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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Except Your Righteousness Shall Exceed . . ., continued
For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 8:7-12)
Let us examine carefully the above passage for it is the definitive statement concerning what the new covenant is. There are several facts we can consider.
If the first covenant had been successful there would have been no need for the new covenant. Success in any given enterprise can be measured only in terms of the goal of the activity. The goal of the first covenant (as is true of all Divine covenants) was people who love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength and their neighbor as themselves.
The goal of all of God's covenants is righteous behavior—righteous behavior as defined by the words of the covenant.
The first covenant was unsuccessful because God found fault with "them"; not with the covenant but with the people.
"Because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not." Since the first covenant depended on the fallen nature of man to obey the commandments given by the Lord, there had to be a new covenant.
The new covenant can be made only with the House of Israel and the House of Judah. The new covenant, the Christian covenant, cannot be made with a Gentile. Until we are willing to become part of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is Israel in the purest sense, we cannot participate in the new covenant. We must become part of the holy olive tree of which Abraham and Sarah are the root.
The new covenant occurs as God writes His laws in our mind and heart. The new covenant is not primarily forgiveness, as it is presented today, but moral change. The writing of God's laws in our mind and heart results in righteous behavior on our part. The Divine Law is designed to be expressed in behavior rather than knowledge.
It is not enough to know that the Word of God teaches we must behave justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. There is no benefit until we actually begin to practice upright behavior, delight in showing mercy, and humbly look to the Lord for every detail of life.
To be continued.