Day 21: New Covenant better than Old. ‘‘For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.’’ Heb. 8:7 Additional reading: Heb. 7: 11, 18. Going by our last study and scriptural evidences; the priesthood of Jesus Christ is superior to that of Aaron and the Levites. To underscore this, we shall be looking at the Old Covenant and the New Covenant to ascertain their efficacy in relation to God’s plan for salvation. The building of the tabernacle as instructed by God set out a code of worship in Israel. This instruction included the frame, shape or size of the tabernacle, items to be used for its construction as well as items to be used for worship. Moses was also detailed on the appointment of priests and Levites as well as all ceremonies pertaining to atoning for the sins of the people plus animals to be used during those ceremonies. ‘‘According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.’’ Exo. 25:9 And so it was, Moses did according to all that God said. The tabernacle was divided into two parts; the outer court also called the holy place and the inner court also known as the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy. The priest entered the holy place every day to attend to the altar of incense, the table of showbread, the lampstand but most importantly to commune with God. The Most Holy place was where God dwelt and His presence rested on the mercy seat, which was the cover of the Ark of the Covenant. The ark contained the tablet of the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s staff and a pot of Manna. Only the high priest was allowed in here and this happened once a year, which was on the Day of Atonement. It was a day the high priest atoned for all the unintentional sins of the people in the previous year by sprinkling blood on the mercy seat. The holy place and the Holy of Holies were separated by a big veil. What relationship did the tabernacle of old as seen in the priesthood of Aaron and the Levites have with that of Jesus Christ? (1) It was a place God provided forgiveness of sins through blood sacrifice. This pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ --- Heb.8: 1 – 2; 9: 11 – 14. (2) This earthly tabernacle pointed to the heavenly tabernacle where Christ is High Priest forever --- Heb. 9: 11 – 12, 24 – 28. (3) It was a tabernacle of Testimony in that it contained the Ten Commandments, which served as a reminder of God’s holies and the need for His children to uphold His moral standard. (4) It was a place --- sanctuary set apart for the LORD to commune with His children. This showed God’s constant desire to live in the midst of His children --- Exo. 25: 22; 29: 45 – 46 It is against this backdrop that the author of the book of Hebrews declared: ‘‘These priests provided only a hint of what Goes on in the true sanctuary of heaven, which Moses caught a glimpse of as he was about to set up the tent-shrine. It was then that God said, ‘Be careful to do it exactly as you saw it on the mountain.’ ’’ (V. 5 MSG). ‘‘They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning, ‘Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.’ ’’ (NLT). God personally showed Moses a picture of the heavenly tabernacle on the mountain and this explains why he was instructed to build the earthly tabernacle in that exact pattern – he was to be careful about the structure --- that he should not deviate from the original. This earthly tabernacle was, therefore, a shadow --- copy of what he saw and what is to come --- it provided a hint of what is in the true sanctuary in heaven, which Moses saw with his two eyes. Since it was a copy, shadow, dummy or a hint of the true sanctuary that is to come, the daily and yearly sacrifices also were mere ceremonies that could not give complete redemption to man. Man still needed a final and perfect redemption. In other words, the tabernacle and the entire system was faulty. ‘‘For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.’’ ‘‘For if that first covenant had been faultless [amemptos ... irreproachable: - blameless, faultless, unblamable], then should no place have been sought for the second.’’ Since the old system had its own limitations it could not offer a perfect solution to God’s plan for salvation. ‘‘For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault...’’ (Heb. 8: 7 – 13 NIV). But when Jesus Christ came He ushered in a perfect system when He shed His blameless and precious blood for the sin of man and opened the wall of partition that separated man from God, thus, making it possible for His children to worship Him without guilt of sin. ‘‘This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the conscience of the people who bring them. For that old system deals with only food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies---physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established. So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood---not the blood of goats and calves---he entered the Most Holy Place once and for all time and secured our redemption forever.’’ (Heb. 9: 9 – 12 NLT). Meditation: Is it not a thing of joy that by the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ I can worship God without guilty of sin? Prayer: Thank You LORD for no longer do I have to live with guilt of sin but of freedom and joy as the eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ has set me free from all that held me bound. Questions: (1) What is the striking difference between the Old and the New Covenant? (2) Why is the Old Covenant described as a shadow of the New Covenant? (3) What was the weakness of the Old Covenant? (4) Why is Jesus Christ called the Perfect Sacrifice? (5) Why is the New Covenant better than the Old Covenant?
Posted on: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 07:28:43 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015