GOD’S NAME, CHARACTER AND COVENANT
It is difficult to imagine that God created something that would age and become obsolete, or that would be bad for our spiritual health. Nevertheless, this is what he did in the Old/First Covenant. When we read scripture carefully, we see that the Old/First Covenant is obsolete and yields death for those who submit to it. We also see, however, that God provided a cure for the sickness and death of the Old/First Covenant: New Covenant.
The facts of spiritual obsolesce and death are difficult truths to grasp. Understanding is aided, however, when we learn God’s purposes in having two covenants. Without the right understanding, we might conclude that God changed his mind after he concluded that he had made a mistake in designing the Old/First Covenant. No, the New Covenant was not necessary because the laws of the Old/First Covenant were defective or ill-conceived. It was necessary, however, because the Old/First Covenant was never able to accomplish God’s ultimate goal: Establish his name name (i.e. character, reputation) in the hearts of his people.
God knew what he was doing when he gave stubborn, rebellious Israel (and us) written laws (i.e. religions) that were not good and could not bring life. Out of love for Israel (and us), and for the sake of his name, he had to teach Israel (and us) that religion does not represent him. Religion only represents the works of men which can be seen and heard with natural eyes and ears. Religion does not represent God who can only be seen and heard with spiritual eyes and ears.
God’s strategy for teaching people how to know him is, and has always been, to introduce himself through human words (i.e. the Bible). He did this knowing that human words, whether written or spoken, could never communicate the depth and breadth of his character. Thus the Bible is the vehicle by which God first teaches his people about himself in his strategy of leading them to know him. This truth is represented in the scripture that says “the law is a tutor that leads us to faith“. But this truth must also be coupled with another truth which is that what we learn in the literal Bible is only a shadow of the fullness of God that is revealed when he speaks to our hearts.