But we’re under a new Covenant, Jesus nailed the old law to the cross…?
We are living in a time of prophesy!! God told us that we would be given the Holy Spirit (Ruach ha’Kodech) and his Torah would be written on our hearts- THAT is the “new covenant” His RENEWAL of the covenant that still stood.
Ezekiel 36:27: I will put my Spirit inside you and cause you to live by my laws, respect my rulings and obey them.
Hebrew 8:10: “‘For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Isra’el after those days,’ says Adonai:
‘I will put my Torah in their minds
and write it on their hearts;
I will be their God,
and they will be my people. “ (CJB)
This passage in Hebrews is a direct quote of prophesy from Jeremiah 31:33:
“But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (KJV)
This is exciting! Amos 3:7 states: “For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.”
God always tells us what will be by the prophets always before it happens so we will know when it occurs. It’s our own evil nature that can’t or won’t see and clings to our own ways of doing things.
When Yeshua came, he perfectly taught Torah through his actions, repeatedly defying Judaism that had defiled God’s instructions. But he ALWAYS obeyed God’s laws, and taught us to do the same.
2 Timothy 2:19: Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, stamped with these words: “The Lord knows his own,” and, “Let everyone who claims he belongs to the Lord stand apart from wrongdoing.”
Romans 2:13: For it is not merely the hearers of Torah whom God considers righteous; rather, it is the doers of what Torah says who will be made righteous in God’s sight.
God never breaks a promise. However, Israel broke the covenant by using a golden calf to worship God (the way the pagans did). Yet they agreed to renew this covenant before they entered into the promised land.
In Joshua 24, Joshua famously renews the covenant with Israel and God saying “choose this day whom you will serve” They chose to serve Yehovah and then put away all their idols and pagan ways of worshiping God, and turned their hearts to Him.
2 Chronicles 7:14: “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations”
Covenant means “agreement” and although Israel broke their agreement, God never did. Therefore the same covenant, much like a renewed wedding vow, still stands. God never annuls a previous covenant (agreement) he makes. A new covenant doesn’t mean the old vows no longer stand, it only means we are reaffirming the original agreement they made years before.
“From this you can know that Adonai your God is indeed God, the faithful God, who keeps his covenant and extends grace to those who love him and observe his mitzvot, to a thousand generations.” (CJB)
This covenant is not the only agreement God has made with mankind.
He made several.
He made a covenant with mankind and Noah by giving us a rainbow, which is the sign of the agreement to never flood the earth to total destruction. He made a covenant to give the land to Abraham’s descendants, the sign of the agreement being circumcision. He made a covenant with his people to be their God and the established Sabbath was a sign of that covenant.
Yehovah never changes, he keeps his word. His agreement still stands with those who are his people. His people are Israel, and all those who believe, repent and profess his name are grafted in as Israel too.
What did change was the system of atonement and the high priesthood. While there are several different types of sacrifices, not all are for sin. Some are for unintended wrongdoing, or harm to another in which you owe restitution. Some were for cleanliness so you could be in the presence of God at the temple.
Others are for vows, peace, sin, and guilt offerings. Not all sacrifices or offerings involve the death of animals. Some offerings and sacrifices are grain, drink or fruits. However, until Yeshua came, there was no way to atone for mortal sins. Yeshua’s sacrifice was the only way to atone for those sins for all of mankind. His death also made a way for Israel (church) to marry the groom (Yeshua) again. That is a deeper study but an incredible love story about how Yehovah is a just god, keeping his own laws and making a way for us to be with him forever.
His act of death, resurrection and ascension made him the High Priest forever, therefore there is no Levite High Priest anymore. The job of atonement the high priest once had, now belongs to Yeshua. And his act atoned for all who believe and follow him.
This Levitical priesthood that is gone is replaced by Yeshua (Jesus) as High Priest of the order of Melchizedek (meaning “Righteous King”).