“In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away” (Hebrews 8:13).
We will conclude our look at Hebrews chapter eight with a general comparison between the Old and New Covenants. For instance, God’s Old Covenant commandments were written on tablets of stone. His New Covenant commandments are written within the hearts of those who follow Christ.
We should also note that God continually urged His people to maintain their relationship with Him under the Old Covenant. For example, consider the following Old Testament admonitions…
“Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the LORD your God has forbidden” (Deuteronomy 4:23).
“When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day” (Deuteronomy 8:10-11 ).
“Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies” (2 Kings 17:38-39 NIV).
Much like an authority figure who must externally motivate a student, athlete, or employee, God often had to take a similar approach with His Old Covenant people. On the other hand, the New Covenant governs our inner motives as we saw earlier in Hebrews 8:10: “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.”
This New Covenant distinctive thus places the focus upon God’s internal work within our lives. While the Old Covenant emphasized the need to adhere to an external code of conduct, the New Covenant changes us from the inside out by internalizing God’s principles, standards, and morals within us.
Finally, the Old Covenant mandated a continual series of sacrificial offerings that followed a predictable pattern…
- A person engaged in a sinful behavior.
- A sacrifice was offered to cover his or her sin.
- A person engaged in a sinful behavior.
- The cycle continued.
In contrast, God sacrificed His Son once for all under the New Covenant. This aspect of the New Covenant is so important that our author will return to it again in chapters nine and ten of this epistle.