 |  |
Not that there was no greatness or glory in the law. Of itself it was `holy, just and
good' (Rom. 7: 12). It reflected the character of the thrice holy God Who gave it,
and at its inception there was glory and awe-inspiring majesty (Exodus 19: 16-20;
Hebrews 12: 18-21), so much so that when Moses came down from the mount, his face
reflected the glory so intensely that the people could not look at him and were afraid. He
was then forced to put a veil over his face (Exod. 34: 29-35). This not only moderated
its brightness, but when it began to fade, hid this also from the Israelites. It will be
helpful to set out the comparisons between the Old and the New Covenants in II Cor. 3::
The Old Covenant
The New Covenant
The spirit that quickeneth (6).
The letter that killeth (6).
The ministration of the spirit (7, 8).
The ministration of death (7, 8).
The ministration of righteousness (9).
The ministration of condemnation (9).
That which remaineth (11).
That which is done away (11).
The veil done away in Christ (13-15).
Moses and Israel veiled (13-15).
We all with unveiled face (16-18).
When Israel turn, the veil removed
(16-18).
The light of the knowledge of the
The glory of God in the face of Moses
glory of God in the face of Jesus
"done away" (7).
Christ (4: 6).
Though the Old Covenant of law-keeping had its glory, it was a temporary one and
fading at that, owing to the fact that it was `weak on account of the flesh' (Rom. 8: 3).
It showed a standard of conduct far above that which failing and sinful human nature
could reach. The New Covenant, on the other hand, being all of God's doing in grace,
replacing condemnation and death by imputed righteousness and life, had a glory which
far outshone the Old Covenant, so much so that by comparison it scarcely appears to be
glorious at all (3: 10). The contrast therefore right through this long section is the
condition of the Jew under the law in the Old Testament with its condemnation and
blindness, and the emancipation and salvation of the Jew in the N.T. who believed in
Christ and came under the gracious work of the New Covenant which was ratified by the
Lord Jesus on the cross. The O.T. Israelite had his mind `veiled' like the face of Moses
(3: 14) and the only way this blinding element could be removed was by coming into
saving contact with Christ `which veil is done away in Christ' (verse 14) which is
expressed by `turning to the Lord' (16). This turning was vital to the Jew of the N.T. for
salvation and will be so for the whole nation when in the future it looks on the Lord Jesus
Christ at His Second Advent and is convicted of sin, `they shall look on Me Whom they
have pierced' (Zech. 12: 10). They will then whole-heartedly turn to Him and be saved
and this is all part of God's New Covenant dealing with Israel (Rom. 11: 25-29) so that
at last they can be the Divine channel of blessing to the whole world that the Lord always
intended they should be.
The New Covenant ministry therefore had a special relevance to the Acts period when
Israel was being tested yet again by God and those who were saved, together with
Gentiles, became a New Covenant `firstfruits', a faithful `remnant', looking forward to