Covenant Stream: God Builds a People

1. The Covenant stream – God builds a people If you saw our previous slide deck (Grafted-in 4.0) then you will hopefully be familiar with how the Tanakh Covenants inter-relate and each point towards Jesus. t

2. The Covenant stream – God builds a people Abraham – a mighty nation Moses – a nation of priests David – a mighty king Who reigns forever Messianic – the Messiah will be a King, Who will also be the suffering servant

3. The Covenant stream – God builds a people God creates a people “chosen” (elected) in His Son A priesthood of all believers This is a “nation” of priests, grafted-in to true Israel No more priests No more Temple Gentiles grafted - in discontinuity Abraham Moses t David Messiah resurrection crucifixion

4. The Covenant stream – God builds a people historic point of in-grafting Gentiles grafted - in Abraham Moses t David Messiah continuity Messianic covenant continues (conditional) The Chosen People are a nation of priests (conditional on obedience) Moses covenant continues (conditional) Ex 19:5-6 Abraham covenant continues - Gen 12:2-3 (unconditional) David covenant continues - 2 Sam 7:13-16 (unconditional) * Jeremiah (what) – Jer 33 (all) * Ezekiel (how) – Ezek 37 (all) * Isaiah (who) – Isaiah 52-53

5. The Covenant stream – God builds a people historic point of in-grafting Gentiles grafted - in t New Covenant Era resurrection crucifixion

6. The Covenant stream – God builds a people Some Christians think that in some way “the new covenant” replaces or extinguishes either one, or all, of the “older” covenants. And they always use the definite article “the” (as in “the new covenant”) t

7. The Covenant stream – God builds a people However the Bible almost always speaks about “a” new covenant. Examples: Jeremiah 31:31 (repeated Hebrews 8:8) Hebrews 8:13 Hebrews 12:24 It is only Jesus who speaks of “the” New Covenant. Even here, this is only in Luke (22:20) t

8. The Covenant stream – God builds a people Gospel narrative – last supper mentions of a new covenant:- Matthew 26:28 - “the covenant” (some translations add the word “new”) Mark 14:24 - “the covenant” (some translations add the word “new”) Luke 22:20 - the new covenant John - does not mention Jesus’ institution of the “breaking of bread” tradition t

9. The Covenant stream – God builds a people This slide-deck is not the place to resolve precisely the interrelationship of “the” New Covenant of which Jesus speaks, and the older covenant(s) But we will place some simple propositions as to what is going on: t

10. The Covenant stream – God builds a people When Jesus spoke of “the” New Covenant, he had in mind that, in agreement with Jeremiah 31:31, he was the mechanism to inaugurate a new covenant with the House of Israel t

11. The Covenant stream – God builds a people Jeremiah 31:31 in turn makes the distinction that this new covenant would not be like the covenant which God instituted with the Hebrew nation when He brought them out of Egypt. In this we understand that God is speaking of the Moses covenant. The Moses covenant is the ‘priesthood covenant’. t

12. The Covenant stream – God builds a people We can say, straightway, that the new (or renewed) covenant is designed in some way to augment the Mosaic covenant – primarily. Since the 4 key covenants are inter-linked, the new (or renewed) covenant certainly impacts each of them. But the covenant struck in Jer 31:31 seems to focus on the Moses/priesthood covenant. t

13. The Covenant stream – God builds a people The Moses/priesthood covenant in turn speaks of sacrifice and of blood. t

14. The Covenant stream – God builds a people When Jesus inaugurates His new (or renewed) covenant, He also speaks of blood (Matt 26:28) – supremely it is His blood that will be sacrificed. t

15. The Covenant stream – God builds a people The Moses covenant is struck with the House of Israel. The new (or renewed) covenant is also struck with Israel but with the profound difference that all Believers can be grafted-in to the new covenant promises. We become, as true Believers, a “priesthood of ALL believers” Hebrews 7:23–28 t

16. The Covenant stream – God builds a people The fact that this new relationship is most closely explored in the Epistle to The Hebrews should be another clue to us that the writer (not identified in the text) is helping Jewish people to understand how this renewed Moses covenant in Jesus’ blood must work – and how its benefits and blessings are available to all, irrespective of race. Hebrews 7:23–28 t

17. The Covenant stream – God builds a people When Christians speak of “The New Covenant” as replacing “The Old Covenant” they will find – if they look carefully – that the Scriptures do not support this simplistic terminology, or the “theology” that is built upon it. In fact this simplistic approach lies at the heart of “Replacement Theology” – the idea that Israel is now ‘replaced’ in God’s purposes with “the Church” (howsoever defined!). t

18. The Covenant stream – God builds a people • We repeat, this slide-deck is not the place to resolve these profound truths. Yet this basic approach should help us to recognise • it is too easy to speak in terms of “the” new covenant and assume that it “replaces” one or all of the previous covenants • we need to better understand how those “grafted-in” to Israel’s promises (Rom 11:17) shall relate to the four covenants collectively t

19. The Covenant stream – God builds a people Final general point (1): The prophecy of a new covenant in Jeremiah 31:31 is too often read as a stand alone verse. It should be read in context of Jeremiah chapters 30 to 31 which speaks of God’s future “consolation” to His rebellious chosen people, the Hebrews. In these two chapters the phrase “in those days” (etc) is used nine times. Eight of these references appear to lie still in the future! So we need carefully to understand Jer 31:31 and how it can be applied today (it can!) t

20. The Covenant stream – God builds a people Final general point (2): The book of Hebrews also can be parsed in a similarly delinquent manner: some readers focus on Hebrews 9: 15-22 as in some way stand-alone and proof positive of a broader theology. We suggest, however that Hebrews chapters 6:13 through 9:28 (and even into chapter 10) need to be read as a whole. Jesus is revealed across these chapters as the ultimate High Priest (of the order of Melchizedek). Heb 7:11 suggests that it is the Levitical priesthood that Jesus augments – and completes. t

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