A New Covenant Hebrews 8:8

According to the writer of Hebrews, if the “first covenant” authorized by God “had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second”. In chapter eight and verse eight of Hebrews the writer shared how God made “a new covenant with the house of Israel” and “with the house of Judah” where we read:

For finding fault with them, he says, Behold, the days come, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

The verse begins, “For finding fault with them, he says, Behold, the days come, says the Lord,...”. The writer began with the word, “For” which means “even as, indeed, no doubt, seeing then, verily and therefore” “finding fault” or “seeing and noticing blame” “with them” which refers to “the house of Israel and Judah”, “he says” which means “God speaks, affirms, maintains, exhorts and commands”, “Behold” or “lo and see” “the days come” which means “time in general will arise, show itself and find place of influence”, “says” or “speaks, affirms, maintains, exhorts and commands” “the Lord” which refers to “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the Messiah”. Since God found “fault” with the people within Israel and Judah, He pronounced something new for the “days” ahead.

The verse goes on to say, “...when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:”. The writer continued with the words, “when I shall make” or “even, also, indeed and therefore God shall bring to an end, accomplish, fulfill and effect” “a new” which means “recently made, fresh, recent, unused and unworn” “covenant” or “disposition, arrangement, compact or testament” “with the house” which means “upon, over, at and on the dwelling place and habitation” “of Israel” which means “he shall be a prince of God” and was “the name given to the patriarch Jacob who was a forefather of the family or descendants of Israel” “and with the house” which means “and upon, over, at and on the dwelling place and habitation” “of Judah” which means “he shall be praised” and was “the fourth son of Jacob and descendant of Abraham”. God's promise was to fashion and accomplish a “new” agreement with the people of Israel and Judah.

When we think through these words in Hebrews, we see how the “fault” discovered in the “first covenant” was not with the “covenant” itself, but rather with the people of Israel and Judah. The “covenant” was perfect, but the people were not. Jesus was the only person who ever kept the “laws” within the “first covenant” with God, and because people have not kept them, there was a need for a “new covenant” to be brought in. The glory within this verse is that God loved people so much that He would bring in a “new covenant” that was contingent upon Jesus keeping it rather than us. Now we have the gift of salvation based upon His works and not ours. All glory be to Jesus Christ and God the Father for for recognizing our inability to keep His law and giving provision for us to be saved.

Next time we shall see the writer share how this “new covenant” is “not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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