Today’s Reading: 2 Corinthians 3; Exodus 24; Psalm 105 & 106
“The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord.
“But this is a new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” – Jeremiah 31:31-33
That day proclaimed by Jeremiah and anticipated for generations had finally come! The old covenant had been broken by the unfaithfulness of God’s people, but this new covenant would be different. It would be a covenant not of written laws as was etched in stone long ago, but a covenant of the Holy Spirit living within. The old way brought death by defining two choices — obey these laws and live or disobey and die. The new way brings life as the Spirit lives within us and changes us, making us right with God.
Paul described himself as being a minister of this new covenant. Unqualified and undeserving, yet chosen by God for a specific purpose. Can you relate? Has God placed you in a role that feels beyond what you were looking for. Perhaps your qualification for this calling is less about your natural giftings and learned skillset, pulling you out of your comfort zone. This qualification comes from God (3:5).
He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life. – 2 Corinthians 3:6-9
WE ARE CHILDREN OF THE NEW COVENANT.
The writer of the book of Exodus teaches us about the original covenant God made with the people of Israel. After rescuing them from Egypt, the Lord called Moses to the top of Mount Sinai for the purpose of laying out the terms of the covenant relationship He was making with them.
The Lord came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses climbed the mountain. – Exodus 19:20
The Lord gave Moses specific instructions to relay to His people. Moses carefully wrote down all the Lord’s instructions, known as the Book of the Covenant, and the people committed to obeying God’s commands. Then God called Moses back to the top of the mountain, and the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire. Moses climbed higher and disappeared into a cloud where he remained for forty days and forty nights (Exodus 24).
When the Lord finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, written by the finger of God. – Exodus 31:18
But by the time Moses descended the mountain, God’s people had already broken their covenant relationship by making a golden calf to worship. Moses threw down the stone tablets on which God himself had written the terms of the covenant, smashing them to pieces (Exodus 32).
Moses had been called by God to lead a stubborn people with rebellious hearts, which came with its frustrations and grief. The Lord allowed Moses to spend time in His presence, giving him rest and allowing His goodness to pass before him (Exodus 33). When Moses came down the mountain with a new set of stone tablets, his face shone so bright that the people were unable to look at him. So he covered his face with a veil (Exodus 34). Perhaps 2 Corinthians chapter three makes more sense now.
We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day wherever the old covenant is read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. – 2 Corinthians 3:13-14
Praise God! The veil that limited the Israelites’ experience of God can be removed when we place our faith in Christ Jesus. We can surrender our lives to the Lord, drawing near to Him as we enter into a covenant relationship with Him. When we come to Jesus in repentance, declaring that we believe he died and rose from the dead, we can experience freedom from the sinful nature that has kept us in bondage. With this new covenant, a light is placed in our heart that shines for all to see the glory of God.
WE ARE CHILDREN OF THE NEW COVENANT.
But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord — who is the Spirit — makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. – 2 Corinthians 3:16-18
Father God, thank you for sending your Son to die on a cross so that I can enter into a new covenant with you. Because Jesus conquered death and rose from the grave, I no longer have to live as a slave to the sin that separates me from your presence. Thank you for this freedom. Thank you for taking away the veil so that I can reflect your glory for others to see. It is a privilege to bear your image and be called a Christ-follower. To you be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
He is the Lord our God.
His justice is seen throughout the land.
He always stands by his covenant —
the commitment he made to a thousand generations. – Psalm 105:7-8