A More Excellent Ministry

Heb 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
Heb 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.


Is God long suffering?

Exo 34:5 And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
Exo 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth


Psa 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.


Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?


God IS long suffering. Yet that long suffering does not mean unending suffering. When you suffer long you endure for a LONG time, not forever without end. If a person endures an abusive relationship they endure it until it's over- the relationship has ended, or until they're dead.


Long suffering, you suffer only as long as there is something to suffer from. God is LONG suffering towards humanity. Looking at His people- the descendants of Abraham- God heard their cry and answered it, sending a deliverer in Moses to take them from the captivity of the Egyptians to freedom in Him.


With His people freed God sets up a covenant with them. He will watch over them, He will be their God and they will be His people IF they accept and follow His covenant- something they PROMISED to do.


Yet we read this…

Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.


BECAUSE they continued NOT in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.


The covenant is broken and when a covenant is broken the promises are no longer valid. Why would God regard a people who do not hold up to their promises? God, knowing the condition of man - knew that sin would not disappear. God gave them a way to understand that with sinning comes a penalty. Again, God is long suffering but sin has to end. For sin to end there need to be a covenant that could not been done away with- a final covenant, a perfect covenant, a NEW covenant doing away with the old, a more excellent ministry would be introduced.


Let me ask you something- does doing away with something old mean that the something new contains nothing of the old? As a rule when we get something new it's something that has its origin in something old. A new HDTV -television set for example. The newness comes from the fact it is introducing a new technology- HDTV. The fact it's a television is old. I'm not saying there aren't new inventions- and that everything didn't at one time have to be discovered or invented. Harnessing electricity, producing plastic… each has it's beginning, but those beginnings exist from something already existing. NOT one thing has been created from NOTHING, from thin air, or no air-- you know what I mean.


The point I'm trying to make here is --a better covenant was to be made, a new covenant from the old. A better covenant, a changed covenant.


Being extreme, people like to imagine that Jesus came and DID away with EVERYTHING pertaining to the previous covenant, that's not true.


The older covenant had laws administered to the people by priests.
The new covenant- the better covenant has the laws administered to the minds and hearts of the people.


The older covenant relied upon a sacrificial system.
The new covenant relies upon One Sacrifice for all.


The laws were NOT totally wiped out with the new covenant. The administering of the laws was changed. The need of a Sacrifice was NOT totally wiped out, the Perfect Sacrifice was made and is applicable for us.


Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Heb 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Heb 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.


The new covenant….fully realized will NOT be done away with, ever! The new covenant has promises that will NEVER be done away with. The new covenant with its better ways will last through eternity.


Fully realized without sin- the Lord will be to US a God and we to Him a people. There will be NO separation between us, none!


The new covenant replaces the old, the old covenant had fault, the new covenant would have NO fault.


Heb 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.


A MORE EXCELLENT MINISTRY- Jesus has obtained this. Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant, established upon BETTER promises.


A covenant will forever exist between God and man.


COVENANT, n. [L, to come; a coming together; a meeting or agreement of minds.]
COVENANT, v.i. To enter into a formal agreement; to stipulate; to bind ones self by contract. A covenants with B to convey to him a certain estate. When the terms are expressed it has for before the thing or price.
COVENANT, v.t. To grant or promise by covenant.


God and man- Creator and creature. A covenant does away with that which separates God and man. A covenant allows the breach that separation created to be closed.


Christ is THE MEDIATOR of a better covenant.


MEDIA'TOR, n. One that interposes between parties at variance for the purpose of reconciling them.


The work of our Mediator in the heavenly sanctuary is important to understand and we will continue to study God's word and pray for enlightenment. May God bless us as we seek Him fully, by the grace of Jesus Christ our SAVIOR in all ways, in all things!



Amen.