Hebrews 8:7-9

The Need For A New Covenant

If the first covenant had been without fault, there would have been no need for a new one. The fault of the first covenant was that man could not find justification before God under it (Romans 3:30; Galatians 2:16; Galatians 3:11).

When fault was found with the first covenant, a new covenant was promised by the grace of God. The old covenant could not change those people who remained stubborn in their disobedience. A quotation from Jeremiah 31:31-34 clearly demonstrates a new covenant was promised. Of course, both covenants come out of the one covenant made with Abraham, as recorded in Genesis 12:1-3. Milligan suggests that the old covenant was a fulfillment of the physical elements of that promise, while the new is a fulfillment of the spiritual elements (Hebrews 8:7-8).

God determined He would no longer deal with the people who wanted to come to Him through the covenant made at Sinai, or the fleshly fulfillment of the covenant with Abraham. He could not deal with man through that covenant because man continually broke it. In breaking the covenant they rejected Him as Lord. Once they had rejected Him, God was forced to reject them as His people (Hebrews 8:9).