More Thoughts From Hebrews 9

 After reading chapters 7,8, and 9, I was forced to ponder the question, if God is perfect, knows the future, never makes mistakes, is never taken "off guard", why did He make an imperfect covenant that 2000 years later was replaced by a better one? Why didn't He make the better covenant, the one that worked, straight away? In our world, it would be like making the computers that looked like refrigerators at the onset and later introducing the microchip so a computer can be held in your hand, all the while having the microchip from the start. It doesn't make sense, does it?

        I can't say I understand this fully but let me give some thoughts. If Jesus met Adam and Eve as they were exiting the garden and was carrying a cross and had them nail Him to it, I have to believe they would have no clue what's going on. First of all, I would guess they would think,"I only made one mistake in my life and it's causing a person to die? What's up with that?" The Old Covenant shows us the seriousness and regularity of sin and the inability to stop from sinning. Every day the Israelites were reminded of the seriousness of their sin as they saw the sacrifice of lambs.  They were not "mistakers" but sinners and sin was not just a moral lapse but cosmic treason. Not only that, but they couldn't stop sinning. My understanding of the Millenium says that even with Satan bound for 1000 years, Jesus ruling on the throne, garden of Eden like conditions restored, when Satan is released, he will find an army of willing volunteers to rebel against Christ.

         Second, the Old Covenant taught that "the wages of sin is death". "The soul that sins shall die." The death of innocent spotless lambs on their behalf told them something had to die to atone for their sin. The fact that it had to be repeated day after day showed them that the atonement was only temporary and made them long for something more permanent.

        Third, a priest had to represent them. Only a select few Israelites could go into the presence of God and those unauthorized few that tried were struck dead or became lepers or in Saul's case lost the Kingship. The Old Covenant made them understand that someone had to enter on their behalf and made them long for the day that they could boldly enter God's presence.

         The Old covenant, an inferior covenant, was necessary to reveal the gravity of sin, that sin is only paid for by death, that our default mode is sin, that someone chosen by God has to intercede for us on a regular basis because the atonement was only temporary. When the time was right and mankind understood this and longed for a better way, God stepped in with the better covenant. He didn't send a spotless lamb but a sinless God/man Jesus to be the new Adam and undo what he did. Jesus died for our sins once and for all, the perfect for the imperfect, so we can go into the presence of God after he entered before us. He took away our sins permanently and sent us the Holy Spirit to dwell inside us to make it possible not to sin. Why it took 2000 years to introduce the New Covenant? Maybe we are slow learners?