The better covenant

After God led his chosen people out of Egypt and slavery into the promise land, they still turned from him to follow their own way.

Despite witnessing the presence of God and the miracles of his constant provision, God’s people could not keep the covenant that God had made with them, and they brought the judgment of the Lord upon themselves.

For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, (Amos 2:6 ESV)

The Israelites deserved judgment under the old covenant, and that is our condition, too.

None of us, not even one, seek after God. We have each turned to our own way (Isaiah 53:6 ESV), and we deserve the same judgment as the Israelites.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:4–5 ESV), establishing his new covenant and fulfilling the words of the prophets.

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. (Hebrews 8:8–12 ESV)

And Jesus is the fulfillment of that new covenant. He made the covenant and paid our full debt of sin.

It is because of his death on the cross that God remembers our sins no more. The price for our sin has been paid. Jesus paid it in the ultimate act of mercy.

The Psalmist was more right than he even knew.

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. (Psalm 145:8–9 ESV)

And that grace, mercy and goodness is poured over us by the blood of Jesus. Thanks to him, guilt and shame have no place here. We have ultimate freedom from that slavery! We are free to worship, free to serve and free to bow down to the one true king.

I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you land praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.

Let us worship him. He alone is worthy.

Today’s scripture comes from the M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan, Day 318.