October 15, 2026 -Old to New Testament
““Stand at the gate of the Lord’s house and there proclaim this message: “ ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless. “ ‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things? ”
Jeremiah 7:2-10 NIV
Yesterday I had said that the entire Old Testament points us to Jesus. The first step in pointing to Jesus was mentioned yesterday when Hebrews refers back to Psalm 102:25-27 which says,
'He also says,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.'
When He created the heavens and the earth it was perfect, but it didn't last. Sin come into the world. And the next thing to point us to Jesus is to reveal to us our sinfulness. In the Old Testament God reveals the perfect standards of God. We see over and over again in that the Israelites fall prey to the deceptions of the enemy just as Adam and Eve did. They continue to make decisions that are displeasing to God. They turn to other Gods and worship false Gods. This continuously repeating pattern shows up how we are not different. We continue to sin and disobey God's laws. Just like Israel we are not capable of living perfectly according to God's standard.
“While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer. ”
Jeremiah 7:13 NIV
God's love and faithfulness is also revealed over and over again God speaks to them and calls them back over and over again.
“I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.’”
Jeremiah 7:15 NIV
The sin that we cannot stop doing separates us from God. God's perfection will not tolorate sinfulness.
“For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you. But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their ancestors.’”
Jeremiah 7:22-26 NIV
God gave the Israelites the commands for burnt offerings and sacrifices to show them and through them He also shows us that in order to maintain a relationship with God there needs to be a sacrifice. A blood sacrifice is made for sin. But the sacrifice is not enough they still must live according to the law. Even when they obeyed the sacrificial rules they still continued to disobey the law. Sacrifice after sacrifice had to be made and it was never able to permanently restore them to God's presence. The sacrifices were for the sins they had committed they did nothing for the ones that they were going to commit.
““Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “ ‘When people fall down, do they not get up? When someone turns away, do they not return? Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. None of them repent of their wickedness, saying, “What have I done?” Each pursues their own course like a horse charging into battle.”
Jeremiah 8:4-6 NIV
As we are studying Judges on Sunday mornings we see that when the people repeatedly turn from God and God allows an opressor into their lives and eventually they do repent and turn back to God. When they do He provides them with a leader to rescue them. As long as that leader is alive they follow God only to turn from God afer the leader dies.
What does that mean to us? We are no different. We are not able to live a sin free life either. And that sin separates us from God as well. But Jesus is our resuer and leader. He is able to save us. He being God, offered Himself as the blood sacrifice for us so when we recognize our sin and turn to Him with complete trust in Him, we are rescued and our relationship with God is restored.
It is not a temporary thing like the sacrificial system. Jesus tells us that He came to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17) and on the cross He states that "It is finished" (John 19:30) and the Greek word used there is tetelestai, an accounting term that means “paid in full.” Our sin debt has been paid in full which we would not be able to recognized the enormity of that debt without the law of God. And without recongnizing the enormity of the debt we can't understand the enormity of the gift that He gave.
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