But now He has
obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better
covenant, which was established on better promises. (Hebrews 8:6 NKJV)
Let us hold
fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is
faithful. (Hebrews 10:23
NKJV)
This is
called the better covenant. There are no ifs; no injunctions of "'observe
to do"; no conditions of obedience to be fulfilled. From first to last it
consists of the I wills of the Most High.
I will put
my laws into their minds, refers to the intellectual faculty, which thinks,
remembers, and reasons.
I will
write them upon their hearts, the seat of the emotional life and affections.
What a man loves, he is pretty certain to follow and obey. "A little
lower," said the dying veteran, as they probed for the bullet, "and
you will find the Emperor." So with the Christian who has been taken into
the Covenant with God, the law is inscribed on the deepest affections of his
being. He obeys because he loves.
I will be
to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people. This last clause is even
better than the first, because it implies the keeping power of God. If we are
to be a people for His peculiar possession, it can only result from the
operation of His gracious Spirit, who keeps us, as the sun restrains the
planets from becoming wandering stars.
All shall
know Me. Wonder of wonders. Can it be? To know God! To know Him as Abraham did,
to whom He told His secrets; as Moses did, who conversed with Him face to face;
or as the Apostle John did when he beheld Him in the visions of the Revelation
with him. And that this privilege should be within the reach of the least!
I will be
merciful to their iniquities, and their sins will I remember no more. As a mark
or letter is forgotten when erased from a document, so shall sin be obliterated
from the memory of God. It will be forgotten as a debt paid years ago.
Do you ask
how God can call this a covenant, in which there is no second covenanting party?
The answer is easy: Jesus Christ has stood in our stead, and has not only
negotiated this covenant, but has fulfilled in our name, and on our behalf, all
the conditions which were necessary and right. He has become our sponsor and surety,
so God is able to enter into these liberal terms with us, if we will identify
ourselves with Him by a living faith. This is the new and better covenant.
PRAYER
Holy
Father! I claim from You the fulfillment of Your covenant promise, that
You should write Your law upon my heart,
and remember my sins and iniquities no more. May I hear You say "Your faith
hath saved you; Go, and sin no more!" In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN.
God's Daily Promise
Promise
#166:
I reveal My secrets to those who fear Me.
Psalm 25:14 (WEB)
The friendship of Yahweh is with those who fear him.
He will show them his covenant.
I reveal My secrets to those who fear Me.
Psalm 25:14 (WEB)
The friendship of Yahweh is with those who fear him.
He will show them his covenant.
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