A New Agreement (Hebrews 8:7–13)

7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 13 In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

I. The Reason for the New Agreement (v. 7)

7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.

A. The failure of the first covenant at Sinai demanded the institution of a second covenant.

This did not suggest that the Law itself had flaws, but that the experience of human beings under the Law was faulty. The Law had not met the needs of sinful human beings.

The Law could reveal sin, but it could not remove it. It could not justify or save sinners. The problem was with the people who lacked the power to obey the Law.

B. Why God would create an ineffective covenant in the first place.

This question cannot be satisfactorily answered for the simple reason that Scripture does not speak to this issue here or anywhere else.

A better interpretation of the dilemma is that God initiated the Mosaic covenant knowing full well it would be ineffective in dealing with the sin problem.

The first covenant did not “fail” but was rather insufficient by design. In this sense the old covenant fulfilled its God-given purpose.

II. The Content of the New Agreement (vv. 8–12)

8 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

A. The new covenant promises new moral power, personal knowledge, and forgiveness of sin.

God had initiated the first covenant in sovereignly leading his people from captivity in Egypt. God’s people were helpless until God took the initiative. Even though God took the initiative, the covenant did not last. God’s people failed. The covenant became invalidated. The Jews broke the conditions of the covenant.

In response to this disobedience, God ceased to pay attention to them. God was not acting recklessly in turning away from his people. His response was to be expected after his people turned their backs on him. He had provided for their needs, but they had rejected his provision. God’s turning away from them was an act of judgment.

B. The word of hope was that God had promised a new covenant.

It would not do to patch up the old covenant. God established an entirely new covenant with new benefits for his people.

God had promised new power to fulfill his laws and a new closeness to know and understand him. The new covenant gave more open expression to God’s mercy.

The ground of forgiveness was not human repentance but Jesus’ sacrificial death. Only the death of Jesus could provide full assurance that God has wiped away sins and made believers righteous in his sight. God took the initiative to give sinners his grace and mercy. Because God really dealt with sins, the blessings of knowing him and serving him with power become possible.

III. The Result of the New Agreement (v. 13)

13 In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

A. The old covenant came, served the purpose of informing sinners of their need, grew old, and has died.

It was viewed as already obsolete. The old covenant had done its job. It had pointed to, prepared the way for, and was now giving way to the new covenant. The new covenant offered such superior benefits to needy sinners that the old gave way to it.

The old covenant with its sacrificial system has been superseded by the new covenant, but such is not some clever invention of a New Testament author; rather, it is by the very design of God himself. Furthermore, in spite of this fact, the author never devalues the Old Testament; he rather uses it to prove his point.

B. The new covenant promised inward power, an intimate knowledge of God, and forgiveness of sin.

The new covenant promised inward power, an intimate knowledge of God, and forgiveness of sin. Nothing in the past could equal the provisions of this new covenant. We who live today as believers can rejoice in God’s lavish provisions for our spiritual needs.