But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Hebrews 8:10
The Beginning of the New Covenant
When Jesus sat with His disciples at the Last Supper, He offered them bread, symbolizing His broken body. Later in the meal, Jesus continued by offering the cup.
In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” 1 Corinthians 11:25
So, what makes the New Covenant better than the old one? Many might say, because the Bible says it’s so, which we can all agree with. But let’s dig a little deeper than that.
I found what the writer of the Book of Hebrews said about the first covenant interesting.
If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. Hebrews 8:7
Critics of God and His Word would immediately say, “Your God” made a mistake. But that assumption comes from those who don’t know Him or the truth of His Word.
Verse eight reveals to us where the fault laid when it came to the Old Covenant. It says, “But when God found fault with the people.” The people couldn’t come up to God’s standards.
The Old Covenant started with the commandments that God wrote on stone tablets. Because of man’s sinful nature, humans couldn’t completely obey these and God’s other laws.
Our sinful nature began when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of good and evil. Since then, the majority of people have followed their own set of rules rather than those of God.
Jeremiah Foretold of the New Covenant
The author of Hebrews quoted the prophet Jeremiah when he said the following.
The day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. Hebrews 8:8-9
A New Covenant? The leadership among the Israelites had the people right where they wanted them. They enjoyed keeping their people at bay, obeying God’s laws and theirs.
The New Covenant differed from the old one because it dealt with a person’s heart. The Old Covenant kept people in obedience by the external things they did. Look again at today’s verse.
But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Hebrews 8:10
Jeremiah probably had no idea what the laws in their minds and God writing them on their hearts meant. Jesus, however, explained to us what it meant in two sentences.
Jesus replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37-39
How do we know those two sentences cover all of the Old Testament law? Because Jesus completed His preceding thought in the following statement.
The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments. Matthew 22:40
The Bible Serves as Our Roadmap
The Bible guides us like a road map in helping us to fulfill those two commandments. It tells us how to live a life of love. 2 Timothy 3 gives us a detailed definition of the purpose of the Bible.
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to. . . teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
The Lord explained through Jeremiah why God replaced the Old Covenant with a new one. We can read about it in more of the quote written by the writer of Hebrews.
This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the Lord. Hebrews 8:9
The Old Testament saints didn’t have access to the scriptures. Thus, the priests taught them everything they needed to know to maintain a relationship with God.
With the New Covenant, we don’t need to learn how to have a relationship with Jesus. He comes into our hearts. God gave us the scriptures to guide us in maintaining that relationship with Him.
And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already. Hebrews 8:11
Aren’t You Happy About the New Covenant?
Aren’t you glad we not only have a New Covenant but, it is written on our hearts? The writer of Hebrews made this final thought about the Old Covenant.
When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear. Hebrews 8:13
The word obsolete doesn’t mean useless. I typed this article using an obsolete word processor on an old computer. Most computer people would have no use for my equipment.
On the other hand, the Old Covenant is only obsolete until we decide to stray from the new one. God’s grace will guide us back to walking on His narrow path.
Lord, thank you for writing your law in our minds and on our hearts. And thank you for the roadmap of the Bible that helps us stay on the right path.
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Related posts on when we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus
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- Jesus Is The Ultimate Sacrifice For All Eternity
- Cleansed By The Blood Of Jesus
- Create In Me A Clean Heart And Renew My Spirit
- When God Feels Distant In Your Time Of Need
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