Heb 8:8-13 | TNotes | STEP | 8:8 found fault with the people: Because the people were unable to keep the terms of the old covenant (see study note on 8:7), God made a new covenant .

8:8 ^a found fault with the people: Because the people were unable to keep the terms of the old covenant (see study note on 8:7), God made a new covenant.
8:9 ^b God made a covenant with their ancestors at Sinai (Exod 19:1-8 ^c; 24:7-8 ^d; 34:27-28 ^e; Deut 4:13 ^f).

• I took them by the hand: In rescuing his people from the land of Egypt, God led them as a parent might lead a child that could not fend for itself (see Exod 12–14 ^g).

• They did not remain faithful: See Heb 3:7-19 ^h; Num 14:1-38 ⁱ; Deut 9 ^j; Ps 106 ^k.

• so I turned my back on them: The covenant warned that if the people turned away, God would turn away from them (see Deut 28:15-68 ^l; 30:11-20 ^m; 1 Kgs 8:22-53 ⁿ; 2 Chr 6:12-42 ^o).
8:10 ^p Under the old covenant, the people were commanded to take the words of the law to heart (Deut 32:46 ^q), and the kings of Israel and Judah were judged on whether or not they followed the law of God wholeheartedly (2 Kgs 10:31 ^r; 2 Chr 31:21 ^s). A difference in the new covenant is that God’s laws would be in people’s minds and on their hearts. People would have renewed hearts and minds, with God’s law as an intrinsic, internal motivation.
8:11 ^t All those in the new covenant know the Lord; intimate personal relationship with the Lord is in the very nature of the new covenant.
8:12 ^u A final characteristic of the new covenant is that God would forgive their wickedness and never again remember their sins. The blood of Jesus cleanses his people completely from sin (9:13-15 ^v; 10:14-18 ^w, 22 ^x; 1 Jn 1:7 ^y).
8:13 ^z The word new in “new” covenant emphasizes that, once God had enacted this covenant, the Sinai covenant was considered old or obsolete and was thus out of date. Its time of usefulness was over and its termination was imminent.

Thematic note: The New Covenant
The key affirmation of the Sinai covenant was, “I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God” (Exod 6:7 ^aa; see Jer 31:33 ^ab). The relationship between God and his people envisioned in the Sinai covenant was surrounded by laws chiseled in stone and a priestly class in charge of all religious institutions and activities.
The new covenant would differ from the old in one primary way: It would no longer be external to the worshipers, but would now be written on their hearts (Jer 31:33 ^ac). The great liability of the old covenant was that it lacked the power to enable people to do what it commanded (see Rom 8:3 ^ad). The new covenant would be internalized through the power of the Holy Spirit (Ezek 36:24-27 ^ae). Thus, it would become possible for people everywhere (not just a select few) to fulfill God’s covenant plan for life as summed up in the two “Great Commandments” (Matt 22:35-40 ^af): “You must love the Lord your God” (Deut 6:5 ^ag) and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18 ^ah). The new covenant would achieve the goal that the old one pointed to but could not reach: creating new persons and a new community. The goal is a deep transformation of sinners, beginning with forgiveness of sins and culminating in a holiness exemplified by good works (Eph 1:4 ^ai; 2:8-10 ^aj).
Jeremiah 30–33 ^ak stands out in its optimistic view of Israel’s future. The high point of this section (31:31-34 ^al) is the announcement that the Lord God will form a new covenant with his people. This passage in Jeremiah points toward Jesus of Nazareth, whose death would seal this new covenant. Jesus applied the new covenant to himself when he instituted the communion ritual (Matt 26:28 ^am; Mark 14:24 ^an; Luke 22:20 ^ao; see also 1 Cor 11:25 ^ap; 2 Cor 3:6 ^aq). Jesus’ death made him the mediator of the covenant for whoever believes in him (Heb 8:8-12 ^ar; ch 9 ^as). Christians commemorate that reality each time they participate in Communion. According to the New Testament, all believers in Jesus Christ will know him directly by the activity of the Holy Spirit, whose indwelling has been made possible through the sacrifice of Christ. They will know him personally and experience him powerfully, as only a few did in Old Testament times.

Passages for Further Study
Isa 11:1-9 ^at; 54:13-15 ^au; Jer 31:31-34 ^av; Ezek 37:24-28 ^aw; Matt 26:27-28 ^ax; Luke 22:20 ^ay; Rom 11:25-36 ^az; 1 Cor 11:23-26 ^ba; 2 Cor 3:6-18 ^bb; Heb 8:8–9:28 ^bc