The New Covenant

A literal translation of the Hebrew – Jeremiah 31:31–34

“Behold, days are coming – declaration of YHWH – and I will cut with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant. Not like the covenant which I cut with their fathers in the day of my grasping their hand to bring them out from the land of Egypt – which they, they broke my covenant, though I was master/husband over them – declaration of YHWH. For this is the covenant which I will cut with the house of Israel after those days – declaration of YHWH – I have given my torah in their inward parts, and upon their heart I will write it; and I will be to them as God, and they will be to me as a people. And they will no longer teach, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know YHWH,' for all of them will know me, from their smallest and unto their greatest – declaration of YHWH –  for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

The Hebrew stresses that the new covenant is emphatically “not like” the Sinai covenant. It points out that it is God’s “teaching” not “law” will be written “in their inward parts” and not merely “within them.” The Hebrew word קֶרֶב (qerev) means what is closest to one's core. God’s teaching is written on the heart as opposed to being written on stone as the Sinai covenant was.

The statement “I will be to them as God, and they will be to me as a people” is an expression of mutual belonging. Leviticus states the first covenant had similar wording but with conditions, people had to listen to God and keep the commandments. “I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.” (Lev 26:11, 12) God’s first covenant with Israel required mediation by priests, teachers, and prophets, it also included external rituals and sacrifices. The Hebrew author wrote that “every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices” … “They offer worship in a sanctuary that is a sketch and shadow of the heavenly one,” but Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant. The new “not like the first” covenant is personal with no rituals.

The reason given for no longer needing teachers for people to ‘Know God,’ is that God said all of them will know me… The clause marks the collapse of religious mediation as institutional. In the old order, knowledge of God was something a father instructed a son, a priest instructed people, a prophet relayed what others could not access directly. The verb "teach" (לַמֵּד) presupposes exactly that structure: someone possesses the knowledge, someone else lacks it, and an act of teaching bridges the gap. The clause “for all of them will know me” removes the gap since all will know “me” (God). God will put his law in their minds and write it on their hearts. The connection with God in the new covenant is not like in the first which was based on ritualistic sacrifice to atone for sin; Jeremiah stated that God forgives and forgets wickedness and sin. The new covenant relationship is not based on law but on promise.

The scene at Sinai was terrifying:

All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. Then they said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.’

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘you yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven.’” 

The contrasting backdrops to the covenants is seen in the twelfth chapter of Hebrews:

For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words … but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks better than the blood of Abel.  

The legalistic regime of the first covenant exacerbated by Jewish traditions and rules is set against the offer of Jesus “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” The Hebrew word “new” in Jeremiah’s prophecy specifies difference not timing which is evident in what Jesus said.

Peter debating whether to force Gentiles to be circumcised said “God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us. Now therefore why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?” 

God’s new covenant levelled social and religious rank, access is no longer governed by status, office, or knowledge. The covenant established at Sinai was exclusive to the people who were there at that time, people were instructed by priests and prophets as the book of Hebrews begins “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets.” The Sinai covenant was replaced by the unmediated covenant for everyone as Hebrews continued “in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son.” What was once necessarily external (a mediator, a teacher, a tablet) becomes internal and personal:

I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, 'Know the LORD', for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,

Paul quoted Jeremiah when stating “we are the temple of the living God; as God said, 'I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Until he died Moses was the mediator between God and the people of Israel. The covenant made with Abraham concerning Jesus requires no human mediator.

Paul describing Gentile access to God upset his Jewish audience by saying that some did by nature what the law required. Paul didn’t use the “know” language of Jeremiah’s prophecy to describe the Gentiles' situation, instead he introduced the conscience. The word Paul used was different to the word used by Jeremiah, however it shares its root with the "know me" clause, which signalled internalized knowledge of God. Paul added vocabulary that has no antecedent in Jeremiah at all “bearing joint witness,” witness – which was courtroom language. Jeremiah's “heart-writing” describes covenant renewal and instruction; Paul uses the same "written on heart" idiom to describe an internal courtroom, conscience as witness, thoughts as a prosecutor and defense attorney operating in Gentiles who never received Torah. God’s teaching in the new covenant is internal; the first covenant law was written in stone. From Noah to Jesus for all nations other than Israel there was no codified law governing access to God.

Job was a Godly man, he “was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.” He presented  burnt offerings to consecrate his children. God called Abraham to leave his homeland and move to a country unknown to him. Abraham was credited with righteousness because he trusted God. There was no institutional means of accessing God it was a matter of personal commitment. The covenant God made with Israel was exclusive to the people gathered at Sinai. Israel was set apart from the rest of the world. They were under God’s law. God had a close and special relationship with Israel:

For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Deu 7:6-8

God’s selection of Israel as his people didn’t mean he ignored the rest of mankind. The other nations did not have a covenant with God. Paul addressing Jews claimed the conscience within a person led some to naturally comply with God’s will.

For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, Rom 2:14, 15 

Israel had a purpose; its exclusivity was the protection needed to assure God’s promise to Abraham would be fulfilled as given. Global access to God did not change because Israel was God’s special nation. “The children of Israel” was not only the name of the nation it was a description – they were Jacob’s family the descendants of Abraham. The Jews were jealous of their privilege being God’s chosen race. So much so, that when Jesus pointed out that Naaman the Syrian was healed of leprosy and the widow of Zarephath in Sidon was helped by Elisha the people in the synagogue wanted to kill him. God through the prophet spoke of Cyrus as his anointed (messiah). God made Israel his special people, but he did not withdraw his love from all other people. The nation of Israel was closely tied to God however, each person was responsible to God, which was the same for all nations.

God’s promise to Abraham was fulfilled through Israel but not limited to Israel. God said to Abraham “…by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.” Gen 22:18 

Looking forward to the new covenant Jeremiah repeats God’s words:

See, I am going to gather them from all the lands to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation; I will bring them back to this place, and I will settle them in safety. They shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for all time, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them, never to draw back from doing good to them; and I will put the fear of me in their hearts, so that they may not turn from me. Jer 32:37-40

Ezekiel records the promise of God regarding the unification of the house of Israel and the house of Judah. The promise to David will be fulfilled that he would always have a descendant on the throne of Israel. Similar to Jeremiah’s prophecy God said, “Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” And, “I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them.” My dwelling-place shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

עַבְדִּי דָוִד – "my servant David," a title, not a claim of literal resurrection – this is standard prophetic shorthand for a future Davidic ruler.

I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all. Never again shall they be two nations, and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms. They shall never again defile themselves with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. I will save them from all the apostasies into which they have fallen, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God. My servant David shall be king over them; and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall follow my ordinances and be careful to observe my statutes. They shall live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, in which your ancestors lived; they and their children and their children's children shall live there for ever; and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will bless them and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary among them for evermore. My dwelling-place shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Eze 37:22-27

The promise of blessing for all people through Abraham’s descendents was made before the existence of Israel. God’s covenant was made with the people of Israel not all people. Israel was set apart from the rest of the world as God’s chosen nation. They were the agency by which God fulfilled his promise to Abraham. The promise of a new covenant was given to Israel alone. Access to the new covenant is through trust in Jesus and is universal.

Before the new covenant could be of full force the temple had to be destroyed.

You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation. ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, desolate.’ Mat 23:33-38 

Matthew used the word as Jeremiah “this house will become a desolation” addressing the impending destruction of the temple and city by the Babylonians. In Jesus teaching on the end of the age, he refers to Daniel’s prophecy “when you see the desolating sacrilege.”

When did the new covenant become of full effect?

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. Heb 1:1, 2

Jesus “appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Heb 9:26

“These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come.” 1Co 10:11 

For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. Mat 16:27, 28

In speaking of 'a new covenant', he has made the first one obsolete, and what is obsolete and growing old will soon disappear. Heb 8:13 

“Immediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.” Mat 24:29 

The new covenant began with the crucifixion of Jesus. It did not become of full effect until after the destruction of the temple. Up to that point Jewish believers were still under the first covenant and Sinai law, Gentile Christians were to keep the law as sojourners among Israelites in ancient times. 

Peter spoke to Jews: 

…all the prophets, as many as have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, also predicted these days. You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways. Act 3:24-26

Peter told the Jews that the prophets had spoken about the events that were unfolding at that time, but most didn’t connect with what he said because their leaders had rejected Jesus and his teaching. Prophecy warned them of things to come to no avail because they were saturated with traditions and regulations. Jewish leaders perpetuated traditional opinions as doctrine. When we do not focus on God’s plan our interpretations lose God’s context. When we accept erroneous future fulfillments of prophecies satisfied thousands of years ago the continuity of God’s plan is subverted. God’s reconciling humanity to himself is the theme and every interpretation must support that theme. But leaders and theologians have influenced  translation and interpretation of scripture by inserting their erroneous opinions as facts. Church leaders maintain the traditions initiated by the Roman Church sometime modified but not rejected. They hijack God’s story making it their own just as the Jewish elders did with their traditions and rules.

God stated emphatically that the new covenant would not be like the Sinai covenant! In what way is the Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Anglican, Presbyterian, evangelical, or fundamental Church not like Israel under the Sinai covenant and law? All Churches are structured the same as institutional Judaism. All Churches base their doctrines and rituals on Jewish and first century Christian practices – both of which were within the Sinai covenant era. Did God really mean that the new universal covenant promised to Abraham would provide a better relationship between himself and man? Has God put his law inside us and written his teaching on our hearts as he promised? Most Churches use scriptures to confirm their institutional doctrines and practices, rather than basing their doctrines on scriptural principals.

I drive a vehicle purchased in 2003; in auto-years I think it’s likely around my age – old. It doesn’t run as smooth as it used to, but the seats are comfortable. I installed a backup camera since it can’t see where its going in reverse. There are a few odd bangs and clunks which suggests it has joint pain like me. There are a lot of memories connected to this vehicle, although it doesn’t remember any – that’s not age-related. I drive this vehicle to the store and back and once in while to go fishing. I have another vehicle 13 years younger, with more comfort and safety features and a lot less milage. I rely on the design and newer technology and use this vehicle for long trips. I have a sentimental attachment to the older vehicle but trust the newer one to get me where I am going, and back.

You might be wondering what this has to do with scripture – nothing, it’s a human peculiarity; we become attached to things and can’t let go of them. One of the oldest things still around is the Catholic Church. It was a political modification of a religious institution. It is a human organization. It compressed multiple autonomous groups into one controlled conglomerate. That one Church to millions has become what my old vehicle is to me. The problem is that while my vehicle doesn’t dictate behaviours and beliefs the Catholic Church does. Catholicism is a pseudo religious political institution. It also spawned thousands of other Churches.

Getting back to old things; the Hebrew scriptures have been around for more than three thousand years. The Christian scriptures are about fourteen hundred years younger. Unlike vehicles there are no new versions. If designer developing vehicles followed the same process as religious teachers have with scripture, they would have multiple wheels of different size and shape. Vehicles would have more than one driver seat with steering wheels pointing in different directions all used at the same time. Fortunately, it’s impossible to imagine or make a vehicle like this. There is nothing wrong or incomplete with the scriptures, only the Churches who study and use them to support institutional traditions. People in the pews are less culpable than religious leaders who like their kind in the first century peddle rules and traditions instead of truth.

The Christian scriptures were written before 70CE by eight different authors mostly Jewish. These scriptures contain four accounts of the life and teaching of Jesus. For disciple of Jesus the four gospels are the most instructive since they indicate the way Jesus related to people, his teaching and habit of spending time in prayer with his father God. The gospels should be our go to information since being a disciple means to follow Jesus. An important note is that Jesus did not build a Church, didn’t have anything to do with establishing a religious institution. His preaching focused on the coming kingdom which was spiritual. His mission was focused on Israel primarily and the completion of God’s plan to save the world through Israel – the descendents of Abraham. Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s promise.

The letters and writings focus on the move from the old to new covenant relationship. It was a time of transition in which the covenant and law of Moses was in effect and the new covenant was being introduced. The new covenant covered believers who if they were Jews were required to keep the law of Moses. Gentiles once included with believers had similar status and legal requirements as sojourners in Israel. God’s covenant made with Abraham included the land and the people, as well as the promise of universal blessing. During the transition period Gentiles were not expected to become Jews but were required abstain from practices abhorrent to Jewish beliefs. A lot of scripture is given to practices of believers with instruction on desired behaviours.

Attributing the word Church to Jesus is a denial of his divine nature, it makes him a tin pot ruler or chairman of a club rather than the eternal king of Israel. The Greek word Matthew employed for what Jesus said he would build is used of the people gathered at Sinai when the law was given. There is no justification for twisting scriptures to make them conform with human devices. God’s word through Jeremiah forecasts a very different relationship between God and people. The legal conditional covenant of Sinai would end, and the grace-based covenant secured by the sacrifice of Jesus would take its place. The Promised Land, physical laws, the rituals and ceremonies, the material temple, and sacrifices. All give way to the renewed Isael, which is heavenly, a spiritual law, the sacrifice of Jesus which takes away sin. There are no rituals only a relationship, the temple in which God resides is inside us. The covenant and law governing Israel is dead. They died with the destruction of the temple and City of God.

The book of Hebrews comments on the faithfulness by which our relationship with God is secured:

By faith he (Abraham) stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 

The Greek word translated as faith in English is based on the Hebrew word (emunah). In Hebrews 11:1 it has the meaning of confident trust or conviction directed at unseen, hoped-for realities. Hope in this context is – the confident expectation of a good outcome based on God's promise rather than mere wishful anticipation. The new covenant relationship with God is what Abraham demonstrated. Paul goes so far as to state that “…the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.” And, “Just as Abraham 'believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness', so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham.” In the original language “believed God” is Abraham’s trust and reliance on God. The English words faith and belief are weak religious words compared to the Greek/Hebrew meanings of conviction, trust, confidence which represent Abraham’s assurance in God.

Eden represents what God wanted – a relationship with man created in his image. From Gen 2 isolation in paradise was difficult for man, hence the creation of the woman. Eden included preservation of human will in an environment hugely weighted in favour of man avoiding separation. Human choice influenced Adam and Eve to choose to break their relationship with God. Mortality and corruption became normal, banishment from Paradise permanent. God's plan for reconciling man; re-establishing the relationship began with banishment; morality became a reality. God chose Noah and family as saviours of the human race. After the flood two paths appear; those who followed their imagination and a few who stayed true to God. Abraham stands out because he trusted God. The promise of redeemer who would bring universal blessing and access to God was Jesus. Israel was the means of accomplishing that. The new relationship with God is personal and familial. The battle between good and evil turned bad for Satan when Jesus gave humans the power over his demons, as Luke records Jesus saying he saw Satan fall from heaven.

God’s story of reconciliation came to close with the destruction of his temple, the destruction of his city, and the desolation of those who had rejected Jesus, and immediately after that Jesus returned in glory with his angels. Jesus warned people and the Jewish leaders about their ruin in his later parables. There is no physical evidence or any extant reports of Jesus returning. He did!

The future Paradise will be an irreversible relationship with God because Satan and wickedness will have been terminated. The scriptures tell the story; we need to listen. Our opinions are not scripture; we do not have permission modify or humanise scripture to make more palatable for sceptics or anyone. Paul wrote:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, 'The one who is righteous will live by faith.'

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.