KJV For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: Here observe, [1.] Sometimes he called the forms ideas. There we have those that compose the church, in allusion to Christ, contrasted with the position of Israel as a nation, because of the nearness which they possess by the grace of Christ known on high. It may be observed, too, that the Holy Ghost appears but little in this epistle. Their sins are not charged upon them, and they are no more punished than if they had passed entirely out of the recollection. For see on 2 Peter 2:13. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.". He demonstrates its vicarious nature and value from the sacrifices so familiar to all then, and to the Jew particularly, in connection with the covenant that required them Now his rapid mind seizes, under the Spirit's guidance, the other well-known sense of the word, namely, as a testamentary disposition, and shows the necessity of Christ's death to bring it into force. If God's word be true, and to this the Spirit adheres, the blood of Christ has thus perfectly washed away the sins of the believer. God said that he would be gracious to their iniquities and could forget their sins. He has brought in redemption in present accomplishment, and at the same time He has given scope for a brighter hope, founded on His mighty work on the cross, measured by Christ's glory as its present answer at the right hand of God. I will by no means remember any more. Condemnation, darkness, death. Its being referred to as a shadow could also call attention to its temporary nature. (1.) "Now of the things that are being spoken of this is a summary: We have such an high priest, who is set down on [the] right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the holies, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man." Through them God spoke at many times and in various ways, but not always when men desired, nor as clearly as they might have wished. with Him in this place of nearness. But God said, "I will write my law in their mind." The foundation is sacrifice; the Power is of the Holy Ghost. He once wrote his laws to them, now he will write his laws in them; that is, he will give them understanding to know and to believe his law; he will give them memories to retain them; he will give them hearts to love them and consciences to recognize them; he will give them courage to profess them and power to put them in practice; the whole habit and frame of their souls shall be a table and transcript of the law of God. But meanwhile, confessedly, the Spirit of God directs attention, not to the exercise, but to the order of the Melchisedec Priest. does not express eternity (which would be , or some such form of words) but "for continuance." It is God's covenant; his mercy, love, and grace moved for it; his wisdom devised it; his Son purchased it; his wisdom devised it; his Son purchased it; his Spirit brings souls into it, and builds them up in it. The intention here was not to dwell either on the scene in which their waiting was put to the test, the wilderness, or on anything that could insinuate the settled position of Israel in the land. I have to be struggling under this heavy cross and just trying my best to rise up under the agony and pain. But why should it be "testament" in these two verses alone, and "covenant" in all other places? It is hard to keep clear of both. One thousand years before this, in the days of Rehoboam, the kingdom had split apart, into Israel with the ten tribes and Judah with the two, and these two sections had never come together again. Footnotes Hebrews 8:2 Or tabernacle; also verse 5 Hebrews 8:6 Greek he It became God to give Him to die; for such was our estate by sin that nothing short of His atoning death could deliver us; but, having delivered us, God would make us to be heavenly. remember no moreContrast the law, Heb 10:3. The earthly temple is only a shadow or a model of that which is in heaven. ", Finally, he beseeches his brethren to hear the word of exhortation. Paul gives a third "better promise" of the New Covenant: the fact that God will be "merciful to their unrighteousness." In my judgment it is correct to translate it both ways, never arbitrarily, but according to context. "And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better." "Conscience of sins" means a dread of God's judging one because of his sins. Man's worst sin culminated in the death of Christ who knew no sin; but in that very death He put away sin. At first sight every one may have been surprised, especially those that read the New Testament in the language in which God wrote it, at the double meaning of the word which is here translated "covenant." If the first covenant had been faultless [had it been perfect], then there would be no reason sought to have a second covenant ( Hebrews 8:7 ). Thus does the apostle reason on it: "For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh" (which the Jew would not contest): "how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to do religious service to the living God? This is, as is well known, the special characteristic of the millennium. "For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator." How is it that anybody ordinarily gets an inheritance? The New Covenant has the power whereby Gods people may remain faithful, namely, the presence of God living within the believer (i.e., the Holy Spirit). Enduring Word Bible Commentary Hebrews Web8-12 Hawker's Poor man's commentary Hebrews 11:8-12 (8) By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. He sat down there as of His own right and title, but nevertheless making a part of His divine glory to be witnessed in, as indeed His person was necessary to make His blood efficacious to the purging of our sins. In this passage we can distinguish certain marks of the new covenant which Jesus brought. In him the supreme majesty and the supreme service met. "He taketh away the first." California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. And what then? So he calls him the mediator, the mesites ( G3316) . The hill of Zion up to this time had been the constant menace of the enemy against the people of the Lord; but in due time, when David reigned, it was wrested out of the hands of the Jebusites, and became the stronghold of Jerusalem, the city of the king. ", This naturally leads the apostle to bring before them One that never ends "Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, and today, and for ever." We hear of sanctification often, but even what is thus spoken of throughout is rather in connection with separation to God and the work of Christ, than the continuous energy of the Holy Ghost, except, as far as I remember, in one practical passage "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." camp, bearing his reproach." This is one way in which it differs from the Old Covenant (Hebrews 8:9). In this new covenant, God begins a work in me. Where could they find such a Priest? The new relationship is based entirely on his love. The fullness of this pardon; it extends to their unrighteousness, sins, and iniquities; to all kinds of sin, to sins highly aggravated. A new covenant shows that the other must have thereby become old, and therefore is decaying and ready to vanish away. Hebrews 12 Commentary - Matthew Henry Commentary on the Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. On the one hand there were the Pharisees and the orthodox who kept the law; on the other hand there were what were contemptuously called The People of the Land, the ordinary people who did not fully observe the details of the ceremonial law. So here he tells them to "follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man lack the grace of God." It will be different because this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after these days, says the Lord. He believed in what he called forms. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer [that is the ministry of the priest to offer the gifts and the sacrifices]. In other cases the epistle to the Hebrews speaks of sanctification by God's call, and Christ's blood. This pardoning mercy is connected with all other spiritual mercies. Faith brings God into everything. He is labouring for this, and with divine skill accomplishes it, by the testimonies of their own law and prophets. Thus in every case it is faith. And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest." For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. Here the apostle warns those that turn their back on Christ's one sacrifice. All these are to be removed by God's mercy; and this is to be understood of his mercy in Christ Jesus. Hebrews Commentary - Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete) Join PLUS Login. Man never did nor could settle it without the word of God. They would know and desire to do Gods will (Hebrews 8:10 b), enjoy a privileged, unique relationship with God (Hebrews 8:10 c), know God directly (Hebrews 8:11), and experience permanent forgiveness of their sins (Hebrews 8:12). The fact is, that love of uniformity may mislead some, as love of variety misled our English translators too often. A priest is always in connection with the people of God, never as such with those that are outside, but a positive known relation with God "seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. But we could put this another way. Call to follow this glorious company and the great Captain Himself in the path of outward loss for eternal gain. This, he says, must be from a father who loves his true and faulty children: others enjoy no such care. One of the greatest of the Roman Emperors was Marcus Aurelius; as an administrator he was unsurpassed. But God and man do not meet on equal terms. They broke the covenant, so I did not keep the covenant, because they broke it. And you go into Leviticus and read about the offerings, then you'll understand more about heaven and the heavenly things. Thither they are to be brought, and there are means for the road to keep us moving onward. The argument of the writer to the Hebrews is that that old covenant is done away with and that Jesus has brought a new relationship with God. When does it first appear? It 'became Him that Christ should suffer. Our great High Priest entered directly into the heavens, of which the earthly tabernacle was only a model, and there He is representing me before God in heaven, not before a model of that whole thing in the Holy of Holies in the temple here on the earth. This was a final call; and how gracious! The terms of the promise indicate two things respecting the blessing it holds forth, namely, its source and its fulness. But whether the one or the other, all was by faith. CLICK VERSE To go directly to that verse Hebrews 8:1 Hebrews 8:2 Hebrews 8:3 Hebrews 8:4 Hebrews 8:5 Hebrews 8:6 Hebrews 8:7 Hebrews 8:8 He satisfies us with the perfectness with which Christ has washed us from our sins in His blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father. For the law maketh men priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath which was since the law, a Son perfected (or consecrated) for ever." Instead of talking about access to God we might talk about access to reality. The one is what may be called the objective glory; the other is the subjective condition of those that compose the bride, the Lamb's wife. Jesus is our perfect mesites ( G3316) ; he stands between us and God. It is said. Verse Hebrews 8:12. Its force implies that it is not merely what He did once, but what He is also doing still. What is the value, the import., of the sacrifice of Christ viewed according to God, and as bearing on His ways? Web10-12 Sermon Bible Commentary Hebrews 8:10-12 Hebrews 8:1 , Hebrews 8:6; Hebrews 8:10 The New Covenant Its Promises. And here we learn the direct application. Now that which decays and waxes old is ready to vanish away ( Hebrews 8:13 ). WebWhat does Hebrews 8:12 mean? You don't need someone telling you what you should or shouldn't do. The allusion in the last clause to the eternal inheritance (for everything is eternal in the Hebrews, standing in decided contrast with Jewish things which were but for a season) leads the Holy Spirit to take up the other meaning of the same word, which was and is rightly enough translated covenant. It is already there in Jeremiah 31:31-34, which he quotes in full. It is what separates it from all other systems. They shall be to him a people, to love, honour, observe, and obey him in all things; complying with his cautions, conforming to his commands, comporting with his providences, copying out his example, taking complacency in his favour. Here, it is plain, we have the chief lineaments of revealed truth. Dave Veerman, M.Div. For let me say this as a parting word, and I say it advisedly, because of circumstances that might well be before our hearts, no deliverance, however enjoyed, no place of death to law, world, or sin, no privilege of union with Christ, will enable a soul to dispense with the truths contained in this epistle to the Hebrews. In the New Testament the word is also used to describe the relationship between God and man. The doctrine follows: "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost." As He lays upon your heart His desires and His plans, as He plants in your mind His will and His purpose. Men would obey God not because of the terror of punishment, but because they loved him. But you see, the covenant was "if" you will obey my commands, "if," but they did not. It is not only that we believe it, but we understand it thereby. The greater part of the affections of the Christian are drawn out toward our Saviour by all this scene of sin and sorrow through which we are passing on to heaven. He opens the way to reality and to God and is the only person who can effect reconciliation between man and God, between the real and the unreal. Grace be with you all. The third point is how to walk with God, and this again is by faith. The promises of spiritual and eternal blessings are in this covenant positive and absolute; the promises of temporal blessings are with a wise and kind proviso, as far as shall be for God's glory and his people's good. John 1:14 , "Word . Thus, before he enters on the subject of the sacrifices at length, he takes notice of the covenants, and thence he draws a conclusion from the well-known prophecy in Jeremiah, where God declares that the days were coming when He would make a new covenant. Verse by Verse Commentaries But whether we look at the heavenly supremacy of Christ over the universe, which is the highest part of the mystery, or at the church associated with Him as His body, composed of both Jew and Gentile, where all distinction is gone, no wit of man ever did or could possibly draw this beforehand from the Old Testament. Then we hear of "Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant" the pledge of Israel's full and changeless blessing. For all normal uses the Greek word for an agreement is suntheke which is the word for a marriage covenant or bond and for an agreement between two states. It was not the church, I repeat, but what God prepares above for those who love Him. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness - That is, the blessing of pardon will be much more richly enjoyed under the new dispensation than it was under the old. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people ( Hebrews 8:10 ): You see, it's God's work now. (Verses 8-22.). The old decayed, passed away with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. If God had reserved the epistle to the Hebrews until after He sent forth His armies and burned up their city, destroying their polity root and branch, it might have been retorted that the Christians valued the Jewish ritual as loner as it was available, and only gave it up when earthly temple and sacrifice and priest were gone. Jesus' superiority to the prophets is marked in six ways. He says that it is geraskon ( G1095) , which means not only ageing, but ageing into decay. The new priesthood is Christs (6-7).God never intended the old covenant to be permanent. But who put it in my mind, "Why not go by the beach?" Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High To the rigid observers of the law the ordinary people were beyond the pale. And is he better or safer that slights the sacrifice of the Son of God, and goes back either to earthly sacrifices or to lusts of flesh, giving a loose rein to sin, which is expressly what the Son of God shed His blood to put away? And may you just have a beautiful week walking in the Lord, obedient unto Him, doing His will. 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20 Commentary. I will be merciful to their unrighteousness In order to be their God, as mentioned under the preceding verse, it is requisite that their iniquity should be pardoned; this is provided for by the immolation of Jesus Christ as the covenant sacrifice. In that he saith, A new covenant, he made the first old. Who has passed into heaven for us, not into the earthly tabernacle, but, Lord, right there before Your throne, right there on your right hand. And for this simple reason: no place is given herein to man's importance. That it was not sure or stedfast; for the Jews continued not in that covenant, and the Lord regarded them not,Hebrews 8:9; Hebrews 8:9. 13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Of Christ who was given up to death, who is risen and gone above, in whom we find all the blessing promised, and after a better sort. There is no necessity for considering anything else, but that the Spirit of God, forecasting the future, was pleased to conceal the line of Melchisedec's parentage, or descendants if any, of their birth or death.