Thomas Aquinas Commentary Hebrews 8:6-10

"But now hath he obtained a ministry the more excellent, by so much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which hath been enacted upon better promises. For if that first [covenant] had been faultless, then would no place have been sought for a second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, That I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers In the day that I took them by the hand to lead them forth out of the land of Egypt; For they continued not in my covenant, And I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, And on their heart also will I write them: And I will be to them a God, And they shall be to me a people:" — Hebrews 8:6-10 (ASV)

Having proved that Christ is a high priest and therefore a minister of holy things—but not according to the Old Law—the Apostle now shows that He is a minister of greater and better things. In this regard, he does three things:

1. He prefaces his intent.
2. He assigns its cause (Hebrews 8:6b).
3. He proves his point (Hebrews 8:7).

The Apostle says, therefore, that Christ does not have anything earthly to offer. Instead, now, in the time of grace, He has obtained—that is, received by lot—a better ministry, which is a worthier priesthood. Christ’s priesthood is called a ministry because it belongs to Him only in the sense that He was a minister as a man: I say that Christ Jesus was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God (Romans 15:8).

He says Christ has obtained this ministry, meaning He received it by lot, because what is obtained by lot is awaited from the Lord: My times are in your hand (Psalms 31:15). Therefore, all things that happen according to the arrangement of divine decree are said to be given by lot, and such are the effects of grace: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated (Ephesians 1:11), that is, by divine election. When human judgment fails, people consult God’s choice and arrangement by casting lots, as happened in the selection of Matthias (Acts 1:26). Thus, it says in Proverbs (16:33): The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD. Christ, indeed, obtained that ministry by lot—that is, by divine arrangement.

Next, when the Apostle says, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, he explains why this ministry is greater. Every priest is a mediator, but Christ is the mediator of a better covenant between God and humanity, because through Him we are made partakers of the divine nature, as it says in 2 Peter 1:4. He also offers our gifts to God; therefore, the Apostle says, He is the one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).

In the Old Testament, temporal things were promised: If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19). But here, heavenly things are promised. Therefore, this covenant is better in what it promises. Furthermore, the Old Law had ceremonial precepts for the worship of God and moral precepts for correct conduct. The moral precepts continue, but the others do not. In the New Law, however, counsels are added to the precepts for the perfect, who are capable of spiritual things. Consequently, while the precepts remain, the promises are different. In the Old Covenant they were a figure, but here they are the truth expressed by the figure. Therefore, this covenant is better in every way.

Then, when he says, For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second (Hebrews 8:7), he proves that the covenant of which Christ is mediator is better. The reasoning is as follows: If the first covenant were faultless, another would not be sought to correct its defects. But another is sought; therefore, the first had a fault.

On the other hand, it says in Romans 7:7, Is the law sin? God forbid. Therefore, it seems incorrect to say the law is not faultless. I answer that something can be said of the Law in two ways. According to its purpose, it is good. But by reason of those to whom it was given, it is said to have a fault in two ways:

1. It did not confer the power to cleanse sins: For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins (Hebrews 10:4).
2. It did not give helping grace to avoid sins, but only to recognize them. Hence, it was an occasion of sin: For I had not known concupiscence, if the law had not said, You shall not covet (Romans 7:7).

And so the Law is said not to have been faultless, because under it people remained in their sins. The Apostle says, no place would have been sought for a second. For just as a body is never completely at rest but is always changing until it reaches its proper place, so also, as long as something is held imperfectly, desire does not rest but always stretches beyond until it comes to what is perfect. Therefore, a place for a second covenant was sought by humanity, who desired it, but much more by God, who is said to seek it because of His desire for our salvation.

Then, in verse 8, the Apostle proves the truth of his conclusion—that a place is sought for a new covenant—using the authority of Jeremiah (31:31): Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. In this section, he first presents the authoritative prophecy and then argues from it. The presentation of the prophecy itself has three parts: first, he shows that the time for giving the New Covenant was favorable; second, he shows the perfection of the New Covenant; and third, he shows to whom it was given.

The Apostle says, therefore, For finding fault with them, he says: Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. This is the authority, which is not quoted with the exact same words but with a few changes. For in Jeremiah 31:31-32 we read: Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband to them, says the Lord. Thus, it is evident that a few words were changed. Regarding the favorable time, he says, the days are coming, that is, the time of grace, which is compared to a day illuminated by the sun of justice: The night is far spent, the day is at hand (Romans 13:12).

Regarding the perfection of the New Covenant, he says, I will make a new covenant. The Greek word for "make" here implies perfection, as in Revelation 21:5: Behold, I make all things new. The New Covenant was perfect in its instruction leading to life, and this instruction extends not only to general information about justice but to perfect information: For I say to you, that unless your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20). Furthermore, in the Old Testament there were only figures, but in the New there is the reality of those figures. Thus, the New completes and perfects the Old.

Regarding the third point, he says it is made with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. But is it given to the Jews alone? No, because they are not all Israel, which are of Israel (Romans 9:6). Furthermore, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed (Romans 9:8). Therefore, those who have obtained God’s grace are Israel by faith and Judah by confession: For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:10).

But he says it is with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah for three reasons:

1. Christ personally preached to the Jews but not to the Gentiles: I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24).
2. The Gentiles were made partakers of the New Covenant as a graft inserted into a good olive tree partakes of its richness (Romans 11:17).
3. In the time of Rehoboam and Jeroboam, the kingdom of Judah was divided from the kingdom of the ten tribes, which continued in idolatry. The kingdom of Judah clung more to God, but not completely. Therefore, he addressed both.

Then, in verse 9, he describes the New Covenant, first by its difference from the Old, and second by its own qualities. Regarding the first point, he shows the distinction between the two covenants and then explains the weakness of the Old Covenant.

Someone could ask: Is the New Covenant like the Old? The Apostle answers this by saying no, because it is not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers. In this he shows that the Old Covenant is not to be observed along with the New: Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1); Neither do men put new wine into old bottles (Matthew 9:17); that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter (Romans 7:6). If something is found in the Old Testament that Gentiles are supposed to observe, it must be referred to its spiritual meaning, as it says in Isaiah 19:21: they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it. All of this is to be understood spiritually.

Then he shows the defect of the Old Testament, first from the way it was delivered, and second from its outcome.

The Old Testament was delivered to people who were like servants and who were weak. It was for servants, because they had at one time left their bondage in Egypt, about which he says, in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. It was a law of servile fear: For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear (Romans 8:15). A key difference between the Old and New Covenants is fear versus love.

It was also delivered to the weak, because by itself it could not help. In this regard he says, I took them by the hand, which is what one does for the weak: You have held me by my right hand (Psalms 73:23); For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh (Romans 8:3). But he says it was made with their fathers, namely, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with whom God made a special covenant: He has remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law (Psalms 105:8–10). But to those who came out of Egypt, He promised carnal things.

Then, when he says, because they continued not in my covenant, he shows the failings of the Old Testament regarding the matter of guilt. He explains this guilt by saying, because they continued not in my covenant, namely, because it was not written on their hearts. Hence, right after the Law was given, they made a golden calf: They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image (Psalms 106:19). Regarding punishment, he says, and I regarded them not, for a person is said not to regard something when he permits it to perish. So God disregarded them because He permitted them to be destroyed by the destroyer: You have trodden down all them that err from your statutes (Psalms 119:118).

Then, in verse 10, he describes the qualities of the New Covenant. He does this first by describing the way it was announced, and second by describing its effect.

He says, For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days. "Making" implies a suitable order; hence, he says, after those days, that is, after the Law was given. A new law should have been given after the old, just as a master is given after a tutor, so that humanity might recognize its weakness. This, therefore, shows the appropriateness of the time when the New Covenant was given.

The manner in which it was given is twofold. One way is externally, by proposing words suited to human understanding. This is what people can do, and that is how the Old Testament was given. The other way is by acting inwardly, and this is unique to God: the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding (Job 32:8). This is how the New Testament was given, because it consists in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, who instructs inwardly.

But it is not enough to know; one must also act. Therefore, God first enlightens the intellect to understand; hence, he says, I will put my laws into their mind. He uses the plural "laws" because there are various precepts and counsels. This the Holy Spirit does: the same anointing teaches you of all things (1 John 2:27); he shall teach you all things (John 14:26).

Furthermore, God inclines the will to act rightly; hence, the law is impressed on their heart. In this regard he says, and write them in their hearts. This means, "I will write love upon their knowledge": And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness (Colossians 3:14); the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us (Romans 5:5). This is the letter of which the Apostle speaks in 2 Corinthians 3:3: written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.