| |
This
covenant was conditional; that is, it depended on how they lived and
what they did - their obedience. If they were not obedient, then they
would not be God’s own people. God never promised to be their
God in this covenant. It was one sided!
As
we know, the people of Israel, including their leaders, did not obey.
They did not even believe Him in the wilderness (Heb. 3:1-4:14). Most
of the kings of Israel did not love God as they should have. We find
that King Solomon started off well; but near the end of his life,
he started loving other gods in addition to God.
| |
. . . his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God (NASB)
1 Kings 11:4 |
As a result, the nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms: the
Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah (1 Kings 11:1-4, 9-11;
12:16-24). The kings of these two kingdoms did not learn from King
Solomon’s error. Most of them were wicked or evil kings whose
hearts were not completely “devoted to the LORD.” Did you
notice their problem was not that they did not love the Lord, but
that they did not love Him completely! So the prophet Jeremiah gives
them a warning from the Lord,
| |
They
have turned back to the iniquities of their ancestors who refused
to hear My words, and they have gone after other gods to serve
them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken
My covenant which I made with their fathers.” Therefore
thus says the LORD, “Behold I am bringing disaster on them
which they will not be able to escape; though they will cry
to Me, yet I will not listen to them. (NASB) Jer. 11:10-11 |
New
Covenant.
The old covenant - Mosaic Law - depended on their obedience. If they
did not obey, God would bring disaster on them.
| |
For
if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have
been no occasion sought for a second. 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; 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.
(NASB) Heb. 8:7-9 |
This
is a quote from Jeremiah 31:31-32. Did you notice the words “new
covenant” in the first verse? So God decided long ago to make
a new one. The old one did not work.
| |
“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 UPON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE
THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. “AND THEY SHALL
NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN, AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER,
SAYING, ‘KNOW THE LORD,’ FOR ALL SHALL KNOW ME, FROM
THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM. “FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL
TO THEIR INIQUITIES, AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE.”
(NASB) Heb. 8:10-12 |
This is Jeremiah 31:33-34 - the promise of a new covenant. Notice
all of the “I will” statements. There are no conditional
statements here. God does not require that we do anything. He does
it all. He will put the Holy Spirit in our hearts. That is how His
law is written in our minds, and on our hearts. This is the first
covenant, or promise that He will be the Christian’s God and
we will be His people. |
|
