Jesus of Nazareth brought a foretaste of the blessings of the New Covenant to "the circumcision (Israel)" (Rom 15:8) during His earthly ministry. To explain this we should first note that there must of necessity be the contrast between Israel's "Old" and "New" Covenants.

There has been several "covenants of promise" that the Lord made in the Old Testament; i.e., with Adam (Gen. 3:15), Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3; 17:10-11), Noah (Gen. 9:9-12), etc. The Bible makes a distinction between "covenants of promise" and "covenants of law."  God alone makes "covenants of promise," these are one-sided, having no requirement of the recipient. By contrast, we note in Psa. 78:9-10 that the children of Ephraim refused to keep God's covenant of "the Law" by "refusing to walk in 'his law" Any particular "law covenant" contains conditions that must be obeyed and complied with in order to keep the covenant. Covenant breakers are those who refuse to obey covenantal law.

Here below we see exactly which "covenant" it is that should be considered "the Old Covenant," to be replaced with a promised "New Covenant." It clearly is the covenant of "THE LAW" that was given to Israel through Moses when the Lord took "them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt."

"Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: NOT according To The (Old) 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 (old) covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith Jehovah. (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

Jesus' words below tell us the "New Covenant" is establish or fulfilled "In (His) blood."

"This cup is the New Covenant IN My Blood, which is shed for you"; "drink ye all of it"; "this do ye...in remembrance of me"; "and they all drank of it" (Luke 22:20, Matt. 26:27, Mark 14:23).

Jesus told His Israelite disciples the "New Covenant" for Israel is to be founded "IN MY BLOOD... shed for you (Israel)." The "New Covenant" was established upon Jesus' death to fulfill the demand of "the Law" that the Lord had given to Israel. Unknown to His disciples at that time, Jesus' instruction to drink of the "cup" meant they were to partake of the blessings and privileges that the "New Covenant" would afford them... by His death and subsequent resurrection.

The physical "cup" itself was a ceremonial act that spoke of the great truth of Christ's substitutionary death for believers. Its observance was to be not a re-creation of His death, but rather to be a REMEMBRANCE of the gift of His death by which His Resurrection Life could then Dwell Within Them, and upon which their hope (expectation) of all the blessings of the "New Covenant" depended.

"And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me." (1 Cor 11:24-25)

The "old covenant" that Jehovah made with the whole "house of Israel" (not Gentiles) was given soon after Israel was delivered from Egypt; it was "the Law" of the Ten commandments... which they broke. The "New Covenant" is set in contrast to "the Law"... that being that "in Christ" the Law has once and for all time been "fully satisfied" by Christ's death.

When will this "New Covenant" actually come into effect?

Note that the word "covenant" is the Greek "diatheke," which is also translated "testament." This then implies when the "New Covenant" will be implemented. A "testament" is what refer to as a "last will and testament," which usually contains an inheritance.

Paul wrote of "the riches of the inheritance that is in the saints" (Eph 1:18). Today's grace believers enjoy by being "in Christ" and having "Christ in" them to be their new life and reality. "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance IN the saints, (Ephesians 1:18)

We all know that there can be no inheritance of a "will and testament until the testator has died. Though Jesus spoke of the "New Covenant" while alive, it would only become available to Israel AFTER His shed blood and death. Thus this is written;

"For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the Death of the Testator. 17 For a Testament is of force AFTER men are Dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth." (Heb 9:16-17)

You might ask, "What exactly are the "riches of the inheritance" of the "New Covenant" for believing Israel"?

Consider that, historically, the Holy Spirit has interacted with men differently in different dispensational ages. To understand the "riches" and "blessings" of the "New Covenant" we need to see that under the "Old Covenant" the knowledge of God was NOT INNATE, NOT WITHIN a believing Israelite.

• The "New Covenant" stands in stark contrast to this. Whereas in the Old Testament and before the cross no person had "the Spirit of the Lord" abiding (dwelling) WITHIN them PERMANENTLY...
• We regenerated believing Christians today have "the Spirit of the Lord" abiding (dwelling) WITHIN us PERMANENTLY, to rely upon and enjoy.

Scripture tells us Saul, as King of Israel had the Spirit's presence "UPON him," but later "the Spirit of the Lord DEPARTED from Saul."

"... a company of prophets met him (Saul); and the Spirit of God came UPON him..." (1 Sam 10:10)
"But the Spirit of the Lord DEPARTED from Saul..."  (1Sam 16:14)

Now note something very significant here, in Israel in the Old Testament. Rather than having an innate inborn knowledge of the Lord  and communion with Him by the Lord's indwelling "Spirit," Moses was instructed to teach Israel that... They Needed To WORK AT Keeping The Things Of The Lord IN MIND and in Heart (see Deut 6:4-8 below). Moses gave Israel specific instructions whereby they would keep God's words IN MIND because such knowledge was NOT innate within them!

"4Hear, O Israel...5 thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And THESE WORDS, which I Command Thee this day, shall be (kept) In Thine Heart: 7 And Thou Shalt Teach Them Diligently Unto Thy Children, And Shalt Talk Of Them When Thou Sittest In Thine House, and When Thou Walkest By The Way, And When Thou Liest Down, And When Thou Risest Up. 8 And Thou Shalt Bind Them For A Sign Upon Thine Hand, and They Shall Be As Frontlets Between Thine Eyes.

In accordance with verse 8 (above), you may have noticed that certain Jews today dress in black with a little cube-shaped box on their foreheads (over their mind) as a sign of keeping God's word "In Mind." These boxes are called Tephillin or phylacteries. Actually there are two small cube-shaped boxes made of leather with long straps attaching them. They contain four passages of Scripture hand written on parchment. These are Ex 13:1-10 (the redemption from Egypt), Ex 13:11-16 (the dedication of the first born), Deut 6: 4-9 (God's unity and God's Word), and Deut 11: 13-21 (the Promised Land of Israel). The Tephillin on the left arm is laid first, the strap passes seven times round the forearm, it then goes three times round the middle finger. This reminds the wearers of God's betrothal, bound to his covenant people, Israel as His Bride (read Hosea). Contrary to common opinion, the "body of Christ" is not the Lord's bride.

Such was the Israelite's situation regarding the knowledge of "the word of the God." Under the "Old Covenant," the children Israel did NOT have "the Spirit of truth" abiding IN them, so they had these specific instructions as to how They Had To Work At Keeping Their Mind Set Upon The Lord's Words and Covenant given to Israel through Moses.

Then, in the gospels, we have the account of Jesus of Nazareth's coming and speaking of a "New Covenant" relationship for "The House Of Israel," which we know will come and be actualized "in the kingdom" that Jesus had said was "at hand."

The "Book of Hebrews" is obviously written to "the Hebrews," NOT to the Gentile "body of Christ," it refers to the "New Covenant" as a "BETTER covenant."

"But now hath he (Jesus) obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he (Jesus) is the mediator of A Better Covenant (for Israel), which was Established Upon Better Promises (to Israel). (HEBREWS 8:6)

That "New Covenant" blessing of the indwelling presence and knowledge of the Lord was briefly available to "the little flock" (Luke 12:32) of the first Messianic Israelite disciples.

John, toward the end of his ministry, wrote of this inborn knowledge  for the believers of Israel in his 1st Epistle. This we now know will only come to Israel in the kingdom when Christ returns to earth. Listen to the words of such inborn knowledge of the Lord, which Christian today already enjoy.

20 But ye have an unction (anointing) from the Holy One (Jesus), and ye know all things: (1 John 2:20)

27 But the anointing which ye have received of HIM abideth IN YOU, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." (1 John 2:27)  

Paul tells the members of "the body of Christ" today "we have the mind (Gk., gnosis, intellect) of Christ" (1Cor 2:16) because Christ's "Spirit of life" is permanently resident within the spirit of each body member.

In the next installment we will discuss this "Better Covenant" for Israel in even more detail.