THE OBSOLETE COVENANT

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.

When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.

Hebrews 9:1-10

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Fundamentally, the Bible is divided into two main parts. We know them as the Old and New Testaments but these two parts could have just as easily been labeled the Old and New Covenants as each section has a central promise God made between Him and His people. Over the next two messages, we will find the text from Hebrews moving us through each of these covenants. Today we begin with the old.

In essence, the Old Covenant went like this.

God vowed to be the God of the people of Israel. Therefore, the Israelites would be His people as long as they did one thing. They had to remain completely faithful to God and obediently observe and carry out His laws and regulations. As long as held up their end, God would hold up His. That’s the way a covenant agreement functions.

So what happened?

Well, God didn’t fail to hold up His end of the deal, that’s for sure. Full failure fell on the people of Israel who couldn’t seem to get out of their own way.

God commanded them to have no other gods before Him and yet they chose to worship pagan gods.

God commanded them not to bow down to idols and yet the Israelites regularly engaged in idol devotion and admiration.

God demanded that they not murder or steal or lie or commit adultery or covet what their neighbor possessed but time and time again, these demands were treated as if they were optional.

And because there were so many violations of the covenant, a very detailed process was instituted to try and bring atonement for sin and a restored relationship with God. Looking at the first ten verses of Hebrews, chapter 9, we get a glimpse of this sacrificial system and how it functioned.

First, there was an establishment of an “earthly sanctuary” in the form of a “tabernacle” which contained furnishings and specific room arrangements.

The “first room” was known as “the Holy Place” and after passing through a curtain, one would find the “lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread”.

Behind a second curtain, accessed from the Holy Place, was the “Most Holy Place” which contained “the golden altar of incense” and “the gold-covered ark of the covenant”. Within the ark was “the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant”. “Above the ark” was the “cherubim of the Glory” which “(overshadowed) the atonement cover”.

With this arrangement in place, we read in the scripture passage for today where “the priests entered regularly into the outer room (the Holy Place) to carry on their ministry”. They would do their work in the Holy Place all but one day of the year, the Day of Atonement, and on that day, “only the high priest” was permitted to “(enter) the inner room” (the Most Holy Place or also sometimes called the Holy of Holies). Note that when this annual day of atonement happened, the high priest had to enter the Most Holy Place with “blood” which he would use as an offering “for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance”.

As this old covenant system operated, we read where the “Holy Spirit was showing” that the “way into the Most Holy Place” was not yet “disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning”. In other words, true salvation from sinfulness which would reconcile the enmity between God and the sinner had not yet happened. There was a still a barrier, a curtain, that would remain between God and His people because the “gifts and sacrifices” as well as the “various ceremonial washings” that were being carried out were simply “a matter of food and drink”, “external regulations applying until the time of the new order” and unable “to clear the conscience of the worshiper”.

In other words, the old covenant was obsolete, a place holder for the new covenant that was yet to come in Jesus.

Today, no amount of ritual will bring a person to be saved, not anymore than in Old Testament times. For the narrow gate which leads to the pathway of eternal life is Jesus and Him alone. He is the only One who can bring any person to God the Father because only He has purchased the pardon for sin, offering Himself up as the final atoning sacrifice ever needed to bring a sinner reconciliation, justification, and peace with God.

Tomorrow, we’ll look closer at the new covenant that was sealed by the shed blood of Christ.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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