In our first two lessons we looked at the seed promise and the throne promise, and saw how these have been fulfilled in the coming of Christ, the Son of God and King of kings. Now we consider yet another magnificent promise, the covenant promise.

A Better Covenant Promised

"Behold the days are coming says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: after those days, says the Lord, I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts, and I will be their God and they shall be my people... They shall all know me from the least to the greatest says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and their sins I will remember no more." (Jer 31:31-34).

This was a magnificent promise which was fulfilled by Jesus Christ whose "blood of the [new] covenant" was "shed for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Mtt 26:28, 1Co 11:25)

A New Mediator for the New Covenant

The mediator of the old covenant was Moses. The mediator of the new covenant is Jesus Christ the Son of God. He is called "the mediator of a better covenant enacted upon better promises" (Heb 8:6).

One reason why Jesus was the mediator, and not somebody else, is that his was the only blood that could be shed for the forgiveness of sins. However we will come to that matter in our next lesson concerning the promise of a perfect sacrifice for sins

Another reason why Jesus was the mediator is that he is the person of highest authority whom God could send. No other person among angels or men has the authority of the Son of God. After dying on the cross, being raised from the dead, and exalted to God's right hand, he was given "the name which is above every name" which is to say, the authority which is above every authority (Php 2:5-11). When this mediator delivers to us a covenant from God, we had better listen!

A New Covenant for a New People

The promise we earlier quoted from Jeremiah speaks of "The house of Israel and the house of Judah" which seems to limit the promise to the descendants of Jacob However we find, praise the Lord, that all nations and peoples are included.

Jesus said, "I have other sheep who are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they shall hear my voice, and they shall become one flock with one Shepherd" (Jhn 10:16). Paul explains what Jesus meant. "There is neither Jew nor Greek... you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise" (Gal 3:28-29). The kingdom of God is no longer an earthly Israel or Judah, comprised only of Abraham and Jacob's physical descendants. A person is the seed of Abraham if that person shares the faith (belief) of Abraham (Rom 4:14-16).

The holy nation is now a spiritual and universal kingdom comprised of all believers in Christ whether Jew or Greek.

That's why Jesus told his disciples to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation" and that anyone could believe and obey that gospel and be saved (Mrk 16:15-16). Paul declared that gospel to be "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Rom 1:16). Have you believed and obeyed that gospel, God's covenant for you, mediated to you by Jesus Christ?

For further study...
Jesus the Mediator
The Priceless Covenant

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