March 15, 2023 | Be On Mission
Jesus Made a Superior New Covenant
Scripture: Hebrews 8 (NIV)
1 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.
3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” 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13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.
Devotional
In the book of Hebrews, we have already seen that Jesus is superior to the angels, Moses, and the high priest of the people. In chapters 8-10, we now see the superiority of Jesus’ covenant, blood, and sacrifice compared to any religious rituals. Hebrews 8:6 tells us that the new covenant is superior to the old covenant. To understand this, let’s start with some basics.
The word “covenant” is the same as the word “testament.” A covenant is a binding agreement between two parties. In the Old Testament, God made several covenants with His people. Through Noah, God promised never again to destroy the earth by flood. Through Abraham, God promised descendants and land. Through Moses, God promised that Israel will be His prized, holy, priestly possession. These chapters in Hebrews focus on the covenant through Moses.
Since a covenant is a binding agreement between two parties, the people as well as God made promises. In the case of the law given through Moses, they promised to obey the Ten Commandments as well as all the decrees given in the first five books of the Bible. When they failed, there was a system of gifts and sacrifices offered by the priests every day, and the high priest annually, to seek forgiveness for the sins of the people.
But this old covenant system of tangible sacrifices offered by human priests in a physical sanctuary was only a shadow of what God had in mind. So, He gave us a new covenant through the ministry of Jesus, established on better promises. In this new covenant God promised to be our God and make us His people so intimately that we would know Him personally and He wouldn’t even remember our sins! The covenant through Jesus is so superior, that the old covenant is obsolete!
What does the word covenant mean to you? What are some of the promises God made in Christ for us? Though the first covenant is obsolete, it is not unimportant. Why is it important to understand the old covenant in order to embrace the new covenant?
Prayer
Father, we praise You for who You are. Thank You for sending Your son as a better covenant. You’ve given us a gift far greater than we should receive. Because we have Your son as a covenant, we can know without a doubt we get to spend eternity with You. There is nothing we have done, are doing, or will do that will be held against us. We no longer have to rely on gifts and sacrifices for favor in Your eyes. Your blood has been shed for us—You became a covenant for us forever more. Thank You Father.
Poem
High Priest
Bless me, Father, for I have sinned
I come now to confess
I whisper my prayer into the ear
Of my High Priest
Who intercedes on my behalf
With words I do not know
Correcting and editing
My requests
Bless me, Father, for I have sinned
I come now to repent
My sins, they are grievous to me
Only my High Priest
Who sacrificed himself in my place
With suffering I cannot comprehend
Washing and reconciling
My condition
Bless me, Father, for I here I am
I come now with my offering
I lay my heart a-fire upon the hands
Of my High Priest
Who receives me by his grace
With love beyond words
Gifting and enabling
My salvation
