Hebrews 8:8  For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
9  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

We spent the last few days looking at the importance of building on the right foundation. We addressed the truckers’ convoy that is headed to Ottawa. Those who are saved need to be in prayer for one another and also for our country. The Bible commands us to pray for those in leadership. I do not believe any born again Christian can be happy with the current govt. we have. However, the Bible tells us the govt. we have has been put there by God. He knows the spiritual condition of our country and He knows that this country has rejected Him. We have mentioned before that the murder of unborn children is not something God can bless. He also cannot bless the promotion of sodomy. There are many other things wrong with this country, but the primary issue is the rejection of God and the moral bankruptcy we are in.
The trucker convoy will not solve these problems. Most of the truckers are in the same position. They are fighting for freedoms for all Canadians and indeed our neighbour to the south is also getting involved in this fight. As we have noted true freedom comes from knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and serving Him faithfully. God is the Good God. He knows what we need and He is well able to supply that need.
The book of Hebrews has been making the point that Jesus Christ is worthy of being our Saviour and great High Priest. He is worthy. He is better than the angels. He is better than the Levitical priesthood. He deserves all the glory and honour from those who are truly saved. Divided loyalties will not work. Passive allegiance will also not work.
In verse 8 of our text, God found fault with the people of Israel, “them”. They did not take heed to the covenant that God had established with them. God had blessed Israel with making Himself known to them. He had blessed them with a land. He had blessed them with protection from their enemies, and indeed, His enemies. He had shown them the way to know His peace by trusting in Him. It was never by works. The priesthood and the sacrifices were all important and necessary. The priesthood soon became corrupted and they took too much credit upon themselves.
Pride is a very real problem for us as people. Pride is sin. We can soon assume we are of greater importance than we really are.
God is reminding the recipients of this letter of the importance of knowing Jesus Christ as Saviour and as the High Priest.
God promised in the Old Testament that there would be a day when He would make a new covenant with the nation of Israel. God quoted from Jeremiah 31:31 in this verse. Jesus Christ is the Author of this new covenant. Jesus Christ was presented to the nation of Israel through typology in the Old Testament. He would come in person in the New Testament. It did not make any difference to the nation. They rejected the Old Testament system and they rejected Jesus Christ as well. The day is coming when Israel will humble themselves and bow in repentance before the true God and acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
In verse 9 God reminded the Jews that this new covenant would not be like the former one. There God took the nation of Israel by the hand and led them out of Egypt. Again, God is speaking to those who knew His workings in their past. It is important for us to also be reminded of God’s faithfulness in the past. All peoples are blessed through Israel. Jesus Christ came from the nation of Israel in the flesh. The Scriptures were given to the nation of Israel.
The problem that God noted here is that Israel did not continue in God’s way. We have already noted that. They forsook the true purpose of the law and of the priesthood, etc. In I Samuel 8 they demanded a king like the nations around them. They rejected God’s way. Yet they wanted His blessings. They were so hardened, they would not let Him show them why they could not have His blessings.
We need to remember that we are not Israel. God has not cast off Israel and replaced her with the local church. However, there are many lessons that we, those who are Christians, can learn from God’s dealings with Israel. God loves all people and wants all people to know His peace and forgiveness.
As we see in verse 9 of our text, God did not regard the nation of Israel. That phrase: “regarded them not”, speaks of the fact that He made light of them. He could not bless them as He would have wanted to. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 7:6:

Matthew 7:6  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

God is not talking about literal dogs or literal swine. He is referring to those who reject Him. He is not being disrespectful or mean-spirited. He is being honest and right in what He says. Man needs to understand that when he chooses to reject God, he cuts himself off from many blessings. The turmoil we are facing now is the result of a rejection of God.
We can look into the Old Testament and see that Israel faced times of great oppression and famine. They faced times when they worked hard and tried their best to produce good crops, but they came up short. God sent them prophets to show them what the problem was. They rejected those prophets and continued to pursue their own ways. Thus they could not enjoy His blessings. God’s way is not complicated. His way is plain enough that a child can understand and follow it.
Today, God is challenging us to consider our ways. Are we Christian in name only? Are we seeking to make our own way the right way. Are we willing to submit to God’s righteousness and allow Him to teach us and bless us? All of this begins by taking Him at His Word and trusting in His provision for blessing. That provision is through knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as the Great High Priest.
Pastor Bartel