Eternal Covenant

Hebrews 13:18-21 - Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner. Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.


Genesis 17:7 - And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

Isaiah 55:3 - Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

Ezekiel 37:24,26 - “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes...I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore.

John 10:11,14-15 - I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Jeremiah 31:31-32 - “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and 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, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.

Ezekiel 34:11,23 - “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out…And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.

Application:

· What Jeremiah describes as the new covenant he describes as everlasting
· God’s covenant is everlasting from His standpoint, but capable of being broken from my standpoint
· David had been promised an unending dynasty, one that would culminate in the Messiah
· Everlasting covenants were established with Noah, Abraham David and me
· A shepherd might risk danger but expect to live. Jesus said the good Shepherd will die for His sheep
· The new covenant is celebrated by the blood of Christ
· The Lord committed Himself to shepherd His flock
· A ruler like David and from his line will tender His flock
· The coming ruler is like a shepherd who cares for His flock
· The Shepherd and His sheep have deep mutual knowledge, like that of the Father and the Son,

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

Ark Of The Covenant

Hebrews 9:3-4 – Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.


Exodus 30:1 - “You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.

Exodus 25:10,17 - “They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height…“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth.

Application:

· The fragrant smoke of incense symbolized the prayers of God’s people
· The ark symbolized the throne of the Lord who chose to dwell among His people
· Atonement is an act of grace where God makes those who were once alienated from Him now one with Him. That God’s throne is capped with this signifies His great mercy.

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

The Covenant Of Which He Is Mediator Is Superior

Hebrews 8:6 - But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.


Luke 22:20 - And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Hebrews 9:15 - Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

Hebrews 12:22-24 - But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 - “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and 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, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, 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 law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Exodus 24:8 - And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

Application:

· The new covenant is the fuller administration of God’s saving grace founded on and sealed by the death of Jesus
· Christ mediates the covenant first by revealing it then by serving as its priest who offers Himself in sacrifice
· The new covenant that Jesus mediates is superior to the covenant God made through Moses at Sinai
· As the old covenant was observed by the blood of sacrificial animals, so the new would be observed by the blood of Christ
· The new covenant should govern my life
· The glorious basis of the new covenant is God forgiving my sins
· Only after the people obeyed the Lord could they participate in His covenant with them

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

New Covenant

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 - Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.


Luke 22:20 - In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Romans 2:29 - No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.

2 Corinthians 4:1 - Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.

Jeremiah 31:31,33-34 - “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah…“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Ezekiel 11:19 - I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:26 - I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

Application:

· I am provided with love for God’s law, which previously I had hated, and with power to keep it, which previously I had not possessed.
· The new covenant is the administration of God’s saving grace found in and sealed by the death of Christ
· The true sign of belonging to God is the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit within
· When God calls and commissions me, He supplies the strength necessary for me to persevere
· The new covenant is made solemn by the blood of Christ
· Does the law govern my life?
· I am not ignorant of the Lord and His will for my life
· Is my commitment to the Lord and His will single-minded?
· Has the Lord transformed my mind and heart

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Covenant

Zechariah 11:8-15,17 - In one month I got rid of the three shepherds. The flock detested me, and I grew weary of them and said, “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish. Let those who are left eat one another’s flesh.” Then I took my staff called Favor and broke it, revoking the covenant I had made with all the nations. It was revoked on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the LORD. I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the LORD. Then I broke my second staff called Union, breaking the family bond between Judah and Israel. Then the LORD said to me, “Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd…“Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm be completely withered, his right eye totally blinded!”


Ezekiel 34:25 - “‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety.

Application:

· Do I have a covenant of peace with the Lord? Is my life full and secure in Him?
· Do I recognize the authoritative word of the Lord?
· Those who shepherd who are not the Lord’s choice are foolish and worthless!
· If I fail to respond to the shepherds God provides, He can give me over to false shepherds!

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Blood Of My Covenant With You

Zechariah 9:11 - As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.


Exodus 24:8 - Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

Luke 22:20 - In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Isaiah 42:7 - “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

Application:

· Do I agree to obey the Lord?
· The communion cup is a covenant (meaning I agree to obey the Lord) sealed by the death of Jesus Christ,
· Have I been freed from spiritual and moral bondage?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Make a Covenant

Hosea 2:12,17-18 - I will ruin her vines and her fig trees, which she said were her pay from her lovers; I will make them a thicket, and wild animals will devour them…I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked. In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety.


Psalm 46:9 - He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.

Zechariah 9:10 - I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Jeremiah 23:6 - In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteous Savior.

Ezekiel 34:24-26 - I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the LORD have spoken. “‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety. I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.

Hosea 1:2 - When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the LORD.”

Hosea 4:1 - Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land.

Application:

· God rules! He will make wars cease!
· Jesus will rule the whole earth, from sea to sea. And there shall be peace.
· Has God rescued me from danger? Even danger my sin has caused? Has he given me a flourishing, faithful life?
· I will some day experience fullness of life enjoyed in complete security!
· Do I attribute all things to the Lord?
· Have I been unfaithful to the Lord?
· Do I deal rightly with men?
· The Lord is my God and King!!!
· Have I been showered with abundant blessings?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Human Covenant

Galatians 3:15-16 - Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:14 - But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.

Micah 7:20 - You will be true to Jacob, and show mercy to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our fathers in days long ago.

Genesis 17:7 - I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

Conclusions:

• The Greek word for human covenant normally indicates a last will or testament, which is probably the legal instrument Paul is referring to in Galatians 3:15
• In the Septuagint human covenant had been widely use of God's covenant with His people, so Paul's choice of analogy was apt for his purpose

Application:

• Has your mind been made dull?
• Is God your God?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible