"For if that first had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second." - Hebrews 8:7
The above is covenant language that could be applied to any of the new covenants throughout Biblical history. What was the reason for the addition of the latest new covenant?...The fault was certainly not with our Heavenly Father's
, but with the people...
"For finding fault
with them, he said, "Behold, the days come," says the Lord, "That I will make a new covenant with the house of Yisra'el and with the house of Yehudah" - Hebrews 8:8
Therefore, He modified the covenant to fix the problem...us. This new covenant includes the promise of Ruach HaKodesh (The Holy Spirit). This was never a covenant promise before. But, it was prophesied in Yechezkel (Ezek.) 36:26-27 to become part of the future status of the covenant....
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and
I will give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my ordinances, and do them."
"then he has said, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He takes away the first, that he may establish the second,"
- Hebrews 10:9
This type of language was characteristic of any of the covenants as they were built upon each other. The previous status of the compound covenant of God had passed away making way for the new status. As many of the bretheren have already communicated, the covenants of God are a unit and they are built upon each other. One does not cancel another as we can see below:
COVENANTSAdamic covenantBe fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, man will live by the sweat of his brow woman will have pain in child bearing The seed of the woman shall bruize the serpents head.
Theological consequences.... The fall of man, sin enters the world, the promise of a Messiah
Noahic CovenantGod will judge His creation, saved Noach and his family, destroyed the earth by floodset the bow in the sky, promise never to destroy by flood again. Don't eat living flesh, don't drink blood, don't strangle your food, no fornication, Don't eat things served to idols
+ the Adamic covenant Avrahamic Covenant The call of Avraham, to be the father of a covenant family. Given the land from the Euphrates R. to the River ofEgypt, where ever Avraham walked. Promise that all the nations would be blessed via the seed of Avraham, i.e. Adamic, seed of woman... Circumcision as the sign of the Covenant...
+ Adamic and Noahic covenants. Mosaic CovenantSign of covenant - Sabbath + Promise of Law, mercy, Grace, and Justice, fulfilling the promises ofAvraham i.e. the land of Promise and the coming seed of woman, the Messiah.
+ The Adamic, Noahic and Avrahamic Covenants.Messianic CovenantSign of Covenant, the blood of Yeshua as an offering for sin, a fountain opened for sin and uncleanness in Yerushalayim. The sacrifice of God's own Son...
written on the believer's heart and the promise of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) empowering the believer to keep God's commands
+The Adamic, Noahic, Avrahamic and Mosaic Covenants. The covenants should all be viewed as a unit which believers in Messiah have part in. Adonai's covenants should be viewed as "echad", a compound unity. The book of Hebrews speaks of better promises being added with the status of the previous compound covenant passing away. Each covenant adds better promises as they are added to the previous promises. Nothing is removed. The covenant of our Heavenly Father is compound in nature. We serve a God that gives cumulative revelation, not a God whom is described as being dispensational and changing His mind as He goes. Beginning from Adam as each covenant was added, it was "The New Covenant". In regards to the mechanisms of how our Heavenly Father makes covenants, our recent "New Covenant" is no different.
I believe the passage in Hebrews discusses the advantages of Yeshua's priesthood, but not in such a way where it degrades the function of the Levitical priesthood which the prophets say will function together in harmony. Much of the language found in this chapter is covenant language that could essentially be used to describe the point in time that any one of the "new covenants" where added. Did the Adamic covenant do away with the Noahic covenant? I think not. But, to the people of the time the Noahic covenant would have been the "New Covenant". Each time a covenant is added to the compound covenant the status of the covenant changed and the "old" status was passing away as it previously existed.
If we view it in this light I believe it will make more sense to the reader. I also believe if we were able to read it in the original Hebrew that it was most likely first written...it would be a little more clear.
The discussion regarding the Priesthoods and the Temple are already taking place in another thread:
The Temple and The PriesthoodLet's stay focused on the subject at hand. If someone wishes to discuss the Temple and Priesthood in particular, let us carry on in the above mentioned thread.
Todah (thank you),
Reuel