The new covenant
Jesus finished making the only sacrifice that will cleanse men’s sins. He is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven. He is the High Priest in heaven, described here as the sanctuary (Hebrews 8:1-2). He serves as High Priest in the church, which is the greater part of the true tabernacle. The tabernacle Moses was instructed to build was a shadow of the true tabernacle, or the church.
The duty of priests is to make offerings. Jesus had to have something to offer and a place to offer it. He did not make his offering on earth, as the priests of the material tabernacle did, but in heaven. He continues to intercede for us, but does not continue to "offer gifts and sacrifices." He could not make His offering on this earth, as the only priesthood authorized on this earth was the Aaronic priesthood (Hebrews 8:3-4; Numbers 18:1-7).
The priests and tabernacle under Moses’ law were only a shadow of the true substance to come. Exodus 25:40 is quoted by the writer of Hebrews proving the tabernacle was built according to a pattern. "Pattern" primarily means the impression left by a blow. The tabernacle had to be built according to the pattern so it could be a good shadow of the archetype. Christ’s ministry is better than that of the Levitical priests by virtue of the better covenant under which he serves. Jesus is the mediator, or go-between for God and man in this covenant (Hebrews 8:5-6; 1 Timothy 2:5).
If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a new one. The fault was that man could not find justification before God under it (Romans 3:30; Galatians 2:16; 3:11). A new covenant was promised by the grace of God (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The old covenant could not change those people who remained stubborn in their disobedience. Both covenants come out of the one covenant made with Abraham, as recorded in Genesis 12:1-3. Milligan suggests that the old covenant was a fulfillment of the physical elements of that promise, while the new is a fulfillment of the spiritual elements (Hebrews 8:7-8).
God determined He would no longer deal with the people who wanted to come to him through the covenant made at Sinai. He could not deal with man through that covenant because man continually broke it. Those who broke the covenant rejected God as Lord. Their rejection forced God to reject them as his people (Hebrews 8:9).
The author, still using the quote from Jeremiah, shows the better qualities of the new covenant. For instance, the law of Moses was written on tables of stone (Exodus 34:1, 23). The new covenant would be implanted in the mind of man and written on his heart (2 Corinthians 3). Man will no longer be just obeying the written letter of the law. Now man will be obeying the spirit of the law which he will know from within himself. Under the new covenant man would have a God, seen through the eye of faith, rather than thinking he needs some physical image to worship (Hebrews 8:10; 11:1-6).
Each member of the kingdom, under the physical covenant, had to be taught to know God. This is not true under the new spiritual covenant. Becoming part of Christ’s kingdom requires one to already know God and be taught by him (Isaiah 54:13; John 6:44-45). Those living under Christ’s covenant must know God to be a part of the kingdom (John 14:1-6, 15; Hebrews 11:6) and everyone is invited (Matthew 11:28-30; Revelation 22:17). Sin could not be removed under the old covenant (9:9; 10:4), but under the new, God cannot remember our sins, as Jesus’ blood washes them all away (Hebrews 8:11-12; 9:9; 10:4; 1 John 1:7-9; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 1:5).
The Old Testament is still valuable history. It is full of lessons concerning God’s dealings with man (1 Corinthians 10:12), but as a covenant its usefulness to man is past. Jesus took it out of the way as a religious institution (Colossians 2:14). It died as a civil institution at the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 (Milligan).
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