Lovers of God

Hebrews Chapter 8

1 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. 4 Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; 5 who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, "SEE," He says, "THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN." 6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.

The priests who came from Levi served in a man-made tabernacle. This tabernacle was only a shadow of the real tabernacle, which is in heaven – the tabernacle in which Jesus, as high priest, served.

Further, the Levites really brought nothing to the table themselves. On the other hand, Jesus actually paid for our sins, and it was by the blood of Jesus that the New Covenant was enacted.

Additionally, the Levites didn’t mediate the covenant they minister to, whereas Jesus was Himself the mediator of the New Covenant.

So clearly, you can see, the writer says, that the New Covenant is superior, and thus argues that it just doesn’t make sense to abandon the New Covenant and go back to the Old Covenant.

7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. 8 For finding fault with them, He says, "BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH; 9 NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I DID NOT CARE FOR THEM, SAYS THE LORD. 10 "FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 11 AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN, AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, 'KNOW THE LORD,' FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM. 12 "FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES, AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE." 13 When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.

What’s more, the writer continues, God would have never set up a new covenant if the old one was faultless. The very fact that God set up a new covenant indicates that the old one was with fault.

What were its other faults, besides the ones already mentioned so far?

One of the things not mentioned so far was that there was no personal relationship between God and each man. God hardly ever directly talked to the Israelites, but he talked to them through Moses. But in the New Covenant, we have a direct, personal relationship with God. This is a big deal when you think about it.