40 DAYS OF NEW - 36
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of NEW with GOD
Day 36 | OLD VERSUS NEW COVENANTS
40 Days of NEW with GOD
Day 36 | OLD VERSUS NEW COVENANTS
OLD VERSUS NEW COVENANTS
(and why it matters)
The Old Covenant, which we learn about in the Old Testament, was established by God and required strict obedience to the Mosaic Law, but because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), the law required that the people perform daily sacrifices for sin and an annual BIG sacrifice by the High Priest in the Holy of Holies to cover it all.
Of course, the people then couldn’t keep ALL the laws, so the sacrificial system became the norm for God’s people. (A good business, I guess, for those raising lambs and doves for sacrifices!)
God allowed Ezekiel in Ezekiel 36 to see the coming change, and he wrote: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
God promised spiritual transformation under the New Covenant (the New Testament). Instead of the law working from the outside in, God promised a NEW heart to work from the inside out.
Remember what Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3, “You must be born again.” (This was the first time that phrase was said.) A hard concept for an Old Covenant thinker, but easier for us to understand today under the New Covenant AND with the Holy Spirit as our Teacher/Guide.
God promised a NEW HEART under the new covenant, as opposed to the “heart of stone” back then – the stubborn, senseless, hard heart that was common then as opposed to our “heart of flesh” – which allows us to more easily enjoy and love God and love others and… is more the proper habitation for a living God.
Prayer: LORD, thank You again for putting the Holy Spirit into my heart, mind, and spirit so I may feel your leading and promptings throughout my days. Help me never to get so busy that I don’t listen for your still voice. Amen.
(and why it matters)
The Old Covenant, which we learn about in the Old Testament, was established by God and required strict obedience to the Mosaic Law, but because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), the law required that the people perform daily sacrifices for sin and an annual BIG sacrifice by the High Priest in the Holy of Holies to cover it all.
Of course, the people then couldn’t keep ALL the laws, so the sacrificial system became the norm for God’s people. (A good business, I guess, for those raising lambs and doves for sacrifices!)
God allowed Ezekiel in Ezekiel 36 to see the coming change, and he wrote: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
God promised spiritual transformation under the New Covenant (the New Testament). Instead of the law working from the outside in, God promised a NEW heart to work from the inside out.
Remember what Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3, “You must be born again.” (This was the first time that phrase was said.) A hard concept for an Old Covenant thinker, but easier for us to understand today under the New Covenant AND with the Holy Spirit as our Teacher/Guide.
God promised a NEW HEART under the new covenant, as opposed to the “heart of stone” back then – the stubborn, senseless, hard heart that was common then as opposed to our “heart of flesh” – which allows us to more easily enjoy and love God and love others and… is more the proper habitation for a living God.
Prayer: LORD, thank You again for putting the Holy Spirit into my heart, mind, and spirit so I may feel your leading and promptings throughout my days. Help me never to get so busy that I don’t listen for your still voice. Amen.
Posted in NEW with GOD