The next question in this presentation of Jesus as superior to Moses and the Old Covenant is about the terms of the covenant itself and what God required of His people in that covenant.
In what way is the new covenant superior to the old? Why was it necessary for God to introduce another covenant if the first one under Moses was sufficient to regulate the lives of His people? Why does God need to set up a covenant with His people?
What is a covenant?
Meta AI provides an excellent summary…
“In its most basic sense, a covenant is a formal agreement or promise between two or more parties. It’s a binding commitment that outlines the terms, conditions, and expectations of the relationship.
Biblical Context
In the biblical context, covenants play a central role in the relationship between God and His people. A covenant (Hebrew: ברית, brit) is a solemn agreement between God and humanity, where God promises to bless, protect, and guide His people in exchange for their loyalty, obedience, and worship.
Key Elements of a Covenant
- “Promises”: Covenants involve promises or commitments made by one or both parties.
- “Obligations”: Covenants outline the responsibilities and expectations of each party.
- “Consequences”: Covenants often specify the consequences of failing to uphold the agreement.
- “Ratification”: Covenants are typically ratified or confirmed through a formal ceremony or ritual.
Types of Covenants
- “Unilateral covenant”: A one-sided agreement where one party makes promises without requiring anything in return (e.g., God’s covenant with Abraham).
- “Bilateral covenant”: A two-sided agreement where both parties make promises and commitments (e.g., a marriage covenant).
- “Conditional covenant”: An agreement that depends on certain conditions being met (e.g., the Mosaic covenant).
- “Unconditional covenant”: An agreement that is not dependent on any conditions (e.g., God’s covenant with David)…
In summary, a covenant is a formal agreement that outlines the terms, conditions, and expectations of a relationship. It involves promises, obligations, consequences, and ratification, and can be applied in various contexts, from biblical to modern-day relationships.”
A covenant, then, legally binds God and people together in an agreement that sets BOUNDARIES, conditions, and obligations and offers promises and benefits.
There is one great difference between the Mosaic covenant and the new covenant in Christ. God cut the covenant with His people at Mt Sinai with conditions, which depended on the obedience of His people to keep it. The new covenant God promised in Jeremiah 31:31ff does not depend on people’s obedience but on Jesus because He IS the Covenant and believing people are IN Him by faith.
Now let’s follow our writer’s explanation.
Hebrews 8:3-5 NIV
[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.”
The Mosaic covenant had priests and sacrifices that functioned in an earthly sanctuary which was a copy of the heavenly, and depended on earthly priests to carry out their obligations faithfully.
We can already discern a weakness in this system. Its value and efficacy depended on fallible humans. The history of God’s people reveals the unfaithfulness of their priests and the failure of their worship system to satisfy God’s requirements. Their sinfulness had turned their sacrifices into an excuse for sinning.
Not only were the priests themselves unfaithful to God but they also encouraged the people to sin so that they could benefit from the sacrifices!
Hosea 4:1, 7-8 NIV
[1] “Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land…
[7] The more priests there were, the more they sinned against me; they exchanged their glorious God for something disgraceful. [8] They feed on the sins of my people and relish their wickedness.”
What a terrible indictment against God’s priests!
The New Covenant, by contrast, does not depend on fallible humans but on the perfect obedience of our representative, Jesus.
Hebrews 8:7-12 NIV
[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.”
A new covenant? Better promises? Compare the old with the new. One supreme difference… to work, the promises of the Mosaic covenant depended in the people’s obedience.
Deuteronomy 28:1-2 NIV
[1] “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. [2] All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God…”
It didn’t happen!
The new Covenant’s promises depend entirely on God’s faithfulness…and Jesus, God’s Son, fulfilled and ratified all these promises.
2 Corinthians 1:18-22 NIV
[18] “But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” [19] For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” [20] For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. [21] Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, [22] set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
Wow! What a difference!
Surely then, this new covenant with its better promises is as far superior to the old as the east is from the west.
Hebrews 8:6-7, 13 NIV
[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…
[13] By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.”
Q. E. D!
“Quod erat demonstrandum,” often abbreviated as “Q.E.D.,” is a Latin phrase meaning “that which was to be demonstrated,” used to indicate the completion of a proof or argument.” ( Google)
Not only is the new covenant better than the old, based on better promises that Jesus Himself confirms, but it is so much better that there is no more need or use for the old.
The point of this demonstration is that those who want to return to the old system of worship are actually going back to something that no longer exists. The new covenant in Christ has wiped out, deleted in modern terms, the need for the old. So why go back to something that exists only in history? The idea is as foolish as wanting to go back from modern forms of transport to old-fashioned animal-drawn carts and chariots!
To be continued…