The old covenant is becoming obsolete

Hebrews 8:13 When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear. If you bought a new car, what would that make the car you used to have? It would make it your old car. What eventually happens to the old car? It gets replaced. Its days are numbered and it is nearing its end. That’s the same logic the author employed as he considered God saying He was going to make a new covenant with the house of Israel. If God made a new covenant, then the first covenant is old, that’s what the term obsolete means, and therefore unnecessary and ready to vanish from sight. God brought the ministry of the high priest to a screeching halt the day Jesus died on the cross. Do you remember what happened in the temple? The curtain between the Holy Place and Holy of Holies was torn in two from top to bottom. The new had come, and the curtain, which was the shadow of a heavenly reality, was obsolete. It was ready to disappear. It wasn’t needed anymore. It had no purpose anymore. We are encouraged by this verse that the covenant of works that God established with Israel has become obsolete. We no longer should be reticent to come into the presence of God for fear that we might be rejected because of our iniquities and sins. We need grace to love because that is what Jesus commanded (John 13:34). We can draw near with confidence that all of the requirements of the old covenant have been fulfilled on our behalf. Our sins have been forgiven and removed. Jesus will do in us what we ask. Knowing this is foundational to living to love with Jesus. We must be assured that the old covenant has disappeared and the new is in force. Knowing Jesus will love through us when we ask Him to, gives us courage and confidence to step out in relationships and circumstances, no matter how difficult and daunting. May we experience God’s faithfulness today as we rely upon God’s mercy and grace in Jesus Christ.