“Hebrews 8”

Saturday, September 09, 2017

What Jesus brought into the world was a new covenant, a better covenant, which contains better promises (verse 6).

Chapters 8-10 are “summary chapters” concerning Christ’s priesthood.

He begins by saying that our High Priest is “seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.” This is why He “lives to make intercession” for Christians today (7:25). He is the perfect High Priest.

But the main point of Chapter 8 is to emphasize that the Old Law has been done away with and has been replaced by the New Covenant.

Verses 8-12 quote, in its entirety, the passage from Jeremiah 31:31-34. The Old Testament clearly predicted its own replacement with a new covenant.

There are many passages which tell us the value of studying the Old Testament. See John 5:39, Romans 15:4, and 1 Corinthians 10:6, 11. The Old Testament pointed people to the Messiah. It provides examples of obedience and disobedience to the Lord. It assures us that God will reward the righteous and punish the wicked. Many of the illustrations and word pictures in the New Testament cannot be understood without a knowledge of the events and people of the Old Testament.

But God’s law for man today is the New Testament, the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16). The New Testament tells us how to be saved eternally.

The Old Testament provides a pattern for how to offer sacrifices and observe special days and worship at the tabernacle and temple. The New Testament is our pattern of faithful living and teaches us how to get to heaven.

--Roger Hillis

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