Egyptian slavery. After leaving Egypt, God brought Israel to Mt Sinai. And there he established a covenant with them.
Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.
Exodus 19:5-6 NIV
After God invited them into this covenant relationship he gave them the terms of the covenant that they were to obey. These included the 10 Commandments as well as several chapters of additional laws. Moses took all of this to the people and they responded with “Everything the LORD has said we will do” (Ex. 24:3).
Moses took their answer back up the mountain to God. While there he received directions for building and furnishing the tabernacle. But, while he was gone, the people crafted a golden calf and began to worship it. No sooner had they agreed to this covenant than they broke it. And that became a pattern for the rest of their history. They seemed incapable of living up to their end of the covenant.
The Reason for a New Covenant
For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said:
Hebrews 8:7-9 NIV
“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
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 did not remain faithful to my covenant,
and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord.
If the people had lived up to their end of the covenant there would have been no problem with it. But their failure to obey its terms was a constant problem. Even though the people constantly failed, God remained faithful to his end of the covenant. But that was not a condition that would last forever. Eventually, God would cancel that covenant. But he would also establish a new one, unlike the first one.
This new covenant would be with the people of Israel. It might appear that it was to be made with the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the ethnic Israelites. But this covenant, unlike the first one, is actually made to spiritual Israel. To all of God’s people whether they are ethnic Jews or Gentiles.
God’s Covenant People
The author of Hebrews makes little mention of the union of Jew and Gentile together as the body of Christ. But it is clear from other places within the Scripture that Christ’s work includes both. And that the covenant he mediated by his blood is inclusive to all who will believe, both Jew and Gentile.
In Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul points out that the work of Christ on the cross destroyed the dividing wall that had separated Jew from Gentile. And that now they are one new humanity, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. And rising to become a holy temple to the Lord.
In 1 Peter 2:9-10, Peter uses some of the same language to describe the believers as was used in the first covenant. We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession. While at one time we were not a people, now we are the people of God. This includes both Jew and Gentile. But especially the Gentiles. Those who once were not the people of God.
The Nature of the New Covenant
This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
Hebrews 8:10 NIV
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
This new covenant is both like, and unlike, the old one. It is like it in the sense that in both, the people of the covenant give their allegiance to God. And that we are his chosen people.
But the covenants are also unlike each other. The old covenant was written on tablets of stone. Its terms were external to the people of the covenant. But the terms of the new covenant are written on our hearts. They have become a part of us. And this is a fundamental change. I am changed when those terms are written on my heart. I am not the same as I was before.
A New Relationship
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
Hebrews 8:11-12 NIV
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”
There is a significant consequence of having the terms of the covenant written on our hearts. In that condition, I know the Lord. That does not mean that I know everything there is to know about him. Or that I initially know much at all about God. But I do know him in a personal way. When I come under this new covenant, I enter into a personal relationship with the God of the covenant. I know him in a way that would otherwise be impossible. And in a way that no amount of head knowledge could ever approach.
What enables that personal relationship with God is his forgiveness. It is Jesus’ atoning sacrifice for my sin that mediates the covenant on my behalf. And Jesus’ atonement for me is effective. God forgives my sin, and I can stand clean before him. There is no longer the barrier of my sinful nature that keeps me from him.
Outdated and Disappearing
By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.
Hebrews 8:13 NIV
This verse acts as a commentary on Jeremiah’s words concerning the new covenant. If, as Jeremiah says, this is a new covenant. Then it stands to reason that it is replacing the older one. The one that Israel repeatedly broke. That old covenant is being superseded by this new covenant. When Jeremiah wrote, the time of obsolescence for the old covenant was foretold. But now that Christ has come and mediated the new covenant, that time of obsolescence has arrived. The old is no longer in effect. It has been replaced.
Hebrews Post List
- Hebrews: An Introduction - This article gives a brief introduction into the book of Hebrews. It is the first of a series of on this sermon from a pastor to his people.
- Hebrews: The Supremacy of Christ (1:1-4) - In the prologue to Hebrews the author identifies the supremacy of Christ over the prophets and angels as well as summarizing his Christology.
- Hebrews: Superior to the Angels (1:5-14) - This passage uses seven quotes from the Old Testament to demonstrate that Christ, the Son, is superior to the angels.
- Hebrews: A Warning to Pay Attention (2:1-4) - The author of Hebrews here warns us to pay attention to the great salvation we have been given. If we do not, the danger of drifting away is great.
- Hebrews: We See Jesus, Crowned with Glory (2:5-9) - Humanity is not what God created us to be. But we see Jesus, who took on a human nature, tasted death for us, and is now crowned with glory and honor.
- Hebrews: Made Perfect Through Suffering (2:10-13) - Jesus, the author of our salvation, was made perfect, as a savior, through his suffering on the cross. The perfect lamb sacrificed for us.
- Hebrews: Jesus Is Fully Human in Every Way (2:14-18) - Jesus became fully human in every way, allowing him to defeat death and to become our perfect high priest, offering himself as our atonement.
- Hebrews: Jesus Is Greater Than Moses (3:1-6) - To one raised in Old Testament Judaism, there was no one greater than Moses. But Hebrews here affirms that Jesus is greater than Moses.
- Hebrews: Failure to Enter God’s Rest (3:7-19) - Hebrews uses Psalm 95 to demonstrate that failure to enter into God's rest is because of our disobedience and failure to remain faithful.
- Hebrews: Enter God’s Rest (4:1-11) - The promise of entering into God's rest is still open to us today. Unlike many in the past, make every effort to enter into that rest.
- Hebrews: the Active Word of God (4:12-13) - God's word is active and alive. It is not just words on a page. It is his message for us that reaches deep within us to shape our lives.
- Hebrews: Our Great High Priest (4:14-16) - Because Jesus is our great high priest, who has experienced the life we live, we can confidently come to God for his grace and mercy.
- Hebrews: Obedience Learned Through Suffering (5:1-10) - Jesus, the Son of God, learned obedience through his suffering on the cross. He knows what it is to obey the Father, even in suffering.
- Hebrews: Move Beyond Elementary Teachings (5:11-6:3) - The author's challenge to us here is to move beyond the elementary teachings of the faith. To be growing ever deeper in the truth.
- Hebrews: A Most Explicit Warning (6:4-12) - There are a number of warnings in Hebrews about falling away. But this is the most explicit of them. How should be understand there warnings.
- Hebrews: An Anchor of Hope for the Soul (6:13-20) - The promise that God made to Abraham is relevant to those of us who have come to trust in Jesus. And that hope is an anchor for our soul.
- Hebrews: The Priesthood of Melchizedek (7:1-10) - Two priesthoods are examined here. That of Melchizedek and that of Aaron. And Melchizedek's is demonstrated to be the superior one.
- Hebrews: A New Priesthood (7:11-28) - Jesus has ushered in a new priesthood. One that is after the order of Melchizedek, eternal and fully able to meet our needs.
- Hebrews: We Do Have Such a High Priest (8:1-6) - Hebrews has been building toward this point. A high priest after the order of Melchizedek is not just theory. In Jesus, it is a reality.
- Hebrews: A New Covenant (8:7-13) - The new covenant that Jeremiah foresaw has found its fulfillment in Jesus. He is the mediator of this new covenant made with us.
- Hebrews: Worship in the Tabernacle (9:1-10) - The worship in the old covenant tabernacle was a shadow of what was to come. Especially the hiddenness of the Most Holy Place.
- Hebrews: The Blood of the New Covenant (9:11-15) - The old covenant was written on tablets has been replaced with a covenant written on our hearts and inaugurated by the blood of Christ,
- Hebrews: Entering the Heavenly Sanctuary (9:16-28) - The earthly tabernacle was only a shadow of the heavenly sanctuary that Jesus entered into on our behalf, offering a perfect sacrifice.
- Hebrews: One Sacrifice for All Time (10:1-18) - Jesus sacrificed himself for us. One sacrifice that was sufficient for all time. There is now no longer any need to sacrifice for sin.
- Hebrews: Enter the Most Holy Place (10:19-39) - Because of what Jesus did for us, we can have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place with full assurance. We have been cleansed and washed.
- Hebrews: Faith in Action (11:1-31) - The 11th chapter of Hebrews is nicknamed the Hall of Faith. The author here defines faith, and then shows faith in action.
The views expressed here are solely mine and do not necessarily reflect those of any other person, group, or organization. While I believe they reflect the teachings of the Bible, I am a fallible human and subject to misunderstanding. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions about this post in the comments section below. I am always interested in your feedback.
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