THE NEW COVENANT
Jeremiah 31:31-37; Ezekiel 36:22-37
In this issue of The Shofar, we continue our series in the biblical covenants, turning our attention to the New Covenant, having already considered the Abrahamic, Land and Davidic Covenants. The focus of these covenants is the nation of Israel and this continues with the New Covenant, even though it is applied to the Church in the New Testament.
This application to the Church tends to hide its application to Israel as the original recipients, which can lead to replacement theology. It is important to grasp the details of this remarkable covenant for Israel and subsequently for the Church. Two Old Testament passages provide a full description of the New Covenant, including its features, conditions and fulfilment.
Jeremiah’s description (Jeremiah 31:31-40) gives five features of this remarkable covenant.
The first feature is the participants in the covenant, which are God and Israel/Judah (Jeremiah 31:31). God makes this New Covenant with Israel (Northern Kingdom) and Judah (Southern Kingdom), which was a divided nation when Jeremiah receives this revelation. This affirms that the entire nation is included in this covenant, not just the most recent exiles from the Southern Kingdom, which suggests a future context when all the tribes are unified.
The second feature is its distinction from the Mosaic Covenant (Jeremiah 31:32). God draws a contrast with the covenant made with Israel after the exodus from Egypt, the Mosaic Covenant. He emphasises Israel’s failure in breaking that covenant, which required faithful obedience for its blessings and promised cursing for disobedience. The previous covenant was characterised by the external demand of the law, while also requiring faith for its operation. Compliance without faith only produced self-righteousness, which was not pleasing to God. This was a persistent problem for the Jewish people (Romans 10:2-3).
The third feature is its focus on inward spiritual vitality (Jeremiah 31:33). The New Covenant provides inward spiritual life, with God’s law written on their hearts, as against tablets of stone. God will restore the nation’s relationship with Him by an internal spiritual work. This is the emphasis in Ezekiel 36:26-27, which is described as “a new heart, and a new spirit” and “a heart of flesh” in contrast to “a heart of stone”. This will cause the nation to walk in obedience.
The fourth feature is its inclusive nature (Jeremiah 31:34a). Differences in knowing God will no longer exist. Everyone will know God regardless of distinctions, whether least or greatest in the nation. Instruction by some to others will cease because it is no longer needed.
The fifth and final feature is its provision of full forgiveness of sin (Jeremiah 31:34b). The basis of this spiritual equality is complete forgiveness for all. God restores all Israel to a right relationship with Him, which was not guaranteed by the Mosaic Covenant. Many Israelites were alienated from God despite being members of His chosen nation living under the Mosaic Covenant.
The Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants are unique in the way that conditions are applied to the participants, which continues with the New Covenant.
The Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants are unique in the way that conditions are applied to the participants, which continues with the New Covenant. Israel/Judah is the recipient of the covenant provisions without any conditions placed on them. The covenant brings about the nation’s positive response as an outcome and not as a condition. This ensures its fulfilment is not dependent on human performance.
God is the sole party taking on the obligations for the covenant’s fulfilment and He does so with indisputable commitment to the nation. Two comparisons provide support for this commitment. The first is the enduring fixed order of the heavenly bodies. The second is the immeasurable extent of the heavens above and foundations of the earth below.
For God to forsake Israel, both of these physical realities would need to fail, which is impossible and thus God’s constant dealing with the nation is guaranteed. These assurances were also given for the Davidic Covenant also considered in this issue; such is God’s repeated commitment to their fulfilment. In Ezekiel, the basis of the covenant blessing is God’s reputation, for the sake of His name and not for Israel’s sake (Ezekiel 36:22-23, 32). Again, God is the determining factor in covenant fulfilment.
When will this covenant be fulfilled for Israel/Judah? Jeremiah indicates this New Covenant’s fulfilment is future and connected to the rebuilding of Jerusalem in a permanent, lasting context of peace (Jeremiah 31:38-40). Ezekiel also connects the New Covenant’s fulfilment with Israel’s restoration to the land in prosperity and peace, so that Israel and the nations will know that God is the Lord (Ezekiel 36:23, 36-37).
Ezekiel also reveals that Israel’s initial regathering in the land is in unbelief, illustrated by the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37). At first, the dry bones are lifeless without flesh, then made complete bodies but without life, and finally animated by the Spirit (Ezekiel 37:7-10). God promises to regather Israel in the land and give them spiritual life so that Israel will know that He is the Lord (Ezekiel 37:14).
Where does the Church feature in this covenant? Jesus the Messiah inaugurates the New Covenant prior to His atoning death (Luke 22:20), which we recount at the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:25). Paul refers to the New Covenant when describing his ministry and God’s sufficiency for it (2 Corinthians 3:6). The book of Hebrews refers to the New Covenant, quoting from Jeremiah 31, when presenting Jesus as the high priest of a better covenant than the previous Mosaic Covenant (Hebrews 8:8-13). Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:15; 12:24).
The New Covenant provides inward spiritual vitality for believers in this present age, the Church age, because of the finished work of Jesus Christ.
The New Covenant provides inward spiritual vitality for believers in this present age, the Church age, because of the finished work of Jesus Christ. Both Gentiles and Jews are beneficiaries of the Spirit’s provision of new life in Christ and incorporated into the body of Christ, the Church. This does not displace or replace Israel as a future beneficiary, rather it extends the provisions of the New Covenant beyond Israel to all nations as God originally intended through Israel in the Old Testament era. As Romans 11 teaches, Israel will experience salvation when Jesus comes and God takes away their sins because of His covenant with them (Romans 11:26-27).
The New Testament fulfilment includes the Church and Israel, with the Church immediately benefiting from it while Israel remains in unbelief, partially hardened until “the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Romans 11:25). Paul states that Israel is “beloved for the sake of their forefathers” (Romans 11:28b) and “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). This reinforces the unconditional nature of the New Covenant and its basis in God’s unchanging love toward an undeserving people. We all qualify for such grace!
We have come to end of our four-part series on the Abrahamic, Land, Davidic and New Covenants, which I hope has established God’s commitment to the nation of Israel despite their repeated failures.
It was never about Israel’s performance; rather God’s performance made the difference. This is equally true for every era, including ours. Our inclusion is God’s work, not ours, and so it will be for Israel.
Israel will be in the Promised Land, have a Davidic King, be rightly related to their Messiah, have Jerusalem as their capital and worship God as His chosen people in fulfilment of these covenants.
God is faithful and He will do it! We can confidently trust Him for our future, even as Israel can for theirs. May that be so!
