A NEW COVENANT AND A TRUE SAVIOR

Bible References

Genesis 3:14-19; Jeremiah 31: 33-34; selected passages from the Book of Isaiah

To the Teacher

The last few lessons have revealed the failures of the monarchies of both Israel

and Judah. The kings were unable to keep the eople faithful to God’s covenantal

obligations (the Law), because they themselves were unfaithful. We have seen

that Gos’s judgment was justly deserved and that God showed the utmos mercy

in sparing his people as long as he did.

The need for a savior is apparent. This lesson makes the connection between a

new covenant, based upon God’s forgiveness (Jeremiah 31: 33-34), and God’s

outpouring of grace through the promised messiah (Isaiah 53). We need

forgiveness in Christ for breaking the Law but also righteousness in Christ, which

Jesus obtained for us by keeping God’s law perfectly.

Preparation/Materials

 Poster paper

 Markers, colored pencils, crayons, construction paper, glue sticks, and/or

other materials to create artistic representations of passages from the

Book of Isaiah
 Lesson Highlights

 Although God’s people broke the Sinai covenant, God promised

restoration and a new covenant based upon forgiveness.

 Covenants are a means of God relating to his people.

 God keeps his promises

Background

The Old Testament tells the story of God’s people in covenant with him.

The people of Israel were supposed to abide by the obligations of the Sinai

covenant – the Law. As we’ve seen over the last few lessons, however, God’s

people were unable to keep the Sinai covenant, which eventually led to the

down-fall of the nations of Israel and Judah. By the time of Jeremiah, not long

before the fall of Jerusalem, God made still another covenant with his people.

This new covenant pointed ahead to Jesus Christ. It was a covenant no

longer based upon the Law but upon God’s forgiveness of sins and coming gift

of grace through the promised Messiah. Jeremiah 33 explains that people

would no longer need to be taught the Law, because God would write it upon

their hearts. And he would forgive their sins. The redeeming work of the

promised Messiah brought this new covenant into fruition, fully paying the debt

owed God by his people.

Lesson Steps
Bridge

1. Have a student volunteer step ouside the room. Explain the game to

the rset of the students. When the student returns, have ten students

ask him or her the same question: “who ar you?” if the colunteer fibes

the same response twice, they are to rsepond with, “you’ve already

told us that. Can you tell us more about who you are?” (The student

may replay with his or her name, the son or daughter of. . . the

brother or sister of . . . a child of God, a student, a basketall player, a

musician, a club member, etc)

2. Ask the colunteer to share what he or she thought when other

students continued to ask the same question over and over again.

Was it difficult to come up with ten unique description?

3. Explain to students that there is a reason behind this game. God know

each of us from the inside out. In fact, he know us infinitely beter than

we konw ourselves. God knows our hearts. Remind students of a fact

pointed out in an earlier lesson: Our identity is fully shown through

our relationship with God.

Scripture Link

1. Direct students to the sidebar “with All my Heart” (page 31) om tje

stidemt text. Amd read ot tpgetjer.

 With all my heart

The heart is central for God’s people – the core of who we are. Although we tend to
think of the heart as primarily the center of our emotions, Jewish people consider it
to be a dynamic combination of mind, thoughts, and emotions. The word heart refer
for them to the core or center of a person, as described in Deuteronomy 6:5: “love
the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
Through the prophet Jeremiah, God’s people were promised as a new covenant. Since
they could not keep the terms of covenant given to them at Mount Sinai, God desired
a new covenantal relationship with his people. This new covenant would not be written
upon tablets of stone but would be inscribed within their minds and written upon their
hearts!

2. Ask whether any students are able to recite Jeremiah 31: 33-34

(one of the memory work passages for this unit), and then practice

it together as a class. Dramatize it with hand motions to help

emphasize the key words of the passage:

 “This is the covenant I will make” place one hand out in front

of you, palm up; point the index finger of the other hand

downward on the open palm.

 “with the house of Israel” make a “house” over your head

with your arms and hands

 “after that time, declares the Lord.” Tap your wrist where

you would wear a wristwatch.

 “i will put my law in their mind” point fingers at temples

 “and write it on their hearts.” Mimic writing over your heart

 “I will be their God” gesture upward with an open hand.

 “and they will be my people.” Spread hands out in front of

you.

 “no longer will a man teach his neighbor,” extend left hand

toward the left

 “or a man his brother” extend right hand toward the right

 “saying, “know the LORD” shake index finger three times in

rhythm with “know the LORD”

 “Because they will all know me” spread hands out in front of

you

 “from the least of them” place hand, palm facing down, near

your hip.

 “to the greatest; declares the LORD.” KEEPING PALM FACING

DOWNWARD, RAISE HAND FROM HIP TO ABOVE YOUR

HEAD.

 “For I will forgive their wickedness” place hands over heart

 “and remember their sins no more.” Spread out hands in

front of you

You might practice these hand motions several times with

students to assist them in memorizing this passage.

3. Remind students that one of the themes reinforced again and

again throughout the Old Testament is that God loves his people.

He gave his people the sinai covenant to explain how they were

supposed to live in a loving relationship with him and with each

other. He gave them the “new” covenant described in Jeremiah 33

after his people had proved themselves incapable of “saving

themselves.” Explain to students that the means of this new

covenant was actually explained early on in the Book of Genesis.

4. Direct students to Genesis 3:14 -19, and read this passage

together. Ask how students can see God’s plan of salvation already

lain out in Genesis. (God promised Adam and Eve a descendant

Jesus who would “crush the serpent’s head,” destroying the power

of the devil to tempt God’s people into sin.) Highlight the fact that

God knew he would save his people by sending his Son, the

Messiah, all the way back in the very beginning of the Story.

5. Remind students that from our perspective (living after the Mssiah

came to save his people), it is easy to see how much of the Old

Testament Scripture points to Jesus work in fulfilling the new

covenant of Jeremiah 33. Direct students to “A new Covenant and

 a True Savior” (page 31) in the student text, and read this section

together.

A NEW COVENANT AND A TRUE SAVIOR

The covenant at Mount Sinai was a conditional covenant, based upon the Law.

God promised to bless and protect his people if they were holy and followed his

rules for living. The covenant requirements were clearly specified, along with

blessing and curses for obedience or disobedience. God summarized the

covenant on two stone tablets, inscribed by his own “finger,’ and this Law was to

shape the lives of his people. God wanted them to be different from all of the

other nations; he desired that all areas of their lives reflect a covenant

relationship with himself. This covenant was sealed with blood. Half of the blood

was sprinkled on God’s altar and the other half upon the people to bind them to

the covenant. Sadly, God’s people failed to keep this covenant and had to suffer

consequences.

Around the time of the fall of Jerusalem, God provided hope through the

prophet Jeremiah. God, as always, longed for relationship with his people, and

he promised s new covenant with them. This new covenant would no longer

require repeated sacrifices by high priests, using the blood of animals. It would

instead be based upon forgiveness and grace. God had provided his people with

glimpse of the Messiah ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden. What did
God’s people think when they heard the promises about a Messiah? They heard

that God would “stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in

the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for

then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace

(Micah 5:4-5) and that “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its

wings” (Malachi 4:2). What could this mean? God’s people were told that God

“will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be

faithful and righteous to them as their God” (Zechariah 8:8). Each promise

provided renewed hope. The new covenant would be based upon God’s

forgiveness and grace. As the Story unfolded, God kept making a way to

connect with his people, calling them back into relationship with himself. The

promised Messiah would be the Savior for whom they were longing. He would

be the perfect sacrifice, upon whom all their sins would be placed. His blood

would restore the rift between God and humankind, providing true redemption

and hope.

6. Explain to students that the prophet Isaiah described what the

Messiah would be like in a surprising amount of detail; some of the

most familiar and famous words that come to mind when we think

about Jesus come straight out of Isaiah.

Student AcTIVITIES
1. List the following passages on the board:

 Isaiah 9: 2-7 (“for to us a child is born. . .”)

 Isaiah 11:1-11 (“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse. . .”)

 Isaiah 42: 1-4 (“A smoldering wick he will not snuff out. . .)

 Isaiah 52: 13-53:12 (“He was despised and rejected. . .”)

Explain that these are only a few of the pasages Isaiah used to dcribe

the Messiah and that they contain well-known and much-loved words

explaining what his reign would be like and the manner in which he

would save his people.

2. Make poster paper and other materials available to students. Ask

students to create a visual represntation of one of the pictures Isaiah

gave of the Messiah in these passages. Encourage students to include the

specific text for the image for their visual interpretation. A few other

suggestions:

 If students complain about not being artistic, give them the option

of creating a torn paper collage instead of drawing. Provide the

with construction paper and glue sticks and have them tear the

paper into the rough shapes they need. The effect can be dramatic.

 You might want to assign or allow students to work with a partner

on this project.
  Display students’ work in the classroom or hallway. After it has

been on display for a while, save their work for a later lesson (in

Unit 5) on the Book of Isaiah.

Enrichment

 Music. The song “i will put My Law” fom songs for life sets the words of

Jeremiah 31: 33 to music. Other songs that might be appropriate for this

lesson include “What Wondrous Love is This” in song for Life and “Lamb

of God” or “Amaing Grace/Fill It Up” from Sing With Me.

 Writing. Have students create an acrostic poem of the words new

covenant, using words or phrases from the Isaiah passages above.