The Old and the New Covenant: A Brief Study.

IT IS WRITTEN: 2 Tim 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;” 

The Covenants: 

The covenant with Abram was 3 fold (Based on Genesis 15)

1. God promised him a son from his own loins
2. He (God) promised Abram descendants as the stars of the sky; uncountable
3. He promised them the land of Canaan a.k.a. “the promise land”

In this Genesis 15 God confirms this promise to Abram by “passing through the animals, i.e. staking His (God's) own life as the assurance that the promise will be true. 

Genesis chapter 17: establishes in more detail other aspects of the covenant. There will be kings from the line of David. God calls for circumcision as an act of obedience. If they do not obey the covenant is broken. Exodus 34:28 establishes the Ten Commandments as the words of the covenant. 

Exod 34:28 “So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.”

Deut 4:13 once again establishes the Ten Commandments as His covenant Stipulations that what He spoke is His covenant.  

“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.”

God spoke the Ten Commandments. Contrast it with verse 14 and you see the difference between the Ten Commandments of God and the other laws God gave to Moses.

Deut 4:14 “And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.”

Deut 4:13	Deut 4:14
“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.”	“And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.”

In verse 13 God declared to the entire people the ten commandments and then wrote them Himself on two tables of stone.

In verse 14 God commanded Moses to teach them statutes and judgments. Later we’ll see Moses wrote those himself.

Deut 5:2,3 Establishes the covenant with the nation, as opposed to the individual personalities, the fathers (by implication Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” with that current generation. Just like you and I do when we accept Christ and come into a covenant relationship with Christ.

Deut 7:9-11 Key verse is 11 notice how afterwards He speaks about the other laws as well but there is a distinction between the groups. 

Deut 8:16-18 if you read the context we see a direct correlation that it is God who gives us the power to keep the covenant just like in Philippians 2:12, 13 Salvation has and always will be by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. 

Deut 9:9, 11 & 15 Tables of the Covenant refers to the Ten Commandments

Verse 9	Verse 11	Verse 15
When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:	And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.	So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands.

Deut 10:5 Establishes where the book of the law, given to Moses, was placed. Contrast the locations.

“Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.”

Note that the book of the law was placed in the side of the ark of the COVENANT, a.k.a the Ten Commandments. 

Deut 29:20-21 tell us what the curses/punishments are for breaking the Ten Commandments/Covenant

2 Kings 18:12 & Jeremiah 11:3 and onward establishes later on in Israel’s history that the covenant is God’s words spoken at Mount Sinai. 

2 Kgs 18:12 Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them. 

Jer 11:3 And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant, 

Jeremiah 31:31ff refers to a new covenant but we shall see that the only thing that has changed is the location of the law; from tables of stone to the hearts of the people. The law remains the same; the Ten Commandments. 

Jeremiah 31:35-37 & 33:19-26 God says His covenant will never cease as long as there are heavens and earth or day and night.

Luke 1:72 speaks of God remembering His Holy covenant, remember we have established it is His Ten Commandments.

Luke 22:20 The New Covenant spoken of in Jeremiah is instituted at the death of Jesus. The continual blood of bulls and goats replaced by, the once and for all time sacrifice of Jesus. Yet the commandments or covenant stipulations stay the same. Jeremiah 31:33

“But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

1 Corinthians 11:25 establishes that His Blood makes the covenant new. Cf. Jeremiah 31:31

1 Cor 11:25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

2 Cor the entire chapter 3 the chapter must be understood by the fact that the law, is written in our hearts by the Spirit and that the sacrificial system is done away by Christ’s sacrifice. Verses 15 & 16 indicate that the old covenant had to do with Moses’ writing of the book, that stipulated the curses for breaking the law. However this chapter does included the ten commandments only in the sense that the Ten Commandments CANNOT AND NEVER COULD SAVE US! Paul is fighting people who thought the commandments can save us. ONLY JESUS CAN KEEP US FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW BUT THE LAW STILL STANDS.

We need to look to Jesus who did away with the veil of separation. Now because of Jesus we can come boldly to the throne of grace, no longer needing an earthly priest on our behalf.

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 7:22 Jesus makes the covenant better because it is based on HIS promises, not man's. And He remains forever and is perfect

Hebrews chapter 8 and onward summarize the changes from Old to New the covenants:

Old Covenant	New Covenant
Written on Tables of Stone	Written in our hearts
From blood of bulls and goats (needed daily/yearly)	To the blood of Jesus Christ (Sacrificed once and for all)
From earthly Sanctuary	To the heavenly Sanctuary
From promises of an earthly promised land	To a promise of a heavenly promised land
From earthly priests	To Jesus our heavenly High Priest

Both covenants still based on the Ten Commandments. 

For example God wrote the Ten Commandments Himself, Moses wrote the book of the Law

God writes the same Ten Commandments in our hearts now. 

The promise of the New Covenant is based in the Old Testament promise found in Jeremiah 31:31

Hebrews 10:9, 10 Jesus came to take away the continual need of sacrificing animals and once and for all made Himself the perfect Sacrifice.

Hebrews 13:20 indicates the covenant is eternal;

Heb 13:20 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord.

Revelation 11:19 states the ark of the covenant is in heaven; the covenant stipulations never changed; they were made better by Christ’s death and are still valid even when John is looking in vision to the last days.

Now those who try to say God’s eternal moral law is love are correct but lets see how God’s moral law is the same as the Ten Commandments.

“When Paul praises God’s Law as being “Holy, and Just, and Good,” and the Psalmist David exclaims that  “The law of the Lord is Perfect,” we learn from the Pen of Inspiration that God’s moral Law of Ten Commandments is no mere checklist of rules! It’s a TRANSCRIPT of God’s character, reflecting its divine Author in every respect. Compare the attributes of God with inspired descriptions of His law:

God Is:	ATTRIBUTE	God’s LAW Is:
1 Peter 1:16; Isaiah 6:3	Holy	Romans 7:12
Revelation 15:3; Deuteronomy 32:4	Just	Romans 7:12
Psalm 25:8; Luke 18:19	Good	Romans 7:12
Psalm 11:7	Righteous	Psalm 119:172
1 John 4:8 & 16	Love	Matthew 22:36-40; Romans 13:8-10
Deuteronomy 32:4	Truth	Psalm 119:142, 151
1 John 3:3	Pure	Psalm 19:8
1 John 4:24	Spiritual	Romans 7:14
Malachi 3:6	Unchangeable	Matthew 5:18
Matthew 5:48	Perfect	Psalm 19:7
Psalm 90:2	Everlasting	Psalm 111: 7-8

God’s Law of Ten Commandments is an expression of His thought, an embodiment of His very Nature! Therefore, we should no more expect it to be changed than we’d expect God to change. It is written:

1. God says, “I am the Lord, I change not.” Malachi 3:6

2. He is “the Father of lights, with whom is NO variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17

3. “Jesus Christ is the SAME yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

May this brief study be of help to you.

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