WALKING OUT ON THE DOCTOR
They were not faithful to the covenant I made with them, and so I paid no attention to them. Heb. 8:9, T.E.V.
A very ill patient went to an outstanding specialist for treatment. Following a careful examination, the doctor prescribed a complex but promising course of treatment. There was every indication that in a reasonable short time the patient would have been entirely well.
But part way through the therapy the patient simply quit coming to the doctor, in spite of the doctor's urgings. His condition worsened and in time he died. His doctor noted in his files that since the patient had terminated the healing relationship by his own choice, the doctor could not be held accountable for his demise.
The Bible writers often used the term covenant for what we might call the healing relationship between God and man. It is prescribed by God as a powerful remedy for the ills that are caused by alienation from God. As the Great Physician, He would never prescribe a faulty remedy. Thus when the Bible writers (note especially Hebrews 8) speak of the "old covenant," they are not speaking of a remedy that is inherently faulty or inadequate. For it is nothing more than an expression of God's eternal covenant--His promise to take care of His people if they will let Him.
But the problem was that the patients walked out on the Doctor. They removed themselves from the healing relationship, from their close involvement with the only One who could cure them. And the Doctor noted (as we read in today's verse) that--being an ethical gentleman--He would not force a cure on them. Respecting their freedom, He let them walk away, even to their own death.
The new covenant, then, is not a new means of salvation. It is a renewed plea from God to come back into that life-giving union with Him that has always been His prescribed remedy. Somewhat in contrast to the heavily legal relationship between a physician and a patient, with all the concerns about malpractice and insurance coverage, the "covenant" relationship with God is a warmly personal involvement. It is so life-changing that as we remain in it our very thoughts and desires come to reflect His own (see Heb. 8:10, 11). Who in his right mind would ever want to walk away from that relationship when the cure is not only so sure but so delightful?
They were not faithful to the covenant I made with them, and so I paid no attention to them. Heb. 8:9, T.E.V.
A very ill patient went to an outstanding specialist for treatment. Following a careful examination, the doctor prescribed a complex but promising course of treatment. There was every indication that in a reasonable short time the patient would have been entirely well.
But part way through the therapy the patient simply quit coming to the doctor, in spite of the doctor's urgings. His condition worsened and in time he died. His doctor noted in his files that since the patient had terminated the healing relationship by his own choice, the doctor could not be held accountable for his demise.
The Bible writers often used the term covenant for what we might call the healing relationship between God and man. It is prescribed by God as a powerful remedy for the ills that are caused by alienation from God. As the Great Physician, He would never prescribe a faulty remedy. Thus when the Bible writers (note especially Hebrews 8) speak of the "old covenant," they are not speaking of a remedy that is inherently faulty or inadequate. For it is nothing more than an expression of God's eternal covenant--His promise to take care of His people if they will let Him.
But the problem was that the patients walked out on the Doctor. They removed themselves from the healing relationship, from their close involvement with the only One who could cure them. And the Doctor noted (as we read in today's verse) that--being an ethical gentleman--He would not force a cure on them. Respecting their freedom, He let them walk away, even to their own death.
The new covenant, then, is not a new means of salvation. It is a renewed plea from God to come back into that life-giving union with Him that has always been His prescribed remedy. Somewhat in contrast to the heavily legal relationship between a physician and a patient, with all the concerns about malpractice and insurance coverage, the "covenant" relationship with God is a warmly personal involvement. It is so life-changing that as we remain in it our very thoughts and desires come to reflect His own (see Heb. 8:10, 11). Who in his right mind would ever want to walk away from that relationship when the cure is not only so sure but so delightful?
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