Covenants and Promises, Part 2: The Old Covenant, the New, and Israel Today

If the covenant of Moses is no longer in effect, is God finished with the Jewish people? And does His plan for Israel mean Christians owe unconditional support to the modern state of Israel? In Part 2, Andrew sets the Mosaic covenant beside the new covenant and the covenant with Abraham to answer both questions from Scripture. **The Mosaic covenant.** Made with Israel through Moses at Sinai, it was conditional: blessing for obedience and curses for disobedience. It was never meant to be permanent. No one could keep it except Jesus Christ, and it pointed forward to Him. **The new covenant.** Jeremiah foretold it centuries before Christ (Jeremiah 31:31–32), and Jesus inaugurated it at the Last Supper: "This cup is the new covenant in my blood" (Luke 22:20). Hebrews explains that the old covenant is now obsolete and its sacrifices were a shadow of the reality, Christ. On the cross He said, "It is finished." Salvation is offered to Jews and Gentiles alike through the one mediator, Jesus Christ. **God is not done with Israel.** Daniel 9 decrees seventy weeks for "your people and your holy city." Sixty-nine have passed, and the seventieth is still to come, a time when God turns His focus back to Israel and leads to their recognizing Jesus as Messiah. Paul confirms it in Romans 11: God has not rejected His people, a partial hardening has come until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, and His gifts and calling are irrevocable. **What that does and doesn't mean.** Andrew rejects replacement theology, the idea that the church has permanently replaced Israel in God's plan. But the promises were made to a covenant people, and the modern political state is not in covenant with God, so Scripture gives no command of unconditional political support. What it does command: pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the salvation of the Jewish people, and reject antisemitism. He closes with a word on Christians who choose to observe parts of the law of Moses. There's no requirement to, but a Messianic Passover can deepen our understanding of sacrifice and the new covenant. This concludes the two-part look at Old Testament covenants and promises. Part of the Hot Topics series on The Bible in 3D. The Bible in 3D is a Christ-centered Bible teaching podcast from Cogworks Media, hosted by Andrew. Find more shows and ways to give at cogworksmedia.org. Cogworks Media is a 501(c)(3) public charity, and gifts are tax-deductible. Music: The Epic Hero by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/