Hebrews 8 Out with the Old, In with the New!

Bible Study Series: Jesus in Hebrews - Better by Far!

Bible Study Lesson: Hebrews 8 - Out with the Old, In with the New!

by I Gordon

“The New Covenant is a covenant of grace, not works; a covenant that regenerates rather than kills.” Andrew Murray

Do you like new things? Most do right? Even if you are a little like me, happily wearing those favorite old socks that have holes in the heels, several threads of cotton hanging off them, and are stretched to about twice their original size... it's still nice when that new soft pair comes is it not? Well, we are talking about something new today. Not a new job, car or even the mighty cotton socks... we are talking about the new covenant. And it is worth talking about! Yes, even more so than new socks. We are in Hebrews 8 today and along the way we'll explore:  

• A new and better Priesthood - All Priests have to have something to offer. What did Jesus offer?
• The new and better promises that God has given us. What are these and what do we do with them?
• The contrasts between the old and the new covenants. Why should we not mix the two?
• The fine print and details of the New Covenant. Why is it better by far?

What would you think of someone who has car insurance being continually worried about how much it is going to cost if they crash their car? Nuts. You have insurance. Do have to read the fine print. Read the New Covenant. There is no fine print. 

A New (and better) Priesthood

Heb 8:1-3  The 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 man.  (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.

The author of Hebrews begins this chapter by speaking of our new and better High Priest. And he actually tells us that there is a heavenly sanctuary, as well as the earthly one, and Jesus currently serves as our High Priest in the true tabernacle in Heaven. And as the previous chapter stated about Jesus' current role in Heaven, 'He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.' This heavenly sanctuary is called here 'the true tabernacle' and as we go on we'll see that the earthly tabernacle given to Moses¹ was simply modeled on the one in heaven. Now Jesus, as High Priest, had to have something to offer. So what was that? Himself! The great prophecy in Isaiah states it like this:

Isa 53:10  But the LORD was pleased To crush Him (Jesus), putting Him to grief; If He (Jesus) would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.

You will note the big 'If' there, and also the word 'Himself'. If Jesus would render 'Himself' as a guilt offering then the good pleasure of the Lord would prosper. Many High Priest's had come and gone through the centuries, sacrificing goats and lambs as offerings to God. But this High Priest, Jesus, was called to do something far greater, far more personal, and far more more costly! He was asked to offer Himself. And He had to offer something on earth and in heaven. Jesus offered up His life on earth as a sacrifice but what did He offer in heaven? He took and offered His blood as we shall see in the next chapter.   

New (and better) Promises

Heb 8:4-6  If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men 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 the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.

As we have seen previously, under the Old Testament law, earthly Priests had to come from the tribe of Levi so Jesus wouldn't have qualified for that priesthood. But Jesus' ministry is far superior to theirs and that of the Mosaic covenant! The ministry and tabernacle that was given to Moses was only a copy, a replica, of the real Tabernacle that is in Heaven, where Jesus ministers. So which do you want? The authentic Rolex watch or the knockoff from China? Again we need to see that the author is using every opportunity to show how much 'better' Jesus and the New Covenant is! We read: 'But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.' Which begs the question, why do some Christians still act like they live under the law of Moses? The New Covenant is built on better promises. Let's dig a little deeper into that. What is the difference between living under the law and under grace? And why are the promises today better than those under the Mosaic covenant?

The Mosaic Law was a conditional covenant based on the obedience of the people. It contained a list of blessings but they were based on that little word 'if'. 'If' you do this then you will be blessed. 'If' you do not do it then you will be cursed! I would encourage you to read Deuteronomy 28 to see the long list of 'if' based blessings and curses. It is a long chapter so here are the first 8 verses so you get an idea: 

Deu 28:1-8  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 upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:  (3)  You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.  (4)  The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.  (5)  Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.  (6)  You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.  (7)  The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.  (8)  The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

You will note that all the promises are about the here and now, this life, and are physical blessings. Your children will be blessed, your livestock will be blessed, your potatoes and pumpkins will win your local size competitions, that type of thing. As you read through the entire chapter (Deut 28) you see that:

• There are 14 blessings, stated in verses 1–14. These cover material prosperity, health and abundance
• There are 40 curses, stated in verses 15–68. These cover poverty, defeat, disease, exile and oppression

Yep... there are about 3 times as many curses under the law as there are blessings. But note again that both the blessing and the curse are all predicated on this little word 'if' - what happens to you all depends on if you fully obey the LORD your God or not. 'If' is not a keyword under grace. What you do has been primarily replaced by what He has done and the main 'if' that remains for humanity is to believe on the Lord Jesus.² The contrast between the old and the new covenants can be seen in the following table:

Aspect	Old Covenant (Mosaic)	New Covenant (through Christ)
Mediator	Moses	Jesus Christ
Basis of Relationship	Obedience to the Mosaic Law	Faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work
Means of Righteousness	Works and adherence to the Law	Faith and grace through Christ
Sacrifice System	Repeated animal sacrifices for atonement	One-time sacrifice of Jesus for all sin
Access to God	Through priests and temple rituals	Direct access through Christ (the High Priest)
Law Written	On tablets of stone	On hearts by the Holy Spirit
Motivation	Fear of punishment and duty	Love, gratitude, and transformation
Forgiveness	Temporary, conditional on continual sacrifices	Permanent, unconditional through Christ’s blood
Holy Spirit	Given selectively to prophets, kings, etc.	Given to all believers as a seal and guide
Identity of Believers	Nation of Israel as chosen people	All who believe in Christ, Jew and Gentile alike
Goal of the Law/Grace	Reveal sin and need for a Savior	Fulfill the Law through Christ and empower holy living
Promises	Earthly blessings	Heavenly and spiritual blessings

So our passage says that we now have 'better promises'. Why are they better? Because they are not conditioned on the obedience or lack thereof, of man. You see, along with that little word 'if' that is associated with the law, there is another critical word you should note. See if you can pick it up from the following important verse about the law:

Gal 3:10  All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."

Ok... make that two more critical words. What are they? 'Continue' and 'everything'. The law demanded that you 'continue' to be obedient for all time, and that obedience is in 'everything' that it states. You couldn't just obey 'most' of the laws and think that was 'good enough', for it was a complete system. Break one law and you break them all. Jas 2:10  For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. So these 'promises' of God under the law just resulted in a curse for no one, except Jesus, has ever continued to do all things written in the book of the law!

Someone has said that the old covenant was like a bad rental agreement where if you break one rule, you’re evicted and are out on the street. The new covenant however is like being adopted into the family—you’re not just a tenant, you’re an heir, and will always have a family and a roof over your head!

"The covenant is “better” because it is absolute not conditional, spiritual not carnal, universal not local, eternal not temporal, individual not national, internal not external. It is a better covenant because it is founded on better promises. The covenant of law promised blessing for obedience but threatened death for disobedience. It required righteousness but did not give the ability to produce it. The New Covenant is an unconditional covenant of grace. It imputes righteousness where there is none. It teaches men to live righteously, empowers them to do so, and rewards them when they do."
William MacDonald, Believers Bible Commentary

The Fine Print of the New Covenant

Heb 8:7-12  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 time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.  (9)  It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers 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 make with the house 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 a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, '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." 

Here is a starter quiz with a couple of questions for you...

• When was the New Covenant first mentioned in the Old Testament?
• When was the New Covenant first mentioned in the New Testament?

Well the first mention in the old testament is what he quotes from in this passage and that is Jeremiah 31:31-34. As for the New Testament, it's first mention is by Jesus Himself, at the last supper, where we read: 

Luk 22:19-20  And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."  (20)  In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

So the author of Hebrews is ramming it home now to show his Jewish readers that this promise of a new covenant was given in their Tanakh - their Hebrew Bible, or what we would call the Old Testament. It was right there! God never planned for the Mosaic Covenant to last forever for He had something far better in mind. So he starts this section by saying 'For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant...' Hmmm... what was wrong with the first covenant? Well... I think you know the answer to that now don't you? You were! Ok, we were. Humanity was, and is. 

When the New comes, the Old is gone!

 Heb 8:13 By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

And finally we read here that the Old Testament Mosaic covenant is obsolete. It is finished. I don't think you can state it any clearer than what is done here in this verse. The word used for 'obsolete' is the same word used earlier in Hebrews where it speaks of the present heaven and earth wearing out or growing old before they are changed.

Heb 1:10-12  He also says, "In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.  (11)  They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment.  (12)  You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end."

So to state the obvious, lots of people try to hold on to that which is obsolete. Seventh Day Adventists, legalists... We hear that you have to keep the Sabbath, you need to adhere to certain dietary laws, you need to tithe, you've got to keep the 10 commandments... all aspects of the first covenant. This last one concerning the 10 Commandments is important to clarify. Nine of the ten commandments (apart from the Sabbath) are given in the New Testament as they still express the moral nature of God, and He never changes. Yet, as we have seen, the 10 commands under the law ultimately became condemnation for those that followed them as they couldn't keep them - and this becomes even more so when we take into account that it is not just outward sins that the law governed, but really the inward heart attitude that gave expression to these sins. Thus the commandments written on tablets of stone were ultimately a ministry of death and condemnation, and that is what the New Testament calls them.

2Co 3:6-10  who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.  (7)  But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was,  (8)  how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory?  (9)  For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory.  (10)  For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it.

So the writer of Hebrews says the Mosaic law is obsolete and will soon disappear. It is interesting to note that this was written in the mid 60's AD. So did the Mosaic law and rituals soon disappear? They sure did. In 70 AD the temple was destroyed along with the entire animal sacrificial system. And here we are, nearly 2000 years later, and the Jews have had no sacrificial system since then. Now plans are well underway for a third Jewish temple... but that won't end well!

Conclusion 

So to conclude, we've taken a bit of time to delve into the New Covenant and essentially said in many words what Andrew Murray said in one line! 

“The New Covenant is a covenant of grace, not works; a covenant that regenerates rather than kills.”
Andrew Murray

And we should be thankful for that! The New Covenant is better in every way. Better promises, better priesthood, better sacrifice, better freedom, better access to God and better glory. And we are not called to mix the two covenants and come up with our own hybrid system. As Jesus said (with an eye on what was soon coming in): 

"No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old.  And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better.' " (Luk 5:36-39)

The new covenant is the new wineskins that hold the new wine of God's grace. We cannot, and should not, try to mix the new with the old or try to hold the new wine of God's grace within the wineskins of the law. That just upsets everything! No... we have seen that the word for 'new' is something both new in time and new in quality. It isn't just an updated reproduction of something old! 

So our challenge is to live in the freedom and joy that comes from understanding the New Covenant in His blood. We are not called to legalism. We are not called to license. We are called to liberty. And to use our liberty to serve and honor the One that gave us our freedom. I trust that will be your heart and desire as well.

God Bless.

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FOOTNOTES