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6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. 7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said: “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. 9 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. 10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel 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. 11 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” 13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear. ~ Hebrews 8:6-13
Today, we complete our study of Hebrews 8 wherein the Lord has been comparing the Old Covenant with the New Covenant. The Old Covenant, also known as the Law of Moses, was God's first covenant with Israel. There was nothing wrong with the Old Covenant; the fault was with the people who were sinful. Both covenants provide the truth, but, it is the New Covenant that provided the infrastructure for the truth to be applied to the heart, the soul, and the spirit of mankind.
In v.6-7 of today's passage we read, "6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. 7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another."
The man who is dead to God, because he still bears his sin, most often chooses to linger too long with the shadows when he can come to the reality of a personal relationship with God. The Old Covenant is the shadow of the New Covenant. And, since the sinfulness of the people weighed down the effects of the Old Covenant, God had to send His Son to measure up to the truth. He not only measured up to the truth, He also sustained it so that it could be applied to sinful man who could not solve his own sinful problem for himself.
The Jews under the Old Covenant thought God wanted them to keep these Ten Commandments as the only way they could please him. But what they did not understand, though, God knew they could not sustain the truth in their lives. He did not give it to them to be kept, for He knew they could not keep it. He gave it to them to show them their desperate need for the Savior. But with presumptuous confidence they tried to keep it and when they could not, they pretended to keep the Law and the result was they deceived themselves to the point of being hardened to the truth. This explains why most of the Jews missed their long-awaited Messiah.
In v.8-9 of today's passage we read, "8 But God found fault with the people and said: “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. 9 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. "
The Law of Moses was excellent for what it was meant to do: to point us to Christ. Paul wrote to the Galatians that the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. And so, to accomplish this, a New Covenant was needed, one that did more for the willing than what the Old Covenant did for them. Since the people were sinful, God had to do more for them than taking them by the hand and leading them out of Egypt. He had to address the unfaithfulness of the human heart.
The words found in Hebrews 8:8-13 is a quotation of Jeremiah 31:31-34. The night the Lord Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, He said, "This cup is the new covenant made in my blood." The Lord Jesus spoke of this as the New Covenant, or, the New Agreement from which the life of all who will ever know Him will be lived.
Though, long ago, the prophet Jeremiah had informed the Jews of this New and Permanent Covenant that was yet to come, they allowed the shadow of that which was to come to become ritualistic and their hearts were not involved. God and the sacrificial system had become old hat to them and they lacked a real heart relationship with God. So, God had to do something real radical: He had to place His Spirit in man preventing man from going after illusions which will never solve the real problem of sin.
In v.10-13 of today's passage we read, "10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel 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. 11 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” 13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear."
The Greek word translated "covenant" here is diathēkē which was reserved for the making of a will. The other word God could have used here for "covenant" is sunthēkē which describes an agreement made by two equals, like in a marriage. But, due to our wretchedness, God could not make equal covenants with man. God and man never enter agreements on equal terms. We can never bargain with God. We can never argue the terms of God’s covenant. God makes a covenant and we either accept it or reject it. Our relationship to God is based solely on God’s terms, never on our terms. He is the author and finisher of, not only the New Covenant, He is also the author and finisher of our faith. Our role is to bow our will, and then, hold on for the greatest ride of our lives.
God promised, "I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts." The problem in the human heart is not uncertainty as to what is right. The problem is sin in the human heart. And, as a result, the problem with the human heart is its inability to do what is required.
This is where the New Covenant comes in. The believer in Christ perseveres in the faith because the Holy Spirit dwells in our spirits. As a result, we discover God's laws are written by the Holy Spirit upon our hearts and our souls.
God says, "I will be their God, and they will be my people."
There is within the human heart a desperate hunger for a hero. To this God promises to be our God. As a result of atoning for our sin through the cross, God made it possible for His perfection to abide within us via the Holy Spirit who teaches us the culture of God. He guides us and He teaches us the ways of God. This is God's answer to the universal sense of condemnation that everyone knows in our hearts because we are sinful.
God says He will remember our sins no more. He also says all will know me from the least to the greatest. The word "know" is the Greek word "oida" which is intuitive knowledge. Due to the presence of the Holy Spirit, the recognition of the believer of God and His ways will be given to all who are "born again." Strategic was it that the writer of Hebrews did not use the Greek word "gnosko" which is the relational and more deeper word used of those who go deeper in fellowship with God. Oida makes it possible for gnosko to be enjoyed by the believer. In order to experience gnosko, we must be willing of heart for this to happen.
