Friday, January 22
It will not be like the covenant that I made with their forefathers . . . , “my covenant that they broke.”
How do the Law covenant and the new covenant compare? The Law covenant was between Jehovah and natural Israel; the new covenant is between Jehovah and spiritual Israel. Moses was the mediator of the former covenant; Jesus is the Mediator of the new one. The Law covenant was validated by means of animal blood; the new covenant was validated by the shed blood of Jesus. And the nation of Israel was organized through the Law covenant under Moses; those in the new covenant are organized under Jesus—the Head of the congregation. The new covenant relates to the Kingdom in that it produces a holy nation that has the privilege of becoming kings and priests in that heavenly Kingdom. That nation constitutes the secondary part of Abraham’s offspring. The new covenant thus reinforces the Abrahamic covenant.
COMMENTARY
According to the apostle Paul the purpose of the law was to act as a tutor leading to Christ. When once Christ came the law became obsolete, in that, it had accomplished its intended purpose. Indeed, Christ fulfilled the law.
The purpose of the new covenant is similar. It is intended to produce a kingdom of priests who will rehabilitate mankind.
As with the law covenant that went into force when Moses came down from the mountain but did not accomplish its purpose for 1,500 years, the new covenant has been in effect for nearly 2,000 years and still has not produced the new creation. Will it ever?
Yes, that is the purpose for the return of Christ. In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul was explaining the passing of the bread and wine of the Lord’s evening meal and how the cup meant the new covenant. And then he stated: “For whenever you eat this loaf and drink this cup, you keep proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he comes.”
Obviously his coming was not in 1914, or else that would have been the end of the observance of the Lord’s evening meal. Not only that, but in the 8th chapter of Hebrews Paul cited prophecy and explained that the new covenant will ultimately produce a people who know Jehovah, so that they will no longer need to be taught about him. Again, obviously that would obviate the need for any sort of Bible teaching program or the feeding by the faithful slave.
No, the Lord’s coming is in the future, although from all indications it is imminent.
