Let us move into the next chapter.
CHAPTER EIGHT
1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. 3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: 5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. 6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
The preacher is continuing his argument about why a Jewish Christian should not abandon Christ to return to the sacrifices of the Temple. The chapter opens with a continuation of the explanation of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. But it swiftly enters into a new area of debate, the New Covenant. In all of the New Testament, this is the most concise apology of the New Covenant with Old Testament support by quotation of the prophets.
Jesus is our high priest only because He is risen from the dead and ascended into heaven. Were He still on Earth, as the preacher says above, Jesus would not be able to even minister to the priests in the Temple, He is not of the correct tribe. But by His ascension, Jesus reestablishes the line of priesthood of the King of Righteousness Who is King of Peace. And the Tent where He ministers is the one erected by God the Father in Heaven.
God decided to impose a New Covenant when He knew the Jewish people would not be able to keep the Old Covenant He made with them at Sinai. The people had to constantly remind one another to keep the Law and serve the Lord. Under the New Covenant, the Law is placed in the hearts of the faithful and they will know it from within, not just from a book. This is the relationship God has always desired with humans, inward and all encompassing.
The mystical implications cannot be overemphasized: God wants to be in our lives and in our hearts on a permanent basis, not just on worship days. Therefore, the New Covenant entails the reformation of the very thoughts of the person joining it. But why do so many “Christians” fail to live the New Covenant? The human condition is one of pride and self-esteem. We want to do things our own way, including our own spiritual enlightenment. God’s way is too easy for some, they want a difficult process of flagellation and penance. For others the surrender of absolute sovereignty over our own souls is the sticking point. It becomes too hard for these to relinquish control of their hearts to the One Who made them. And they remain lost in the fog of their own efforts to be in charge of their lives.
No one said it is easy to give up control, nor is the simplicity of the Gospel an indication of ease of transition. Our fallen nature, the unnatural nature we have due to the bondage of sin and death, fights tooth and claw to remain in place. Only divine intervention of the most drastic kind will bring us back to the original nature God created us with.
This is the purpose of the New Covenant, to return humanity to the original nature of man. When that has been accomplished in all the world, there will be no need for preachers, prophets or teachers of God’s Word, for the Word of God will dwell in the hearts of all humanity. He will bring us into right standing with God through the metanoia, the change of thinking, that is wrought by the indwelling of Christ and the Holy Spirit. We cannot do this on our own, but He will not do it to us without our cooperation. That is, it is a joint effort of two entities working together in the same purpose. Why don’t you practice working with Him?
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