The Old Covenant
The Old Covenant was an agreements between God and His people. “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” (Deuteronomy 4:13). The Ten Commandments were written by God Himself (Exodus 24:12; 34:28; Deuteronomy 10:4). But all the civil and ceremonial laws were given through Moses (Exodus 24:3). This important distinction Moses repeatedly stresses (Exodus 20:1, 19; 21:1; 24:3; Deuteronomy 5:22).
Why Did it Fail?
“For finding fault with them, he saith, … 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”( Hebrews 8:8-9).
The fault with the Old Covenant was with the people, not with God or His law for “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple” (Psalms 19:7). The Old Covenant failed because it was based upon the faulty promises and works of the people. The people promised to keep God’s law by their own efforts not by God’s power. They said, “All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient”( Exodus 24:7).
The New Covenant succeeds because it is based upon Jesus’ promises and His miracle-working power in the heart. God writes His law in the heart. “For this is the covenant that I will make … saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts” (Hebrews 8:10). A person’s entire nature is changed by God’s grace, so he finds keeping God’s law pleasure (Romans 7:22). The New Covenant is based on the same law of the Old Testament (Exodus 20), but it is written in a different place (the heart) and built on better promises, which are God’s.
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
