Daily Meditations

Hebrews 9:1 The first covenant When the writer here talks about the “First Covenant” he is referring to the covenant made with Moses and the Israelites on Mount Sinai. The Covenant made with Abraham, referred to previously, was made years before. Paul calculated it was 430 years. (Galatians 3:16-17.) The Sinai Covenant was a complex and demanding arrangement that the Israelites fastidiously attempted to obey, and they failed miserably. As would we! The full contents of this contract are set out in the Torah and the rules and ramifications of it all occupy most of the texts of Exodus through to Deuteronomy. The verse before us highlights the two main aspects; regulations for worship, and everything associated with an earthly tabernacle.  “Tabernacle” simply means “tent or temporary dwelling.”  It’s a deliberate action on God’s part, the Law and its rituals were only ever meant to be temporary, they were to occupy a period of time until Messiah came. They were given solely ...

Hebrews 8:13 The new covenant It is vital that we remember that God made more than one Covenant with the world through His ancient people, Israel. In fact, I believe there were 7. The two most important are, the contract that He sealed with Abraham, and the Covenant in which Israel was given the Law under Moses on Mount Sinai. Abraham was appointed the father of all who believe, from every nation, forever. The Law, on the other hand, was a temporary arrangement given primarily to Israel and it was put in place to protect and guide them exclusively as a nation, during their occupation of the Promised Land. This Covenant was established to guard the Jews until Christ came! It is now obsolete!  The New Covenant, instigated and initiated by Christ, replaces the contract on Sinai, it removes the need for a Levitical priesthood, a Temple and the rituals and ceremonies of the Jewish religion. However, what Christ has signed and sealed for us is in fulfilment of, and in no way detracts fro...

Hebrews 8:12 I will remember their sins no more.  Remember that these verses were written by a Jewish author, to Jewish people who were struggling to marry up the Christian faith with the laws and principles that they had grown up with and that had dominated the Jewish religion and culture for centuries. They needed to be reassured that God was not rejecting the Old Testament Scriptures, and the faith of their ancestors, for the sake of the church. In reality, what He was doing was embellishing the beliefs of the ancient people by embracing the whole world and replacing a broken system with something far better. Was Israel finished and eradicated from the Covenant promises of God? By no means, their faith and their understanding was being enhanced, it turns out that all that had been revealed to them over the centuries was simply the foundations, the roots of an even more elaborate and fuller plan for God’s engagement with the people of the world. The church needs to remember this,...

Hebrews 8:11 They will all know Him! There is a future fulfilment to these verses that we have been addressing. Remember that v8-12 of this chapter of Hebrews are a quotation from Jeremiah 31:31-34 and the old prophet’s pronouncements look into the future when the whole world will be under the rule and reign of Christ, and all men will learn to obey the commands of the Lord. The Israelites were ordered to teach the commandments of the Law to one another and to their children and many have done so, to this very day. In the same way my parents taught me a great deal from the Scriptures, not least what was right and wrong in God’s sight. Parents today would do well to follow this example, but it won’t always be necessary! Will we always need to proclaim the word of the Lord on street corners or in our workplaces or in Sunday Schools? No! There will come a day when men are no longer ignorant about God, for His Son will reign over the earth and His commands will be obvious to all.  Psal...

Hebrews 8:10 The Holy Spirit writes His Word in our minds and on our hearts The Old Covenant was exclusively with Israel, although it was intended to be a source of truth and inspiration to the whole world. Whilst the Israelites were God’s chosen people, they were not meant to keep that relationship just to themselves, God intended that they should be a light to everyone on the planet, that those who sought after Him could find truth through the Hebrew Scriptures. The most obvious benefit of the New Covenant, as opposed to the Old, was that instead of having to consult and pour over pages of written instructions, God has chosen to write its terms and conditions on our hearts. In this context we are all the people of Israel. Jacob was given this name after he spent a night wrestling with a divine being and Israel means, “One who struggles with God.” Isn’t that true of all of us?  Ezekiel elaborates on the New Covenant relationship when he prophesies the return of the people to their...

Hebrews 8:9 They did not remain faithful This is a further quote from Jeremiah 31, and it reveals something of the emotions in the heart of God towards His people. We can almost feel His sadness as He recalls His covenant relationship with the ancient Israelites,  “I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt.”  This is the Lord God at His most gentle and caring, it is with tenderness and love that He led the people away from the cruel demands of their Egyptian slave masters and guided them through the Red Sea and the wilderness. After a few months the vast crowd of ex-Hebrew slaves arrived at Mount Sinai and there the Lord gave them the terms and conditions of His covenant. He had high expectations, they had none. They were never going to obey Him completely; they were unfaithful people and still are. But even as we read these words, we realise that we are looking in a mirror for we are no better! The last part of this verse is chilling, because the people were not faith...

Hebrews 8:8 A new Covenant with Israel and Judah t’s probably a bit pointless to speculate about what God expected from Israel when He gave them the first Covenant. Did He really think that they could keep it? Did He unwittingly underestimate the ability of this people to obey His Law? Did they make far more of a mess of it all than He had ever considered possible? I think not! Our Father always had a plan; he knew that men were fallible and that a system of sacrificial offerings was necessary. If not, why did He instigate it so precisely to begin with? As the Apostle Paul says,  “So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.”  Galatians 3:24.  All the religions of the world depend on obedience and works, on adulation and on devotion to the gods, these are the only qualities that will appease their hierarchy. Our God accepts all such efforts from His faithful ones, but He shows us that we can never earn His favour, we can never atone f...