A New Covenant. Hebrews 8.

Several years ago I was in training to become a teacher at BCC. This meant that I worked as an assistant for other teachers, absorbing their knowledge (when it didn't drip back out), taking care of logistics, and participating as a student. I was privileged during this time to assist Roy Bunch in classes that were overviews of the Old and New Testament. Each class met six weeks, for two hours, which is a mighty fast trip through the text. So for the most part we only discussed what was contained in the books -- who wrote them, the basic themes, the literary style, the main characters, and key verses that captured the essence of each book. This meant we didn't do a lot of reading of the actual text.

When we began the New Testament Survey, Roy put a quote from the Old Testament on the board. This quote was Roy's way of summarizing everything we were going to discover in the New Testament, and yet it was from the Old Testament. This stands out in my mind today. The passage was Jeremiah 31:31-34, the same verses the writer of Hebrews quotes in describing the covenant that Jesus mediates.

After laying the groundwork for Jesus' priesthood, as a different order than the earthly priests, the writer of Hebrews concludes that a different priesthood implies a new, and better covenant. (Later, he'll talk about the better sacrifice associated with this new covenant.) This is the covenant that Jeremiah spoke of -- the covenant placed in our minds and written in our hearts. No more sacrifices needed, because that covenant has been superseded. It is now obsolete (v.13) and about to disappear.

I encourage you to meditate for a while on the quote from Jeremiah contained in verses 8:8-12 of Hebrews. A covenant is a promise, an agreement sealed by signs, sacrifices, and a solemn oath that comes with blessings for keeping it, and curses for breaking it. It is always an act of grace on the part of God to offer to enter into a covenant relationship with us. Take a look at what He's promised in this new covenant. And remember what it cost for Him to enter into this new covenant, what the sacrifice was that sealed it forever.