Introduction: One of the positive things about being an
American lawyer and a student of the Bible is that many of our
legal concepts reflect Biblical ideas. A covenant, which is
our subject in this lesson, is like a contract. A contract is
voluntary, is intended to benefit both parties, and is
enforceable. Contracts are not supposed to depend on how you
feel on one particular day, and should not be broken just
because you no longer see the benefit. Let’s dive into our
study of the Bible and explore the topic of God’s covenant
with His people!
- The Contract
- Let’s review by reading Nehemiah 9:1-2 and Nehemiah
9:38. What led to this “binding agreement?” (First,
the people listened to the reading of God’s law.
They rejoiced in their new knowledge and they were
distressed about how they were out of harmony with
God’s will for them. They reviewed their corporate
history with God and decided that they would enter
into a written agreement to obey God.) - Skim over Nehemiah 10:1-27. It lists the leaders who
“sealed” the agreement. What does that mean? (One
commentary said that it meant using a tool to make
an impression with your name. Perhaps it also means
signing it. It appears that these were people who
were used to creating formal documents.) - Read Nehemiah 10:28-29. What did the rest of the
people do? (They agreed to the contract without
actually signing it. I suspect these were people who
were not used to being a part of a formal document.) - Was this contract enforceable against those who
did not actually sign? (Those who did not sign,
gave an oath and agreed to a curse if they
failed to follow the contract. This was a
serious matter.) - Terms
- Read Nehemiah 10:30. Would you make this the first
provision in the contract? (According to Genesis
2:24, you become “one flesh” in marriage. How can
you remain faithful to God if half of you has
different interests and goals?) - I was reading a magazine for former church
members who love to attack the church. One
attacker, while explaining all the problems that
caused him to leave the church, mentioned that
he married someone who did not share his
beliefs. Instantly, I knew the real reason he
left. - Read Nehemiah 10:31. Why would a Sabbath conduct
provision be included, much less listed second? - Is it like the first provision? (I think these
two provisions have a common goal – keeping
God’s people from being distracted from their
relationship with God. If the Sabbath becomes a
regular day of work and trading, you lose that
special time with God.) - Nehemiah 10:32-39 has to do with supporting the
temple. These provisions complete the agreement. How
do you explain this agreement? It says nothing about
agreeing to love God. Would you decide on these
particular provisions for an agreement with God? - Why would God create the contract this way?
(When you step back and think about it, this
contract is about God’s people interacting with
Him. When Jesus says “Love the Lord your God
with all of your heart,” (see Matthew 22:36-38),
I think that reflects this contract. The
contract was to help the people develop a
relationship with God.) - Everlasting Agreement
- Read Genesis 17:1-2. What are the terms of this
contract? - What did Abram promise?(Abram was to “walk” in a
faithful and blameless way. I think “walk”
means the general direction of his life.) - What did God promise? (That Abram would have
many descendants.) - Read Genesis 17:7. What is the essential purpose of
this agreement? (To have a special relationship
between God, Abraham and Abraham’s descendants.) - Bible scholars list many covenants between God and
His people. They talk about the “Old Covenant” and
the “New Covenant.” Do you think God’s purpose and
plan for humans has changed? - If not, what reason would God have for several
different covenants? - Do you think the agreement between God and His
followers changed after Jesus’ resurrection? - Let’s explore these questions by considering a
covenant that God speaks about in the Old Testament.
Read Jeremiah 31:31-32. What does God say in the Old
Testament about the two covenants? (He says that the
new one will not be like the old one.) - Why are they different? (God’s people did not
keep the Old Covenant.) - How does God identify the Old Covenant? (He
connects it to the exodus from Egypt.) - Read Jeremiah 31:33. Does this New Covenant do away
with the law? (No.) - What do you think it means to put the law in
“their minds” and to write it “on their hearts?”
(The Ten Commandments were written in stone.
This suggests the New Covenant involves wanting
to do God’s will.) - Read Ezekiel 36:26-27. How does this Old Testament
text suggest this will be done? Why will we want to
obey God? (The Holy Spirit will be in us. We will
have a “new heart.”) - Read Ezekiel 36:28-29. What is God’s role in this
new arrangement? (He is not only our God, which is
the historic agreement, but He saves us from sin.) - Read Jeremiah 31:34. Why won’t we need Bible
teachers? (I’m not sure this means we won’t need
Bible teachers at all, but it does reinforce the
idea that God’s law in written in our minds and
hearts.) - Read Hebrews 8:10-12. Does this sound familiar?
(Yes, this quotes what we just read in Jeremiah 31!) - Step back a minute and consider this. Has God
changed the agreement with humans? (Yes. Read
Hebrews 8:13.) - Has God always planned to make this change? (It
certainly seems that way. Long ago the Old
Testament prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel spoke of
this coming new arrangement.) - Let’s examine this change. Read Hebrews 8:1-2. How
does this connect the Old and New Covenants? (It
tells us that we still have a sacrificial system.) - Read Hebrews 8:3-6. Notice the words “the new
covenant is established on better promises.” What
does that mean for us? (We have better terms! Our
contract has been upgraded!) - Read Hebrews 7:23-25. Why is this a better term?
- Read Hebrews 7:26-27 and Hebrews 10:14. How is this
a better term? (Jesus sacrificed Himself once. That
forever defeated the sin problem for those who claim
His sacrifice. His one sacrifice took the place of
the repeated sacrificing.) - Read Hebrews 10:4 and Hebrews 10:14. What is the
same between the Old and New Covenants? (Sin brings
death. That is the point of all of the death
connected with the sacrificial system. The good news
then and now is that our sins do not bring our
permanent death. God’s people were never sacrificed
for their sins. God found a way for a substitute to
die. The death that releases us forever from our
sins is Jesus’ death!) - Friend, when you get to know Jesus you want to enter
into His contract. What a great, generous and loving
God! Will you decide, right now, to accept God’s
offer? - Next week: Trials, Tribulations, and Lists.
