Hebrews Week 10 – Chapter 9
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Are sequels ever as good or better than the original? A group of our friends went to see the new TOPGUN movie.
Original vs. Sequel
As with any analogy, it pails in comparison to what happens in scripture, but this is essentially the point that the writer of Hebrews is trying to get across in chapter 8 & 9.
We finished up last time with the understanding of why we needed a new high priest and a new covenant. We also looked at how the old tabernacle, furniture, and sacrifices were a mere shadow or copy of what is in heaven.
That word tabernacle itself in Hebrew means dwelling place. It was where God came down from heaven to dwell with his people. Incidentally, Jesus came down as Emmanuel, God with us, to dwell among us. Inside the Tabernacle and all its features and furnishings, there are a multitude of shadows or types of Jesus represented all throughout the tabernacle. We’ll cover those in a bit, even though at the end of verse 5 the writer says, “we cannot now speak in detail”.
Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. 2 For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, 4 having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. 5 Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
Here we see the author lays out some of the details of how the tabernacle was arranged. It’s width, length, & height. The two sections of the “tent” separated even the daily priestly duties and rituals from the holy of holies where the high priest only went once a year. Only priests were allowed inside the tabernacle and daily maintained the elements. Most of all, the tent communicated that God had come to dwell among His people, but they still had to keep a distance. First a few looks at types or shadows of Jesus in the furnishings.
· Lampstand – hammered out of a solid piece of gold. The lamp stand was beaten into its shape. The light was never supposed to go out.
Almond leaves were part of the decoration on the outside. The lamp stand was filled with olive oil. Oil is beaten and pressed out of the olive.
TYPE of Christ– Jesus the light of the world John 8:12 . Jesus felt the most pressure in the garden of gethsemane which is in the midst of an olive grove and olive presses. He sweat blood because of the immense pressure he was under. He was beaten and whipped which shed his blood as well.
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
· Table with show bread and wine – bread and wine, what Melchizedek offered to Abram, its’ also what Jesus offered to his disciples at the last supper. Bread also symbolizes fellowship. Jesus is the bread of life, John 6:35.
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
Alter with incense – symbolizes prayers going up to God in heaven. Jesus is our intercessor as well as the Holy Spirit who prays on our behalf.
As I said before, it was the job of the priests to go in every day, all throughout the day and make sure that the show bread was changed out, the oil in the lamps refilled and the lamps burning, and that there was always incense burning on the altar.
The Holy of Holies was behind the second vail. 15x15x15. Only contained the ark of the covenant.
All the furnishings, including the ark, were made of acacia wood. The acacia tree was known as the only tree in that region that bore thorns. It is quite possible that it’s same tree that provided the thorns that made up the crown of thorns that was placed on Jesus head before he was crucified.
The lid of the ark was known as the mercy seat. On each side was a cherub. Cherubim is plural. These angles are seen in many places in scripture, namely, in relevance to judgement and redemption. Each one with their faces pointing downward at the mercy seat. No “copy” was placed in the middle of the mercy seat because God himself would dwell on top of it.
Inside the ark:
Manna – John 6:32-33
Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Aaron’s rod that budded – Numbers 17 – Sprouted, budded and brought forth almonds. Jesus brought forth life from death.
The tablets with 10 commandments – these weren’t written on paper, or animal skin, they were permanently etched into stone. It wasn’t the whole law, but the 10 commandments. As we saw last time in Jeremiah 32:40, God has placed his law upon our minds and hearts that we won’t turn away from him.
6 These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, 7 but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. 8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing 9 (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10 but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.
High Priest attire – jingled – tied rope around foot to pull out in case he died.
The weakness of the priestly service under the Old Covenant was its inability to address the need for inner transformation in man.
This is the biggest distinction between what rituals went on in the tabernacle and what Jesus did for us. The law brought regulations for the body but could not perfect the conscience. If the cleansing is incomplete for the priest, how much more for the person the priest worked on behalf of!
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
The ashes of a heifer refer to the remains of a burnt offering that was preserved. The ashes were sprinkled in the laver of washing to provide water suitable for ceremonial cleansing (Numbers 19:1-10).This was a shadow, fulfilled and done away with when Jesus offered the perfect cleansing. Therefore, there is no value in “holy water”.
“And, dear friends, do keep in mind that you are henceforth to ‘serve the living God.’ You that are acquainted with the Greek will find that the kind of service here mentioned is not that which the slave or servant renders to his master, but a worshipful service such as priests render unto God. We that have been purged by Christ are to render to God the worship of a royal priesthood. It is ours to present prayers, thanksgivings, and sacrifice; it is ours to offer the incense of intercession; it is ours to light the lamp of testimony and furnish the table of shewbread.” (Spurgeon)
Not all inheritances are created equal:
If there is one thing I know about inheritances, it’s that they come and go. They can be promised and then not followed through on. Sometimes they are way smaller than you had dreamed they would be. Israel, under the Old Covenant, was promised a Land and a Life if they would just choose to make Yahweh their God and follow Him faithfully! The Law promised a temporary fix for an eternal problem with the intention of pointing them to look for the Messiah who would establish a New Covenant with them. An eternal covenant with a PROMISED ETERNAL INHERITANCE!
The last part of verse 15 there points to a redemption of people of faith under the Old Covenant.
There is a sense in which God saved OT people “on credit.” They were justified by faith, just as we are. But Christ had not died as yet. Then how could God save them? The answer is that He saved them on the basis of what He knew Christ would accomplish. They knew little or nothing of what Christ would do at Calvary. But God knew, and He reckoned the value of that work to their account when they believed whatever revelation He gave them of Himself.
This Promised Eternal Inheritance that is spoken of in verse 15 is also described in 1Peter 1.
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
SPRINKLING WITH HIS BLOOD: This is figurative language. What it does say is that as soon as a person obeys the gospel, he receives all the benefits which flow from the shedding of Christ’s blood on Calvary. But we receive forgiveness, redemption, and the other innumerable blessings that flow from that crimson tide as soon as we believe on Him.
This living hope is that because it is imperishable. We have this because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
An inheritance that is:
Imperishable – limitless, never ending, unable to be depleted, will never go away
Undefiled – pure, perfect
Unfading – perpetual, eternal, never lessening in it’s fullness
All this is being watched over by the power of God, guarded, protected preserved through faith. We experience salvation right now, but the full reality of that salvation through Jesus Christ will not be revealed until the last days. A revealed salvation showing us not only what we’ve been saved from, but by who and for who’s purpose we’ve been preserved and saved for!
“It is also called a ‘living hope,’ because it is imperishable. Other hopes fade like withering flowers. The hopes of the rich, the boasts of the proud, all these will die out as a candle when it flickers in the socket. The hope of the greatest monarch has been crushed before our eyes; he set up the standard of victory too soon, and has seen it trailed in the mire. There is no unwaining hope beneath the changeful moon: the only imperishable hope is that which climbs above the stars, and fixes itself upon the throne of God and the person of Jesus Christ.” (Spurgeon)
But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—
No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!