Old Testament Prophecies of THE NEW COVENANT
Covenant of Freedom is a study tracing the New Testament fulfillment of certain Old Testament prophesies. Among the many Old Testament citations in the book, there are three main prophecies that serve as the basis of the study. The foremost of these is Jeremiah 31:31-34. It reads as follows:
"Behold, the days are coming, says 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 that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
This prophecy is quoted in full in Hebrews 8:8-12. The writer leads up to the quotation in verses 6-8a by saying, "But now He (Christ has obtained more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is the Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says...." Then he quotes Jeremiah 31-34. He then concludes his remarks in verse 13, "In that He says, 'A new covenant,' He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away."
The second prophecy is Isaiah 42:1-7.
"Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles [nations]. He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law." Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it: "I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles (nations), To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house."
The first part of this is quoted in Matthew 12:18-21 where it is applied to Christ who is God chosen one, the Messiah or Christ. In the portion of the prophecy where God speaks directly to His chosen one God says, "I...will give you as a covenant to the people."
Isaiah is foretelling the nature of the new covenant. It was not to be a document of laws like the one written by Moses at Mount Sinai. Rather, it was to be a person, sent to fulfill God's promises through His life, death, resurrection, ascension, and sending of the Holy Spirit. It was to be a new covenant in the person of Jesus the Christ.
The third prophecy is Ezekiel 36:26-27.
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them" (Ezekiel 36:26 27).
This prophecy is fulfilled each time a sinner yields his life to Christ and receives forgiveness of sins. God himself comes in to make his dwelling in each one. The presence and power of God enable him to fulfill the righteous requirements of the law. (See John 7:37-39, Acts 2:38, 5:32; Romans 8:1-9.)
