Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2
a minister in the holy places, in the true tent[a] that
the Lord set up, not man.3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 4
Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. 5
They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” 6
But as it is, Christ[b] has
obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7
For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.
8
For he finds fault with them when he says:[c]
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah,
9 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers
on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
For they did not continue in my covenant,
and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
and I will remember their sins no more.”
13
In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
Many years ago, my youngest son was listening to his little sister speak of who knows what, it seems to me she was teasing him about something she had and he did not.
He simply looked her in the eyes and said “So, what’s your point?” I am not sure 3-year-olds have points but he wanted her to cut to the chase quickly.
Our text begins by telling us quite clearly what the point of all of this is and it is the same as we have been thinking about over the last few days: The point is
the superiority of the priesthood of the Lord Jesus.
I want to admit right up front that we are in some deep water but the author told us we were going to deep water, that we were to lay aside the elementary things and
not be dull or unconcerned about the deeper matters of our faith. Let us go into the deep water but never losing sight of THE point:
We have a High Priest who is able, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners in his perfection but willing to be as they are, in human flesh in order
to save them. He is the perfect One!
Verses 1-6 make clear that Jesus’ priesthood is exercised in heaven in the very presence of God and his work for us is neither earthly, nor temporary as the shadows
and types were: It is rather, spiritual and eternal. And we remember that the author writes this letter to warn, to admonish his hearers about being attracted to the rites of the temple as if they were the reality. They were pictures, a copy of the real, heavenly
sacrifice which Christ offered once and for all on the basis of which he now intercedes for his people.
The instructions given to Moses in Exodus 25-40 regarding the tabernacle and by implication the later to be built temple, were not the reality and were never meant
to be the reality, only copies of the real thing. Verse 6 tells us that it is all about Jesus. It is all about the Messiah; has always been and will always be.
It is what follows that offers some difficulty and I must admit that the commentaries do not seem to answer the questions, at least not directly, that I think the
text begs to be asked. The question is: What are these two covenants, referred to as old covenant and new covenant?
I do humbly ask for your patience and I admit that the questions I am asking do not seem to be a problem for many if not most folks. They simply say that the old covenant
is the Old Testament and the new covenant is the New Testament. Or, the old is the Mosaic time period and the new is that which comes after Jesus.
So, you will often hear folks say: “In the old covenant…” and they will refer to something that happened in the OT or during the time of Moses. This will be followed
with, “But now under the new covenant…” This will be followed by something that was not true then but is now because of the ministry of Jesus.
Over the next couple of mornings, I would like us to consider what this text actually says by looking at the characteristics of the new covenant as the author sets
them forth. Of course, this is simply a quote from Jeremiah 31.
This morning we will begin with verse 10 and the fact that this new covenant will see the law of God written in the minds and hearts of the people. The conclusion
that might be jumped to is that this means in the OT, (because it is equated with the Old Covenant) folks did not have the law on their minds and hearts. This, being a characteristic of the new covenant, wasn’t true until the ministry of Jesus.
The problem of course, is that this characteristic is everywhere the reality for the faithful of God in the Old Testament. Here are just a few texts to look up that
make it clear that those faithful followers of the Lord always were to have the law on their minds and hearts.
Deuteronomy: 4:8-9, 6:5-6, 30:6, 14.
Psalm 40:8
Proverbs 3:1,3
Isaiah 51:7
Jeremiah 24:4-7
We conclude that the idea of the law of God on the mind and heart of the people of God is not only an NT idea but was true for the OT faithful as well. So this characteristic
of the old covenant is to be found in the old and well as the new testaments.
To be continued…
Prayer: Father, I do not entertain thoughts too large for me, but rather as the Psalmist I quiet my heart and give myself to You…fully. Be my thoughts, my wants,
my motives, my words and all my actions. I want to be still…to know You are God and I want more than anything to hear the echoes of Your voice saying to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Father, I live for and unto that day, through Jesus Christ
my Lord, Amen.
Hymn: And Can it Be?