Hebrews chapter 8

vs 1

It's good to know that this wasn't all just pointless speculating on theological hypotheses.

vs 2

And with that, we get our almost seamless transition between Melchi and the tabernacle. Thrilling stuff.

Oh, and no, I don't think the "true tabernacle" is actually a tabernacle.

vs 3

Following the model of the earthly? That's what the language suggests, but surely we would think that God designed the tabernacle to describe symbolically the work of the coming messiah?

vs 4

This is an important distinction - it's not just an addition to the legal/priestly services, which are actually adequately taken up by human priests (because they are not powerful to dethrone sin).

vs 5

This makes it sound more and more like there's a big tent in heaven. Pardon me if I don't think that's exactly what the author is saying. But if that's not what he's saying, then why make the point from Exodus 25:40? Surely he means "Make it exactly as I describe so that it most accurately symbolises heaven and the redeemer relationship". Watch me not prove that though.

vs 6

This verse really does create a formal, quite stark, distinction between the covenants. It's more than just a realisation or fulfilment of the old covenant. It is a fulfiment and then replacement of the old with the new.

vs 7

Exactly!

vs 8

Note that the fault was not with the covenant, it was with the people. Now, some design types may say that if you design something without end users in mind, then it is a failure if they then can't use it. But we have to remember that the old (mosaic) covenant was created with sinful humans in mind! Why else have sin offerings, except that you are designing a system for a sinful people.

And now, for the next few verses, we look at Jeremiah, through whom God promised this - probably the only good news in Jeremiah. That good news starts here with the promise of a new covenant. Is that good news when you're already under a covenant? By the time you get to Jeremiah it's damn good news, because the old covenant has sucked the big one for a while by then.

vs 9

Succinctly, this verse gives the reason why there will be differences. The main reason is that God's people simply didn't follow the old one (hence their fault) and so God turned away from them. That's not what God wants from a covenant relationship with people, so it's gotta be changed.

vs 10

The God-People relationship had already been established, but this promise is new - writing the laws on their hearts. Note that laws governing behaviour don't go away. These are still going to be part of the new covenant. But now, they will be written on the heart. This is no doubt a relief to all those who had trouble following them (or remembering them) in the first place, but it would cause a stir in the priest's union :P

This does raise just a little speculation - is the new covenant an eternal covenant? We believe so. At least I think we do. If so, does that mean that the laws written on our hearts will be perfected when we're in heaven? If so, that surely assumes that we're going to be doing more in heaven than just bowing on our knees every second of the day. I think about these things sometimes.

vs 11

Of course, the challenge to us is to be teaching our neighbours to know the Lord... but just imagine, in the future in heaven, no more door-knocking!

vs 12

Now here we see the confusion of an eternal covenant that starts within a temporal timeframe. We're forgiven now, but of course the covenant doesn't end with the end of this timeline.

vs 13

Of course we all know that this works much better in theory than practice. I mean, just try and convince a government department to upgrade their computer systems and you'll see what I mean.