Lesson 9

THE OLD AND NEW COVENANTS

King James Version (KJV)

Introduction

In the Bible God made a number of covenants. Some covenants were with individuals (such as with Abraham, Gen. 15:18), some were with groups of people (such as with David and his descendants, 2 Sam. 7:12-16), one was with a nation (Israel), and some were with the world (such as the covenant regarding floods, Gen. 9:8-17). God's covenants were like wills. They were prompted by God's loving concern for those to whom the covenants were offered. When these covenants contained conditions, it was God who dictated the terms. Those to whom the covenants were offered either accepted them by agreeing to abide by the stated conditions, or they rejected them.

In this lesson we will concentrate on two covenants. The first is the covenant God made with the nation of Israel at Mt. Sinai. The second is the one God's makes with individuals through Christ. We will sometimes refer to these as the old and new covenants since Jeremiah said the second one was new (Jer. 31:31) and thus implied that the first one is old.

1. The Old Covenant

After the Israelites had fled from Pharaoh and had crossed the Red Sea, they spent almost three months in the wilderness before arriving at Mt. Sinai (Exo. 19:1). Moses, the leader of the Israelites, went up into the mountain, where God told Moses of His intention to make a covenant with the nation of Israel: "Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel" (Exo. 19:3b-6).

It was God, not the Israelites, who initiated the idea of the covenant. It was God who graciously offered it to them as a continuation of the goodness He had already shown them. It was God who specified the terms of the covenant ( "...if ye will obey my voice indeed, ..." ). It was God who determined the blessings the Israelites would receive if they kept the covenant ( "...t ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people ... ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.' ). It was God who had the authority to dictate these terms ( "... for all the earth is mine..." ).

When Moses came down from the mountain, he met with the elders of Israel and told them what God had said. With no dissension or hesitation, the elders responded: "All that the LORD hath spoken we will do" (Exo. 19:7-8).

God uttered the Ten Commandments from Mt. Sinai (Exo. 20:1-17). In the days that followed Moses went back on the mountain and received from God details of the provisions and terms of the covenant. What he learned he wrote in a book, called "the book of the covenant." When he came down, he built an altar at the foot of the mountain where young bulls were sacrificed. Moses collected some of blood in basins. The rest he sprinkled on the altar. Then he read the book of the covenant to the people. They replied: "All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient" (Exo. 24:7). Moses then took the blood he had collected, sprinkled it on the people, and said: " Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words " (Exo. 24:8). This ceremony formalized and sealed the covenant of God with Israel.

The law Moses received for governing Israel is recorded in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. After Moses died, God continued to reveal Himself intermittently to the Israelites. Sometimes he did this when the people specifically inquired of Him through the Urim and Thummin, which were objects carried by the high priest in his robes just for this purpose (Exo. 28:30; 1 Sam. 28:6). Sometimes He spoke through inspired prophets, who enlarged the law by interpreting and applying it to particular situations.

2. The New Covenant

a. The New Covenant in Prophecy

When the new covenant took effect after Christ died, it should not have been a surprise to the Israelites. Several of their prophets had foretold it (Hos. 2:18; Jer. 31:31-34; Eze. 16:61-62). Jeremiah's prophecy is quoted in the New Testament in connection with a contrast between the old and new covenants (Heb. 8:8-12). The accompanying table lists four distinguishing characteristics of the new covenant which Jeremiah pointed out.

b. Other Features of the New Covenant

The new covenant is the fulfillment of the third (the seed) promise to Abraham: "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed " (Gen. 22:18). The law governing the old covenant (the law of Moses) was given 430 years after the promise was made to Abraham. Paul points out that the covenant God made with Israel does not invalidate the covenant God had made with Abraham nor does it nullify the promise God included in the covenant with Abraham (Gal. 3:17).

The old covenant was made specifically with Israel. Moses made this clear when he reminded the Israelites of the events that had taken place at Mt. Sinai (Deut. 5:1-6). The law of Moses was a national law given only to Israel to govern them as a nation. The new covenant, on the other hand, has a much broader scope. When Jesus commissioned His apostles to preach the gospel of the new covenant, He told them to teach all nations (Matt. 28:19) and to Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). The new covenant is superior to the old because no one is excluded from the possibility of participating in it and enjoying its benefits.

Christ is the mediator between God and those who submit themselves to the provisions of the new covenant (Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). Christ has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18). His word governs the new covenant. No one else has the right or the authority to cancel the new covenant or to eliminate, add to, or otherwise change its terms.

3. Replacement of the Old Covenant with the New

a. The Passing of the Old Covenant

The scriptures just mentioned imply that the old covenant and the new covenant cannot be in force at the same time. Other scriptures in the New Testament are emphatic that this is indeed the case. Jesus came to fulfill the old covenant (Matt 5:17). When He died, He fulfilled it (John 19:28-30). The old covenant is no longer needed because its purpose has been achieved. It was intended to be a tutor to prepare the Israelites for the coming of the new covenant. Once Christ came, bringing the gospel of righteousness through faith, the tutor's job was completed (Gal. 3:24-25).

Paul confirms that the old covenant is no longer in force because Jesus "crucified" its law when He Himself was crucified (Eph. 2:14-16; Col. 2:14). The old covenant had to be removed so there would be a place for the new one (Heb. 8:6-7; 9:9). The law of the old covenant was given by Moses, but grace was realized in Christ (John 1:17). Participants in the new covenant are therefore under the covenant of grace (Rom. 6:15) and are dead to the law of Moses (Rom. 7:4).

b. Implications of the Replacement of the Old Covenant with the New

The Ten Commandments were given to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. They were a part of the law given through Moses. If the old covenant has been replaced with the new, what has happened to the Ten Commandments? Are they still binding? Paul quotes the tenth of the Ten Commandments in Rom.7:7 as an example of the law of Moses. He declares that we have been released from the law (Rom. 7:6), hence, from the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments were written on tablets of stone. Those commandments, together with the rest of the law of Moses was removed by Christ (2 Cor. 3:7-18).

Does this mean there is no longer a law against idolatry, theft, adultery, and coveting? No, the law of Christ, the law governing the new covenant, specifically forbids these sinful activities. What it does mean, however, is that you cannot appeal to the Ten Commandments for authority to condemn these activities. Authority no longer resides in the Ten Commandments. Remember, Christ now has all authority (Matt. 28:18; Eph. 1:20-23). It is His word that is binding today. The table below shows that in principle all but one of the Ten Commandments has been incorporated into the law governing the new covenant, being taught either by Christ Himself or by His apostles.

The one commandment included in the old covenant but omitted in the new is the commandment to remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. For the Israelites the sabbath day was a day of rest. The Israelites observed it on the seventh day of the week, which corresponded to the day of the week on which God rested after the six days of creation. In the new covenant under the direction of the apostles the disciples assembled for worship on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-2). This was the day Jesus was raised from the dead (Luke 24:1-7).

There are other practices observed under the law of Moses that are not part of the new covenant. Some of these are listed below.

• Under the old covenant animals were sacrificed. Under the new covenant those sacrifices are irrelevant because Christ's death is the only sacrifice needed to obtain forgiveness of sins.
  
  
• Under the old covenant a distinction was made between the priests and the rest of the people. There is no such distinction under the new covenant since all disciples of Christ are part of the priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9; Rom. 12:1).
  
  
• Under the old covenant the priests wore special clothing to distinguish them from the rest of the people (Exo. 28). There is no such distinction under the new.
  
  
• Under the old covenant there was a central location where the Israelites came to "appear before the Lord" three times a year (Exo. 34:23). Under the new covenant no place of worship is preferred. What is required is that those who worship God do so in spirit and in truth (John 4:19-24).
  
  
• Under the old covenant instruments of music were authorized for worship (Psa. 150; 2 Chron. 29:25). Under the new covenant only vocal music is mentioned as part of the worship of Christians. The complete list of references is Acts 16:25; Rom. 15:9; 1 Cor. 14:15; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; Heb. 2:12; 13:15; Jas. 5:13.
  
  

Conclusion

Perhaps before now you have not made a clear distinction between the two covenants. Perhaps you have not understood that the covenant governed by the law of Moses is no longer in force. If so, you may have assumed that some of the practices of the old covenant are just as applicable today as they were in Old Testament times. We hope this lesson has helped you to see the difference in the two covenants. We also hope it has helped you to see the importance of seeking authority for your beliefs and practices only from the law of Christ. It is His law that governs life before God under the new covenant.