How many times have we started off with the best intentions, only to have the situation go horribly wrong?
We marry the man of our dreams, only to have him leave his underwear in the bathroom sink day after day. We plan a birthday party for our sister, only to have her tell us she vowed last year never to have another, and she will not come. We invest a substantial inheritance in a start-up business, only to lose it all when the business fails.
Have we ever wanted to wipe the slate clean and just start over?
God has written a plan for us to do just that.
In Hebrews 8:8-13, God recognizes that the situation on earth has gone horribly wrong, and he comes up with a plan to wipe the slate clean and just start over.
Let’s look at what went wrong, and the steps God put into place to make things right.
What went wrong:
God made a covenant with his people.
When he brought the people who eventually split into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah out of Egypt, he spelled out everything he expected from them. Yet, the rules were so rigid, and humanity so flawed, that the two were incompatible. The covenant was bound to fail.
Sure enough, the people did not remain faithful to his covenant, and God turned his face from them.
Yet, our Almighty God is a being of unending love, and he could not keep his face turned away forever. His compassion drew him back to his people.
How God made it right:
This time, instead of writing his rules on stone tablets and scrolls, God chose a better way.
God chose to write his laws on our hearts.
Under the new covenant, there is no longer any reason for learned scholars to teach others about God, for everyone can know him, from the mightiest in the land, to the lowliest among us. We don’t need an intercessor to approach God for us. God vows to forgive our shortcomings, and to remember our sins no more, if only we come unto him.
What is our new covenant? It is Jesus’ death on the cross and the risen Savior. It is the Christ who came to forgive humanity’s sins. It is us on our knees, worshipping Jesus. It is renewed life in our Lord.
When we come to Jesus, he wipes our slate clean, each and every time.
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