New Covenant Replaces Old

In the book of Deuteronomy we read: “The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken…. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”* (Deuteronomy 18:15,18-19)

When God was delivering the Law to the Israelites in the wilderness, through Moses the “law-giver,” Moses spoke of a time when God would raise up “a Prophet… like unto me,” to whom they would be required to “hearken”—to hear and obey. That is to say, there would be new instructions, that Moses had not given them.

The prophet Jeremiah spoke of the change in this way: “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 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.”* (Jeremiah 31:31-33)

The “new covenant” that is spoken of here would be different than the old, most particularly in this respect—that the “law” would not just be an outward, written thing to try to follow, but there would be changes wrought in their hearts, to make them able to obey from the heart, and not just attempt to outwardly conform to the covenant.

In the book of Hebrews we read further: “For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 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: 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. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.”* (Hebrews 8:7-10)

Here, the prophecy in Jeremiah is explained after it has been fulfilled. This New Covenant, or Testament, was brought in by Jesus, who was demonstrated to be that prophet spoken of in Deuteronomy. Again and again in the gospels, we see Jesus showing Himself to be that prophet, replacing Moses as the authority, or “law-giver.” Read Mark 10:2-9. Much of Matthew chapters 5-7, the “sermon on the mount,” consists of Jesus contrasting what they had been taught by Moses with His teaching on the same subjects. So what is the “new covenant” teaching with respect to keeping the sabbath?