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"If that first covenant had been faultless..."

Text: Hebrews 8:7

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF COVENANTS

The author of Hebrews had taken much time to compare the Levitical and the Melchizedek priesthoods (Hebrews 7; This was a needed study because the Levitical system was still in existence).

He now entered into another very relevant and important subject- the concept of the Covenant God gave to Israel after He led them out of Egypt. This concept was predominant in the minds of all Jewish leaders. How should believers in the Lord Jesus Christ understand and relate to the Mosaic Covenant?

REFERENCE TO THE FIRST COVENANT

The author of Hebrews commences his discussion with this bold and startling statement.

“For if the first covenant had been faultless,
then no place would have been sought for a second.”
Hebrews 8:7

1. The words “first” and “second”

These words were used for comparative purposes!

2. The context of the “first covenant”

a) The main text that describes this “first covenant” is found in Exodus 24.

i) This was recorded as “The Book of the Covenant”(Cf. Exodus 24:7).

ii) It was sealed by the shedding of blood (animal sacrifice) {Cf. Exodus 24:5-8}

b) Summary of the content of the first (Mosaic) Covenant

This is famously known as the Ten Commandments, or “The Decalogue” (Ten Words- Exodus 20:1-17).

c) The full contents of the first Covenant

i) Exodus

ii) Leviticus

iii) Deuteronomy

THE SECOND COVENANT

The author argued that the first covenant had not been “faultless”. Thus God Himself took upon Himself the task and the challenge of giving to Israel “a new (second) covenant”.