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HEBREWS VIII, 6—13

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Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 19, 1858

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 12, No. 14.

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HEBREWS VIII, 6—13.

It seems that this portion of scripture, still throws doubt over some minds in regard to the Sabbath. We see not how it can possibly have such an effect upon any thoughtful mind; but while it does, though it has been many times explained in the REVIEW, we shall endeavor to re-iterate what light we have on the subject. The only source of difficulty here, lies in the fact that some will persist in reading it, as though the first covenant there mentioned, was the law of God, or ten commandments; that this is superseded by something better, and therefore has waxed old and vanished away. Let us see if there is any necessity for, or any plausibility in, such an application.
Verse 6. "But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises."
The Apostle is contrasting the priesthood of Christ and that of Aaron. The ministry of Christ is more excellent than that of the earthly priests. Why? Because he is the mediator of a better covenant. This is the gospel covenant; and the better promises upon which it is established, are found in the fact that it takes away sin.
Verse 7. "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second."
The first covenant was not perfect in that it did not embrace pardon for sin in its conditions. The sacrificial offerings of the former dispensation, its blood and hyssop could not remove sin. It is not possible, says Paul, that the blood of bulls and goats, should take away sin. Heb. x, 4. Had this covenant embraced pardon in its conditions, and could effectual service have there been offered, then indeed no place need have been sought for another and a better one. But the moment we take the word covenant here to mean law, we involve the Scriptures in a positive contradiction; for the Psalmist declares that the law of the Lord is perfect. Ps. xix, 7.
Verses 8, 9. "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."
What was the covenant which God made with Israel as he led them out of the land of Egypt? It is found in Ex. xix: "Now therefore," says God, "if ye will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine." The people replied through Moses, "All that the Lord hath said we will do." Here is the covenant or agreement entered into between the Lord and the people when he led them out of Egypt. His law was the basis of this agreement; and this the people on their part were bound to obey, if they would receive the blessing which God had promised on his. If they obeyed his voice &c., they were to be to him a peculiar people. But the people did not fulfill their part of the conditions; they broke the law; and as that covenant made no provision for the removal of sin, and could not therefore re-instate the transgressor, the Lord was released from all obligations on his part, and therefore regarded them not.
Verses 10, 12. "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. . . . For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."
The blessings of this covenant are more ample than those offered by the old; for God is not only to be the God of Israel (the spiritual seed) and they be his people, but he is to be merciful to their unrighteousness, and remember their iniquities no more. It is perfect in its operation, as it makes provision for the actual removal of sin. It is glorious in its results, since under it we are brought to that eternal and perfect state wherein all shall know the Lord from the least to the greatest.
But what are the conditions of this covenant? In the former it was the law; if ye will obey my voice, &c.; in the latter, God says, I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts. Mark this. It is God’s law that is to be put into the heart. Not the law of Christ, nor of the apostles; but I will put my laws into their mind. In the former dispensation, the ministration of which was called the ministration of death, the law was written on two tables of stone deposited in the earthly sanctuary, which was the sun and center of that typical system, and accompanied with an outward service. In this dispensation, the typical sanctuary has given place to the Sanctuary in heaven. We have therefore now no tabernacle before us, with its ark and tables of the covenant, reminding us continually by the sight of our eyes, of the obligation we are under. Therefore the law is put in the mind, written in the heart, and ministered by the Holy Spirit.
We ask, Does transferring the law from the tables of stone to the heart, abolish it? does it even change it in the least particular? By no means.
The two covenants, the former and latter, the old and new, must be similar in their nature. But the new covenant is not a law; for under this covenant the law is written in the heart; and the covenant is a mutual arrangement, if we may so speak, between God and his children, by which he becomes their God and they his people. The old covenant to be similar to this in nature, could not be a law simply, but must be a like agreement between God and his people by which they were brought to sustain a peculiar relation to him. And so it was, as we see by reading the agreement between God and his ancient people as recorded in Ex. xix.
That the basis of this covenant, or the ten commandments, are often themselves called a covenant, is not disputed. See Deut. iv, 13. "And he declared unto you his covenant which he commanded you to perform even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone." Whenever therefore we read of the tables of the covenant, Deut. ix, 9, or the tables of testimony, Ex. xxxi, 18, and the ark of the covenant, Deut. xxxi, 20, or the ark of his testament, Rev. xi, 19, we very well know what is meant. We know that the tables of the ten commandments, and the ark which contains them, are pointed out. But God’s act of entering into covenant with any people, granting them certain blessings and privileges, provided they would comply with certain duties, and his declaring unto them the terms or conditions of the covenant, which are of themselves sometimes called a covenant as in Deut. iv, 13, are two very different acts.
But if the covenant of Heb. viii, means the law, the declarations of verse 10 would be very singular. Substitute the word covenant for law, which can be done, if it means the same thing, and we should then have the following startling announcement: "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my covenant into their mind, and write it in their hearts;" from which we could only understand that the old covenant which was to wax old and vanish away, is, in this dispensation, written in the hearts of believers! Those who think the covenant here mentioned is the law of God, are requested to tell us what those laws of God are, which are to be written in the hearts of believers during the present age.