^NAS  Hebrews 8:10-13 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds, And I will write them upon their hearts. And I will be their God, And they shall be My people. ¹¹ “And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen, And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ For all shall know Me, From the least to the greatest of them. ¹² “For I will be merciful to their iniquities, And I will remember their sins no more.” ¹³ When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.

“THE AUTHOR’S POINT IN VERSE 13 IS SIMPLY THAT WHEN THE NEW COVENANT TAKES EFFECT, THERE IS NO LONGER ANY REASON TO RELY UPON THE OLD ONE.

“THIS DOES NOT MEAN THE LAW OF MOSES (THE TEN COMMANDMENTS) IS DONE AWAY WITH, FOR JESUS HIMSELF TEACHES THAT IT WILL LAST AS LONG AS THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH (MT 5:18). WHAT THESE WORDS IN VERSE 13 MEAN IS THAT THE LAW’S WORK IS FINISHED WHEN MEN AND WOMEN COME TO CHRIST.

“THE LAW COULD NOT MAKE THEM PERFECT, BUT THEY HAVE NOW COME TO THE ONE WHO CAN! Since the Aaronic priesthood under which the law was given has now been replaced by the Melchizedek priesthood of Jesus, there is no longer any need for the law to work its condemning work in a believer’s life. ‘Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Rom 8:10). Awareness of sin is now the work of the indwelling Spirit, not to condemn, but to restore us, when we repent, to useful and fruitful service.

“MANY COMMENTATORS HAVE POINTED OUT THAT HISTORICALLY THE PHRASE IN VERSE 13 WHAT IS OBSOLETE AND AGING WILL SOON DISAPPEAR MAY WELL POINT TO AN AWARENESS ON THE AUTHOR’S PART THAT THE PRIESTHOOD OF ISRAEL, THE TEMPLE IN WHICH THEY SERVED, AND ALL THE RITUALS AND SACRIFICES OF THE LAW WHICH THEY PERFORMED, WERE ABOUT TO BE ENDED BY THE OVERTHROW OF JERUSALEM AS JESUS HAD PREDICTED.

“THIS SEEMS TO BE ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE THAT THE LETTER TO THE HEBREWS PREDATES A.D. 70.” – Steadman

“IN HEBREWS 8 WE HAVE A SYNOPSIS OF THE NEW COVENANT IN PROPHETIC FORM. SINCE THE NEW COVENANT IS TRUE CHRISTIANITY, THIS PASSAGE, ALTHOUGH NOT EXHAUSTIVE, SUMS UP THE ESSENCE OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN.

“LET US CONSIDER WHAT THE NEW COVENANT IS. It is, as expressed above, grounded in Judaism…

^NAS  Hebrews 8:10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds, And I will write them upon their hearts. And I will be their God, And they shall be My people.

“CONSEQUENTLY, ANY ADEQUATE UNDERSTANDING OF CHRISTIANITY MUST GRASP ITS JEWISH ROOTS AND THE IMPLICATION OF THOSE ROOTS FOR CHRISTIAN BELIEF.” – Guthrie

HERE AGAIN, I FEEL COMPELLED TO EMPHASISE THE INHERENT IMPORTANCE OF JUST HOW JEWISH THE BOOK OF HEBREWS IS. AS I HAVE REPEATEDLY SAID TO MY STUDENTS OVER YEARS, WHEN ALL ASPECTS ARE CONSIDERED, THE BIBLE IS ESSENTIALLY A HEBREWS BOOK…

“IT IS ABOUT THE INTERNALIZATION OF RELIGION, NOT MERELY THE ETERNAL PRACTICE OF RELIGION (8:10). God’s laws are written on the minds and hearts of true Christians. As such, transformation and intrinsic motivation form powerful, foundational elements of Christian life and living. THE NEW COVENANT IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD (8:10-11), NOT MERELY SERVICE FOR GOD. FINALLY, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS FORMS THE BASIS FOR THIS NEW COVENANT RELATIONSHIP (8:12). – Guthrie

I DON’T KNOW IF IT IS POSSIBLE TO INCLUDE A SIMPLER, MORE SUCCINCT PARAGRAPH IN THIS HEBREW’S WRITING OF THE NEW COVENANT, UNLESS IT IS THIS ONE…

“SO THE NEW COVENANT, IN ESSENCE, HAS TO DO WITH A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD ESTABLISHED BY THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, LIVED OUT BY THE INTERNALIZATION OF GOD’S LAWS, AND CONCEPTUALLY SET AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF GOD’S WORKING THROUGH THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL” – Guthrie

– Professor Thomas A. Rohm