The Superior Covenant

Scripture: Hebrews 8:1-7 (ESV)

"Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, 'See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.' But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second."

Unless you have been living under a rock you will have heard of the kids tv show Bluey. This show about a cartoon dog family has somehow become the largest streaming show on Disney+ and the second most streamed show in the world, with over 43 billion minutes streamed in 2023. That’s just about 82,000 years in case you’re wondering. Now in one of the episodes the two daughters, Bluey and Bingo, imagine their own dream house car complete with burger shops and butlers.

You’re welcome.

Kids have a wonderful way of dreaming up what they think the best thing ever is going to be. The house may be perfect in a child’s mind, but you can’t actually live in a house with 11 burger shops and 20 bedrooms. A house designed by an architect is far superior. The child’s imagined house might sound good, but it falls short of the brilliance, beauty and usability of an architecturally designed masterpiece.

In some ways this is like the difference between the old covenant and the New Covenant and the New Covenant in Jesus. The Old Covenant is but a shadow of the greater New Covenant we have in Jesus. The author of Hebrews uses the Tabernacle as an example. You see the Tabernacle was to be built by Moses “according to the pattern” God was going to show him. The whole Old Covenant system was “according to the pattern”. It was an inferior copy.

But when Jesus came he came to user in a better covenant, with better promises. The New Covenant doesn’t just have an external law written on stone. No, God’s laws are now written on people’s hearts. Under the Old Covenant the best you could do to approach God was through the priests, but under the New Covenant we have a far more intimate relationship with God. We have a High Priest that stands between our sin and God all the time. We can boldly approach God’s throne, because we are New Covenant people. And as we said yesterday, under the New Covenant, our sins are fully forgiven. We don’t need priests to offer sacrifices day in and day out. Jesus is our perfect sacrifice and his sacrifice lasts forever.

So we need to leave behind the shadows, the dream house cars, and realise that the New Covenant in Jesus is not just a dream. It is a living eternal reality.

Amen.

Prayer:

Lord God, thank You for the superior covenant mediated by Jesus. Strengthen our faith and deepen our relationship with You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Spiritual Challenge:

Today consider how blessed you are to live in the time of the New Covenant. Thank God that you were born on this side of the cross.