Thoughts for the Day

But Jesus has now obtained a more excellent ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted through better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need to look for a second one.

God finds fault with them when he says:

‘The days are surely coming, says the Lord,
when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah...

This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their minds,
and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.

For I will be merciful towards their iniquities,
and I will remember their sins no more.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

The covenant, or agreement, that God made with the Hebrew people through Moses has broken down (Deuteronomy 11), but God proposes a new covenant. The original covenant had conditions attached, where God promised the Israelites that He would bless them for obeying his commands and curse them when they failed to keep their promises (11.26-28). As a result if either party breaks the agreement, then the covenant is broken. The older covenants (there was more than one) were made between equals, as for instance is made between a couple who get married.

However, now God is to make a new covenant with His people, and the writer of Hebrew uses a completely different Greek word (diatheke) to indicate that the covenant is made with only one side responsible for keeping it. In other words this is about God graciously offering us out of pure love a relationship with Himself. No long will we be expected to obey a series of external laws - read the book of Leviticus to see the laws they were expected to keep! This new agreement is to be written on the minds and hearts of God's people. Now all is dependant on the grace and love of God! Christians will no longer obey God because of fearing His anger, instead we will obey Him because the desire to love Him is within us, and God promises to forgive us our sins when we come to Him in sincere repentance.

Heavenly Father,
our forebears were people of the Covenant:
an agreement You made with them,
when they left the desert;
but they were unable to keep
their side of the bargain,
and the covenant was declared void.
We thank You that Your Son
brought fresh hope for all
who believe in Him,
and that through Him a new covenant
was given to us, written in our hearts.
May we never forget Your gracious love
to us and continue to respond with gratitude.
Amen.