By Lane Rogers
The New Covenant of Christ/ Hebrews 8: 5-13, 9: 15-23
Part One
Starting in Hebrews 8:6 we have a comparison. Remember Hebrews 7:19 when we were told about the better hope. Hebrews 7:22 we were told by "so much more." This comparison tells us that as much better as the Priesthood of Christ is comparing it to that of the Levities, the New Covenant is that much better than the Old Covenant. In verse 7 we are told that the New Covenant is based on better promises since the Old Covenant had faults. Notice in verse 8, the use of the pronoun "them." There was fault with the covenant and the people. The fault with the people was sin and the fault with the covenant was its inability to deal with the sin on the human conscience as we will explore in chapter 10. Under the New Covenant we have the same kind of people but the sin problem can be appropriately dealt with.
The New Covenant

καινός (kainos 2537)
new
new, that is to say newly made; not merely recent, but different from that which had been formerly; new, as coming in the place of a thing that was formerly, and as not yet used.

As noted above, the word kainos means new in kind and new in time. Here is the message to those who received this letter. You must completely disassociate yourselves from the Old Covenant. The New Covenant is completely different.
In verse 9, we are told that YHWY disregarded them or as the word tells us, YHWY had no regard for them. This is an excellent lesson on how God deals with broken covenants.

ἀμελέω (ameleō 272)
1. neglect [verb] -ed
not to care for, be heedless, negligent
2. light of (make)
not to care for, neglect.
3. negligent (be)

(amele) 272) not to care for, be heedless, negligent.
4. regard (not)
not to care for, neglect, disregard.

     YHWH left those of the Old Covenant. This section is written in terms of a marriage metaphor and is a quote from Jeremiah 31: 28ff. In that text we are told that YHWH was "a husband to them." (Jer. 31:32). Marriage is a covenant (Mal. 2:14) and when one party or the other breaks that covenant, YHWH disregards that covenant. Galatians 3:20 further explains this idea. When we have a covenant between two people, both parties must be involved. God cannot keep a covenant if those involved in the covenant chose to break their vows. If we do not choose to become one with Him, YHWH is the only party involved. Therefore, in v.8 the writer tells us that the Old Covenant was with both Israel and Judah. In verse 10 we are told that the New Covenant is only with Israel. The writer mentions "Judah" and "Israel" to remind readers of the  divided Kingdom under Jeroboam and Rehoboam.  Those types of divisions will not be tolerated hench forth. We are either in a covenant relationship with God through our obedience of faith or we are not. It seems like either we are in or out. Thus, they will be one or not at all. This is a call for unity (Ezekiel 37:16-22). YHWH's people will have His laws on their minds. This is education and intellect. His people will have his laws on their hearts. This is one's will, conscience, emotions which includes all or everything a person has. Under the law, the people of Israel entered the covenant at birth (Deut. 6:4) and they were taught the law later. Not so in the New Covenant, only those who are taught will enter. They were family. (EZ. 37:23). They claim Me and I claim them. This indicates intense fellowship (2nd Cor. 6:19) or a unit. Also see John 17: 20-23 for the unity of God.
(V.11) None will teach his neighbor and none his brother, "saying know the lord."


(ginosko) 1097)

1. know -est,-eth,-ing; knew, -est

to perceive, observe, obtain a knowledge of or insight into. It denotes a personal and true relation between the person knowing and the object known, that is to say to be influenced by one's knowledge of the object, to suffer one's self to be determined thereby: hence the force of.
2. perceive -ed, -est, -ing
to perceive, observe, obtain a knowledge of, or insight into, to know and be influenced by the personal relation between the person knowing and the object known, to have a knowledge which produces some emotion and affection of the mind.

3. can, could -st, cannot (with a negative)
to learn to know, to perceive, mark, and in past tenses, sometimes, to know. It implies the possession of a knowledge which produces some emotion and affection of the mind; to be influenced by our knowledge; to know how.
4. understand
to perceive, obtain a knowledge of or insight into; hence, to know (spoken of immediate or actual knowledge) to know so as to be influenced by one's knowledge.

Verse 11, "all shall know me" is a statement that all of God's new covenant people will know Him as compared to those who entered the Old Covenant at birth. Thus, entrance into the New Covenant is by education (V. 11). YHWH is merciful to all those who have His laws written on their hearts and minds/ The "remember no more" is I will make no record of their sin. Even when you do sin, I will not record it because you are one of Mine or a child of YHWH (Rom. 8:1ff; Psalms 32:1-2 and Romans 4:4f).
The forgiveness is perfected for all time. Remission is continuous (v. 13). This is known as a historic present. Psalms 22:20-21 takes the things that have not occurred and describes them in the present tense. "Made (Old) obsolete. It became old in the time of Jeremiah when God made the statement (about 526 B.C.). When the new is announced the old is classified as old. But it means:
1. It was subject to the aging process
2. Aged about 110 B.C.
3. Nigh to passing away - 25 B.C.
4. Vanished or nailed to the cross in 32 A.d.
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10/14/08 Warren L. Rogers