Okay, we are now in the grips of learning the importance of humanity having a New superior Covenant of Grace, as it distinguishes Grace and Faith from works. This replacing the old inferior covenant, as a far better covenant. Now the writer uses quotes taken form the old to show the inferior no longer important and the new improvements, he spends sometime on this as it flows over through most of the rest of this letter in some fashion, again to show the importance of its many parts. And again I must say this, where ever we find the terms: people, their, Israel, and we used, the writer did this to show the broadness of humanity's qualifying qualities to fit the senior. This may not appear so, but the Spirit says otherwise and he should know better than any one.
Hebrews 8:7-13 "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith (in Jeremiah 31:31), Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make (in Luke 22:20) a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: (in Exodus 19:5, 24:6-8, Deuteronomy 5:2-3, Jeremiah 31:32) 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. (in Jeremiah 31:33) 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 (2Corinthians 3:3) in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: (in Jeremiah 31:34) And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for (in Isaiah 54:13) all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. (in Isaiah 43:25, Jeremiah 31:34, 50:20, Micah 7:18-19 ) For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 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." (KJV)
Hebrews 8:7-13 "For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says (in Jeremiah 31:31): "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish (in Luke 22:20) a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah (in Exodus 19:5, 24:6-8, Deuteronomy 5:2-3, Jeremiah 31:32), not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. (in Jeremiah 31:33) For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them (2Corinthians 3:3) on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (in Jeremiah 31:34) And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for (in Isaiah 54:13) they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. (in Isaiah 43:25, Jeremiah 31:34, 50:20, Micah 7:18-19 ) For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more." In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away." (ESV)
Hebrews 8:7-13 "If there had been no flow in the first dispensation, why bother to replace it by a second? He had already faulted the first system when he said through Jeremiah, "Behold the day will come when I will make an entirely new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. We will be making a new agreement, completely unlike the previous one based on external rituals. I had literally to take your hand and lead you out of slavery from Egypt; yet you refused to spontaneously follow or trust me; I could never abide with your indifference. (GOD prophesies a covenant that will not be subject to the same defects of the previous one; or one that was spoon-fed to Israel and whose obligation they yet failed to meet. GOD had to take them by the hand to lead out of Egypt. This time, he promised, 'I will put my laws into their minds and write them upon their hearts....') Now, instead of documenting my laws on stone, I will chisel them into your mind and engrave them in your inner consciousness; it will no longer be a one-sided affair. I will be your GOD and you will be my people, not by compulsion but by mutual desire. Knowing me will no longer be a Sunday-school lesson, or something taught by persuasive words of (religious church) doctrine, neither will they know me on account of family traditions or door evangelism (each one telling his neighbor). Everyone, from the most unlikely to the most prominent people in society, will know me inwardly. This knowledge of me will never again be based on a sin-consciousness. My act of mercy, extended in Christ as the new Covenant, has removed (exonerated) every possible definition of sin from memory! Tossed into the Sea of forgetfulness for ever. (GOD'S memory of our sins (which he never saw or heard as they are alien to him) was not what needed to be addressed of our innocence. GOD did not have a problem with sin-consciousness, man does, has! He wasn't hiding from Adam (humanity) and woman in the garden; they were hiding from him! what needed to be addressed was our perception of a judgmental GOD, which were the inevitable fruit of the "I-am-not tree systems" and mentality.
Revenge, judgment, guilt, condemnation, inferiority, shame, regret, suspicion..ect. could not be treated lightly; they are the enemies of romance! If rules could do it, then the law would be our opportunity to save ourselves, simply by making the correct decisions! If willpower could save us them Moses would be our savior! But, alas! "The good that I want to do I cannot!" [Romans 7]
The scapegoat system would be introduced to somehow address and attempt to manage the consequences of sin. (It might be worth saying this most religious activities are a compulsion of pagan rites and rituals of historical pass.) The typical "eye for and eye, tooth of a tooth" scenario would be substituted with the idea of a scapegoat. And so, every system of sacrifice carried some significance, but only as far as it pointed to its weaknesses in dealing with the root of the problem, and the need for a better solution! We needed more than forgiveness of sins; we needed a savior who could rescue us from our weakness, sinfulness! This was not merely a means whereby we could get rid of the cobwebs; the spider needed to be killed! The "pay now,sin later-system" of religion had a very real sell by date!
Hebrews 10:2-3, "Had it been possible to present the perfect offering that had the power to successfully remove any trace of a sin consciousness, then the sacrificial system would surely have ceased to be relevant. But in the very repetition of these rituals sacrifices the awareness of guilt is reinforced rather than removed."
GOD does not demand sacrifices; he provides the sacrifice! The ultimate sacrifice for sins would never be something we did, or brought to GOD, to appeal to him; but the shocking scandal of the cross, is the fact that all humanity is confronted with the extravagant, embarrassing proportions of the Agape of our Maker; he would go to the most ridiculous extreme to finally convince us of his heart towards us! In order to persuade us of our worth to him, he speaks the most severe scapegoat language: "Behold the Lamb of GOD, who takes away the sins of the world!" This completely disarms religion! Suddenly there is nothing that we can do to persuade GOD about our sincere intentions; this is GOD persuading us of his eternal Agape dream!
GOD did not clothe Adam with the skin of a slain animal because of a divine need to be appeased, but because of their unconditional Agape for humanity, represented in Adam; they spoke the language of Adam's own judgment: Adam, not GOD, was embarrassed about his nakedness. Remember Genesis 2:25, as it stands alone, "they were naked!" The clothing was not to make GOD look at humanity differently, but to make Adam feel better about himself! And ultimately it was to prepare humanity for the unveiling of the mystery of humanity's redemption by the incarnation. Where Deity would clothe themselves in human skin in a Son, and the Loin of Judah would become the Lamb of GOD in order to free our minds to rediscover his image and likeness in our skin! Humanity is tailor-made for GOD!
1Peter 1:19, "but you were redeemed with the priceless blood of Christ; he is the ultimate sacrifice; spotless and without blemish. He complete the prophetic picture!" (The Mirror) ( in him GOD speaks the most radical scapegoat language of the Law of judgment, and brings finality and closure to a dead and redundant system! In Psalm 40:6-7, it is clearly stated that GOD does not require sacrifices or offerings! Jesus is the Lamb of GOD! He collides victoriously with the futile sacrificial system whereby offerings are constantly made to the pseudo, moody, monster gods of our imaginations! This is the scandal of the cross! GOD does not demand a sacrifice that would change the way he thinks about humanity; he provided the sacrifice, himself in Christ, in order to forever eradicate sin-consciousness form our minds and radically changed the way we think about our Maker, one another and of ourselves! [Sin-consciousness is a works-based consciousness which is the currency of religion!]) He announced the new dispensation to confirm that the old shadow system has been rendered redundant." (THe Mirror, with editing)
May the LORD bring us to his place of rest with his light of understanding of what is here revealed. Ame.
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