If you were with us last week, you remember hearing about how Abram (later called Abraham) chased after the kings and their armies after they defeated Sodom and captured Lot. Lot was blessed by the King of Salem—Melchizedek. We learned that Melchizedek was superior to Abram because the blessing which was given went from the greater to the lesser, and the tithe (or offering) which was given went from the lesser to the greater. Since Melchizedek was greater than Abram, and since the priests of Levi were still within Abram, we know that priests in the line of Melchizedek are greater than the priests in the line of Levi. Since scripture tells us that Jesus was a priest in the order of Melchizedek, we know that the priestly work of Jesus is greater than that of the Levitical priests, and that the New Covenant is greater than the Old Covenant.
We’re going to pick up this week with the continuation of the narrative of Abram, found in Genesis chapter 15. He had just come back from defeating the kings and receiving this blessing when we read these words:
1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
"Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward. "
2 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."
4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." 5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
7 He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it."
8 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?"
9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon."
10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure."
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates- 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."
May God add His Blessing to the Reading of His Word
You probably remember the first part of this lesson from a Sunday School lesson as a child. The image of counting the stars in the sky is probably one that has stayed with you throughout your life. You may even remember going outside one night and trying to count the stars, realizing that it was impossible, and then realizing how impossible God’s promise must have seemed to Abram. And yet, we’re told that Abram didn’t doubt this promise but believed God…and that it was credited to him as righteousness.
But God doesn’t stop there—He then makes another promise…that Abram would take possession of all of the land around him. Interestingly enough, even though Abram accepted the first promise without any question, it is this promise that he seems to have questions about, or even doubt. For he says to God, “How can I know that I will gain possession of the land?” In other words, “How do I know this will happen?” or even, “How can I know you will keep this promise?” It is that question which leads into a ritual that seems very bizarre to our 21st century western culture, but would have been very common to Abram’s ancient world.
In those times, when two parties made an agreement together—whether it was a land treaty or a trade agreement, they would make a covenant. Now, the Hebrew word for covenant, BERITH, is actually derived from a word which means “to cut.” In other words, in those days you did not make a covenant like we make a promise. Rather, you cut a covenant.
And how did you “cut a covenant?” Well, you saw one example of a blood covenant in our lesson this morning. In the blood covenant, the parties would take a variety of animals, kill them, cut their bodies in half, and lay them on either side of a path. The blood would drain toward the path, and both parties would walk along the bloodpath, between the animals. What they were communicating was a guarantee of their word—that they would keep their promise. As they walked among the dead animals, covering their feet in the blood, they were basically saying, “May this happen to me if I break this covenant.”
Imagine being Abram, and entering into a covenant relationship with God Almighty. Abram might have felt important, that God would desire to be in covenant relationship with him. And yet, when God began to give him instructions to gather animals and kill them, Abram must have begun to feel a bit nervous. After all, he knew what was coming next…the blood covenant ceremony was common in his culture. God was going to ask him to lay out those animals, and then he was going to have to walk through that bloodpath. What if he wasn’t able to conquer the land like God wanted? Would his very life be forfeit if he failed to have a child?
I wonder if Abram didn’t all of a sudden start to wish that God had never chosen him—or that he’d never asked any questions, or asked for some guarantee of the promise. For now he was going to have to enter into a blood-covenant with Almighty God—and certainly if either party was to break the covenant, it would be Abram.
And now, imagine Abram’s wonder when during his deep sleep he saw a smoking firepot and a blazing torch pass through the bloodpath. We don’t have any record of Abram waking and passing through that path himself—but simply of smoke and fire. Abram couldn’t have known it at the time, but that smoking firepot and blazing torch must have been very similar to the pillar of fire and cloud of smoke which later led the Israelites through the wilderness. Indeed, the very presence of God passed through those animals, indicating that if either party broke the covenant, God Himself would pay the penalty for the broken covenant.
That was the basis for the Abramic covenant, the covenant under which the Israelites lived until Jesus came. In hopes of the fulfillment of that covenant, they continued to offer animal sacrifices day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year to atone for their sins.
And yet, we know that God’s covenant with Abram indicated something even deeper—that God would not only keep His end of the covenant agreement, but that He would keep both ends of the covenant agreement. It is that theological understanding from which the Hebrew word HESED is derived—a word which means “steadfast love.” The ancient notion of “steadfast love” is more than simply an eternal, steady love…it is a covenant love that goes beyond what is reasonably expected in the relationship to do for the other person what they cannot possibly do for themselves.
With that understanding of the Old Covenant, let’s see what our author of Hebrews has to say this week, and what we can learn about the New Covenant in relationship to the Old. Hear the word of the Lord, found in Hebrews 9, verses 1-15:
1Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
6When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. 9This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.
11When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
15For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
May God add His blessing to the reading of His Word
First and foremost, let me point this out—in the same way that the priesthood of Jesus was superior to the Levitical priesthood, we are to understand that the New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant. That is not to say that the New Covenant abolished the Old Covenant, but rather that it fulfilled the Old Covenant. The death of Jesus upon the cross was the fulfillment of that promise made to Abraham so many centuries before. For God knew that we were unable to keep our end of the covenant, and so He kept both ends of the covenant, paying the penalty for the broken covenant, just as He promised.
The sacrificial system never really cleansed consciences or forgave sins. It was only God who could forgive or cleanse those who followed Him. In a sense, you could say that the act of sacrificing animals was really an affirmation of faith that God would keep the covenant, and that He would look from Heaven and see His people with love and forgive them. In this way, the sacrificial system reflected the steadfast love—the HESED of God. Another way of saying this is to say that the sacrifices of old were merely a foreshadowing of the only True and Perfect Sacrifice upon the Cross of Calvary.
The author of Hebrews also points out one more item which makes the New Covenant superior to the Old Covenant. Let me read again verses 11 and 12:
11When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
In other words, not only is Jesus greater than the priests of old, not only is the New Covenant greater than the Old Covenant, but the New Tabernacle is better than the Old. The writer says that since Jesus passed through the very Holy Place of Heaven, he must have offered a sacrifice which was greater than the sacrifices of old. For the old sacrifices only made the worshippers ceremonially clean on the outside—they didn’t really make them clean on the inside.
But since Jesus passed through the Heavenly Holy of Holies, we know that His sacrifice was superior to that of bulls and sheep. And it is by His sacrifice that we have hope of salvation and redemption. It is because of His sacrifice that we too have the hope of entering the presence of God.
Jesus is greater than Levi. The Heavenly Tabernacle is greater than the earthly one. The Sacrifice which Jesus made is far superior to those made by the priests. And so we can only conclude that the New Covenant is greater than the Old Covenant—the New Covenant fulfills the Old Covenant.
What is the New Covenant, you ask? Good Question. In the ancient culture, covenants followed a very specific formula, with a preamble delineating the two parties, a section that outlined the expectations of the covenant, and a section that identified the blessings and curses that would follow for either following or breaking the covenant. Since this document would be enormously long (the Mosaic Covenant would actually be considered all of the first five books of the Bible), a summary document was then drawn up and given to both parties. It would appear that the stone tablets of the ten commandments were the summary documents for the Mosaic covenant.
If that is the case, then it must be the case that the New Covenant would also have a summary document—a statement which sums up the entire covenant. I would suggest that it is this statement which was given by the teacher quoted in Mark 12 this morning. After hearing Jesus answer which commandment was the most important, this teacher said:
32"Well said, teacher," …. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
Elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus is quoted as saying that all of the rest of the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. We understand that if we keep these two commandments, everything else will fall in line. We no longer have to worry about legalism or the law with its many jots and tittles…we must instead concern ourselves with loving God with our entire being.
It is that covenant to which you are invited today. Oh, I know it can be a scary thing to enter into covenant with God Almighty—what if you fail? Imagine how Abram felt as He spread out those animal bodies on either side of the blood path. And yet, Jesus has already “cut” the covenant for you, by the shedding of His own blood. He has already paid the penalty for your failure to truly keep the covenant. All that is required is for you to accept the terms of the covenant—entering into covenant relationship with God Almighty.
The good news of the Gospel today is that this covenant is far better than the old covenant. The priest is superior, the tabernacle is superior, and the sacrifice is superior. For Jesus’ blood does not simply make you ceremonially clean on the outside, but can make your conscience clean and your heart pure. What is required is that you seek forgiveness for your sins so you can enter into an ongoing relationship with God. “And when we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
In a moment, we will celebrate the signs of the covenant, the broken body of Jesus and the shed blood of Jesus. These signs are a constant reminder for you to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength” and to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Those are the terms of your covenant with God, the principles by which you are to live your life.
After the invitation to come is given, all who are in this covenant relationship with God are invited to come and dine at His table. If you have never entered into this relationship, you may do so today—even as we pray and prepare to accept the signs of the New Covenant.
When you come, receive the elements and return to your seats where we will partake together, celebrating our unity in the Body of Christ.
Let us pray.
Benediction: Jude 1:24-25To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
(You may listen to this sermon at www.capenazarene.org/ftp/sermonaudio/CECN_110506_covenant.mp3. Or, you can subscribe to our podcast at http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=129585252.)
