Broken Covenants and a New Covenant – Essential Doctrines of Christ-followers
The Bible is a story of covenants beginning with God’s promise to Adam and Eve of redemption through Eve’s seed (Christ). After the flood came the rainbow promise then a covenant made with Abraham. Through him, God promised to set aside one nation as a conduit through whom he would bless all peoples. That nation, Israel was to be a light to the whole world. “The LORD had said to Abram, …I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you…and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen. 12:1-3).
But even this Abrahamic covenant, while prophetic of the certainty of redemption through the Jewish people, failed to ensure the production of a holy people. The progeny of Abraham became a great nation of twelve tribes and yet, during years as slaves in Egypt, they rejected God and began to worship idols and commit all kinds of evil practices.
Next came the Mosaic covenant. In a powerful demonstration of his redemptive power, God delivered the nation from slavery through Moses, led them across the Red Sea on dry land to the foot of Mount Sinai. There on the mountain God delivered his law which outlined how individual Jews should live and how Israel as a nation was to conduct itself in the promised land.
This law, which bound Israel to a covenant relationship with God, came in three forms. The moral law which had been written on human hearts since creation was codified as the ten commandments. These commandments defined four moral duties to God and six to mankind. Besides the moral law, God gave the nation ceremonial and civil laws.
The ceremonial laws served to guide the nation in their worship of God through establishing a tabernacle where God would symbolically dwell, creating a priestly group who would lead worship, and a series of rites, including sacrifices, which would define how to approach God and atone for sin. These ceremonial instructions were very detailed so that the sanctity of God could be guarded and Jewish sinfulness could be dealt with. The civil laws included many directions on how to lead a just society.
Surely, this Mosaic covenant would be sufficient to create a righteous nation. Yet, even before Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the law, the people began to worship a golden calf and commit lewd acts of immorality. And instead of proceeding directly to Canaan to claim their promised inheritance, the people grumbled that victory was not possible. As a result, God sentenced them to wander for 40 years in the wilderness until that faithless generation would die.
Even under Moses godly leadership during these wilderness wanderings, this covenant with its clearly defined laws proved insufficient to transform the Israelites into a righteous people. Fortunately, within the books of the law themselves, God had enshrined a promise of another like Moses [Jesus Christ] who would redeem the people. (See Deut. 18:18,19)
Upon Moses death, Joshua, his successor, led the people in the conquest of the promised land and distribution of the territories among the tribes. But after Joshua died, and “that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals…In his anger against Israel the LORD handed them over to raiders who plundered them…The LORD raised up judges who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. Yet they would not listen to their judges…quickly turned from the way” (Judges 2:10,14,16).
The erratic period of the judges was characterized by cycles of rebellion, conquest by raiders, national misery followed by an appeal for God’s deliverance. In pity, God sent them judges as diverse as Othniel, Deborah, Gideon and Samson who were tasked with delivering leading, and judging his rebellious people.
Finally, in Samuel, God raised up a special man who delivered the people from their enemies and “continued as judge over Israel all the days of his life. From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah judging Israel” (1 Samuel 7:15,16). But not content with Samuel’s wise and godly leadership, they demanded a king to succeed him. God gave them their desire.
First God appointed King Saul, then King David followed by King Solomon. David’s rule was, in the main, wise and just though it ended badly. Under King Solomon the nation reached the zenith of its power and prosperity. He demonstrated many examples of wise governance. But ultimately, he strayed into ungodly pomp and immorality. The kings who following ruled over a divided nation. A few were wise. Most were wicked and unjust. God prophesied to David that something better would come; of his offspring God would raise up a king who would establish an everlasting kingdom. (See 2 Sam. 7) Jesus, a son in the line of David, became the fulfillment of that prophecy.
Old Testament history demonstrates mankind’s failure. God kept his covenant promises but mankind, even God’s chosen people, the Jews, broke the covenants again and again. Yet Scripture states that during the erratic and idolatrous period of the kings; “The LORD was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy them or banish them from his presence” (2 Kings 13:23). Along with each failure—setting aside a special nation, providing great leaders like Moses, giving righteous laws, appointing judges and kings, even appealing through prophets—God promised something better.
Jeremiah and Ezekiel explained that redemptive promise most clearly. “’The time is coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel…not like the covenant I made with their forefathers …because they broke my covenant…This is the covenant…I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people…For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.’” (Jer. 31:31-34)
The Bible tells the story of many broken covenants followed by one new covenant purchased through the blood of Christ. This new covenant made provision for us to receive forgiveness and have the law written on our hearts. The stories of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David are stories of failure that prefigure a new hope of righteousness. Through God’s undeserved grace expressed in a covenant sealed by the blood of Christ, lost people have hope of redemption. There is hope in nothing else. The new covenant promises to restore Eden, first by forgiving our sins and planting a new Edenic nature in our hearts so that, although our bodies deteriorate, our souls may soar. Then he will take us to heaven for a joyful reunion with our Saviour.
Every hope we have of bliss, of joy, of peace, of deliverance from addiction to sin is dependent upon this new covenant of grace. And only the promised one, the Lord Jesus Christ, fulfills that covenant by atoning for our sins. All praise to our Covenant God! Hallelujah for the cross!
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