The New Covenant is Better (Heb. 8:8-9)

Date:  04-07-03

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  The New covenant is better

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Hebrews 8:8-9

 

            1.  Message of the verse:  “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)  “But god himself found fault with the old one when he said:  ‘The day will come, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.  This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt.  They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the Lord.’”  (NLT)

            A lot of the things that are in these two verses I have written about yesterday from verse six.  The quotation comes from Jeremiah 31:31-34, and it is good to remember the time when Jeremiah made this prophecy.  Jeremiah was alive when the Babylonians came in and concurred Israel in 586 BC, and I am sure that those who read this latter on and those who heard him speak about this were given a certain amount of comfort by these verses. 

            When the Law was given to the people by Moses the people said that they would keep the Law, but did not keep it nor could they ever keep it.  Things got so bad that God allowed the Babylonians to conquer them and that is when this prophecy was given concerning the New Covenant.  I believe if the Israelites would have realized that the Law was given to them to show them the Holiness of God, and that they in and of themselves could never be that holy, and would have realized that their Messiah would come to fulfill this Law for them, then they would have been ready to receive Him when He came.

 

            2.  Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I can learn from the mistakes that these people made concerning the Law, and this will help me because I can realize that there is no way, outside of the work of the Holy Spirit in my life, that I will ever be able to do the things that God wants me to do to bring honor and glory to Him.

 

The Word of God was very instructive to me as I studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Lord to get me through this day even though I still have problems with IBS.  To trust the Lord to work out the qualities of compassion and courage in my heart so that I will continue to become more like Christ in my daily walk with Him.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 40:4-9

 

4.      How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.

5.      Many, O LORD my God, Are the wonders which Thou hast done, And thy thoughts toward us; There is none to compare with Thee; If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.

6.      Sacrifice and meal offering Thou hast not desired; My ears Thou hast opened; Burnt offering and sin offering Thou hast no required.

7.      Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me;

8.      I delight to do Thy will, O my God; Thy Law is within my heart.

9.      I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation; Behold, I will not restrain my lips, O LORD, Thou knowest.