Morning Message: A Better Covenant

Bobservations' Column

Titled - "A Better Covenant"

Written by:  Pastor Bob Lawrenz

The scribe of Hebrews takes a break in Chapter 8, reiterating and summarizing what the Holy Spirit has told him thus far. Not only do we read a summary, but we also get to see what and why the Lord had planned things out the way He did. This is a keen look at the workings of the mind of God! Following Him is often a challenge to someone not used to His ways. Expect to be surprised!

God’s foreknowledge is unending; He knows all of Satan’s tricks, and His remedies are thorough. He does not overlook us when it looks like Satan is having a heyday. If Satan throws up a roadblock, Jehovah sees to it that His will is not thwarted by the devil’s attempts to undo all His good works.

In Exodus 15:23-25, the bitterness of the waters of Marah made the waters undrinkable, a simple tree, thrown into the bitterness made them sweet. And interesting, the waters of Marah were directly on the path of God’s leading. Thirst and bitterness can be quenched and made sweet when we find Christ’s cross in the midst of our difficulties. When the Hebrews left Egypt, the wilderness of the Sinai wore them down, and time and again, they complained that Moses had led them to their own end, but God had a plan each time. He always does.

This is the lesson we all must learn: When our chosen path is somehow blocked, see if Christ and the Cross is somewhere in the mix. Look for evidence of Satan fighting against our Creator, hindering His works, and our faith. Check your own heart too, is it Jesus you have been following. Be cautious; the desires of your heart are not necessarily the path you want to follow.

God may close a door. Satan may close a door. This is not a time to play, “Let’s Make A Deal,” choosing Door #3! This is time to humble yourself, and ask the Lord to show you the way.

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” - Psalm 32:8

Bobservations' Column:  Audio Version

Sunday Morning Message:

Hebrews 8:1-13 - "A Better Covenant"

Summary/Additional Commentary & Definitions:

The New Testament tells us that Jesus is our intercessor, our mediator, our Savior and King. But only the book of Hebrews tells us that he is our priest. This unique concept is the central message of Hebrews, the main idea from which the others flow. Priesthood is the purpose for which Jesus was made human (2:17); his priesthood is the reason we should hold fast to our faith (4:14); and the proof that the old covenant has been set aside (7:12).

Hebrews 8 transitions from Christ's superior priesthood (Chapter 7) to His superior ministry within a superior covenant. It functions as the central hinge of the book's argument, establishing the theological basis for why the New Covenant in Christ's blood renders the Old Covenant system obsolete. The author uses a lengthy quote from Jeremiah 31 as the definitive scriptural proof that God Himself had always planned to replace the first covenant with a new, better, and final one, marked by internal transformation and complete forgiveness.

Jesus guarantees a better covenant, a better relationship with God. And because he lives forever at God’s right hand, “he is able to save completely those who come to God through him” (7:25). The old covenant priests could not save anyone, but Jesus is fully effective at what they could only picture. Jesus does it not by adding himself to the old covenant, but by fulfilling the old so thoroughly that the old becomes unnecessary. He supersedes the old covenant, replacing it with a better covenant (7:22).

When we have Jesus, we do not need the old covenant. The practices commanded in the Old Covenant (circumcision, various rituals, sabbaths and festivals) have no spiritual merit for the Christian. All we need is Jesus.

Sunday Morning Audio Message:

Key Words and Definitions with Reference:

The Sum (8:1) - The sum is the main point.  Here the writer arrived at his central message.  The fact is that "we have" a superior high priest, Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of all that was foreshadowed in the Old Testament.

Minister (8:2) - This is the same word used of the angels in 1:7. In Jeremiah 33:21, it was used of the priests.  

Sanctuary (8:2) - The holiest place where God dwelt (cf. Exodus 15:17; 25:8; 26:23, 24; 1 Chronicles 22:17). 

True Tabernacle (8:2) - The definition is given in the phrase, "which the Lord erected, and not man," as well as in 9:11, 24 (cf. v. 5).  It refers to the heavenly dwelling place of God.

Not be a Priest (8:4) - Jesus was not qualified to be a Levitical priest because He was not of the tribe of Levi.  Because of its use of the present tense, this verse indicates that the Levitical system was still in operation at the time of writing, indicating it was before the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70.

Example and Shadow (8:5) - The quote is from Exodus 25:40. This does not mean that there are actual buildings in heaven which were copied in the tabernacle, but rather that the heavenly realities were adequately symbolized and represented in the earthly tabernacle model.

Mediator (8:6) - The word describes a go-between or an arbitrator, in this case between man and God.

Better Covenant . . . Better Promises (8:6) - This covenant is identified as the New Covenant in verses 8, 13; 9:15.

Mind . . . Hearts (8:10) - By its nature, the covenant of law was primarily external, but the New Covenant is internal (cf. Ezekiel 36:26, 27).

Ready to Vanish (8:13) - Soon after the Book of Hebrews was written, the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed and its Levitical worship ended.