A New Covenant - Jeremiah 50 and Hebrews 8
By the time God destroyed Babylon the people of Israel were ready to enter into a new covenant with God. They knew they had broken the Old Covenant over and over. They knew that the New Covenant needed to be a perpetual covenant that would not be forgotten. Isn't that amazing? God had prepared their hearts for what He was going to do through Jesus. They were ready to return from the exile and rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. However, even more importantly, they were ready for a New Covenant. They began looking for the Messiah, too. They did not understand everything, but they knew they needed something new. Jeremiah had described it to them already. It would be a covenant written on their hearts, a personal relationship covenant. It just took a while for this new covenant idea to sink in.
Hebrews 8 explains this New Covenant. It is superior, because it has Jesus as the High Priest, and it has better promises. The writer of Hebrews is urging the Jewish people to move to the New Covenant once and for all. He tells them that the Old Covenant is becoming obsolete and ready to vanish. What happened soon after Hebrews was written? The Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. That was God's way of telling the Jews once and for all the Old Covenant was over. They had only one choice, Jesus, and the New Covenant in His blood. Some were ready to embrace Jesus, but many were not ready. They wanted to hold on to the past. They did not want to change even though the New Covenant was so much better. What about you? Have you embraced Jesus as the only Way and entered into that perpetual covenant with God? Have you given Him your life, once and for all, since He gave His life for you on the Cross? It is a fantastic arrangement, set up by God, because He loves you so much. Please, don't reject His covenant for you.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 51-52 and Hebrews 9.
Hebrews 8 explains this New Covenant. It is superior, because it has Jesus as the High Priest, and it has better promises. The writer of Hebrews is urging the Jewish people to move to the New Covenant once and for all. He tells them that the Old Covenant is becoming obsolete and ready to vanish. What happened soon after Hebrews was written? The Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. That was God's way of telling the Jews once and for all the Old Covenant was over. They had only one choice, Jesus, and the New Covenant in His blood. Some were ready to embrace Jesus, but many were not ready. They wanted to hold on to the past. They did not want to change even though the New Covenant was so much better. What about you? Have you embraced Jesus as the only Way and entered into that perpetual covenant with God? Have you given Him your life, once and for all, since He gave His life for you on the Cross? It is a fantastic arrangement, set up by God, because He loves you so much. Please, don't reject His covenant for you.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 51-52 and Hebrews 9.