Hebrews 9:1-10
Hebrews • Sermon • Submitted
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· 5 viewsThe Spirit teaches through Old Testament worship that we need a perfect conscience to approach God.
Notes
Transcript
v1 & 10 bracket this section. v1 tells us that we are about to read about “regulations for worship” and “an earthly sanctuary” that relate to the first covenant: God’s provision through Moses for His people to draw near Him. We then encounter these in reverse order: first the tent of worship, and then the worship itself, before drawing the teaching of the Holy Spirit from these.
v1-5: The “earthly sanctuary”
v1-5: The “earthly sanctuary”
v2: the Holy Place
“the lampstand”, cf. Exodus : 25:31-39: perhaps a reminder of the tree of life, signifying that God provides spiritual life and illumination through His Word.
“the table with its consecrated bread”, Exodus 25:23-30: “the bread of the Presence”, put out freshly every Sabbath, and it belonged to the high priest and the priests, and they had to eat it there, Leviticus 24:9. Perhaps a reminder of when Moses and the seventy elders of Israel went up to the Lord, upon the cutting of the covenant, and there they ate in God’s presence, Exodus 24:9-11. A provision and a great privilege of the priests!
v3-5: the Most Holy Place
“the golden altar of incense”: another token of God’s gracious presence, as the smoke rising up from this altar provided protection from the burning presence of God while the High Priest was in there. This is probably why it’s mentioned here, as strictly speaking it was in the Holy Place.
“the gold covered ark of the covenant”: at the very centre of Israel’s worship is God’s kind promise to save them for Himself; this is God’s covenant, “Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.” (Exodus 29:45)
Inside this: “the gold jar of manna”, God’s provision of food in the wilderness, the bread of life; “Aaron’s staff that had budded”, God thereby confirming the legitimacy of their priestly ministry only; “the stone tablets of the covenant”, revealing God’s character and the need for His people to live in accordance with it.
Above this: “the cherubim of the Glory”, a very clear reminder of Genesis 3:24, indicating that we are contemplating the place of God’s very presence on earth, as “the atonement cover”, or “mercy seat” (ESV) makes clear: “There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.” (Exodus 25:22)
v6-7: The “regulations for worship”
v6-7: The “regulations for worship”
v6: the continual ministry of the priests in the Holy Place
Only the priests can enter here. If you came to worship at the tabernacle, you cannot even go into the court from which this place opens. You are twice removed, as it were. You watch the priest turning up for work, to worship in a way inaccessible for you:
Their “ministry” is their “worship”—it is the same word.
Again this is a reminder of Adam in the Garden of Eden, who was “to work it” (Genesis 2:15), literally, “serve it”—same word is used to describe the priest’s service in the tabernacle.
The priests had the privilege of stepping into Adam’s shoes before the Fall—somewhat, at least!
This was done “regularly”.
The Letter to the Hebrews 1. The Sanctuary under the Old Covenant, 9:1–10
Day by day, morning and evening, the appointed priests entered the Holy Place to trim the lamps on the lampstand (Exod. 27:20–21), and weekly to place the fresh loaves on the table of showbread (Lev. 24:8–9). The author may also have in mind the twice-daily sacrifices (Exod. 29:38–42).
What a privilege!
It also emphasises, in context, that their work was never completed. They are not sitting, their work is not done.
v7: the annual ministry of the high priest in the Most Holy Place
Only the high priest entered here. And only once a year. And not without blood.
The reference is to the Day of Atonement. Leviticus 16:2, 12-13, 15, 34;
The Lord said to Moses: ‘Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.
He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain. He is to put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the tablets of the covenant law, so that he will not die.
‘He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: he shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it.
‘This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.’ And it was done, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Emphases:
the even greater privilege than the priests had. They could go into God’s presence on earth. If you looked somewhat enviously as the priests going to work, how about the high priest?! He gets closer still.
the great sinfulness of both the high priest, and the people. Leviticus 16 describes a meticulous preparation process for the high priest; he couldn’t just waltz in. Further, the sin he offered were both “for himself”: he needed to be purified, and “for the sins of the people”, even the ones “committed in ignorance”. How sinful we are, if even unwillingly we may offend the Holy God!
that this work was never done, either. Once a year means every year: the sacrifice had to be repeated, because it never actually took away sin. Also, “only” reminds us that the high priest’s access to the Lord’s presence was very limited.
All this leads to a sweet-bitter taste, doesn’t it? So close, and yet never quite close enough to God. If that’s the taste and message you come away with, you have understood what this is all about:
v8-10: The teaching
v8-10: The teaching
A more special than special provision is needed if we are ever going back to God’s presence. We need more than “earthly”, “external” regulations. We need a spiritual provision for a deeply spiritual problem: sin.
v8: it is impossible for the worshipper to get to God via an “earthly sanctuary”
“was showing”: the Holy Spirit’s teaching was for the Old Covenant worshipper. He was creating a longing for a better way into God’s presence; a better covenant; a new covenant. This ministry was one of preparation for something more to come: “the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed”:
the priests got close, but couldn’t go into the Most Holy Place.
the high priest could go into the Most Holy Place, but only the earthly one. A high priest worthy of that was yet to come: 8:1-2.
the rest of the worshippers could not even go into the court of the tabernacle, let alone in it.
Yet don’t think they were in an utterly deprived position! That would be to go too far. After all, the Holy Spirit was teaching them! To be an Old Testament Israelite was to be among God’s chosen people: the most blessed position for a human being! Notable passages: Psalm 1; Romans 9:1-5.
Yet this most blessed condition even was preparatory for something greater, brought about by Jesus: Hebrews 6:19-20. As He said in John 14:6,
Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
v9-10: “external regulations” do not cleanse the conscience of the worshipper
“This is an illustration for the present time … the time of the new order.”
“illustration”: literally, a parable, disclosing a truth about the Kingdom of God.
“the present time”: for us, today. We need the teaching of the Old Covenant as much as the Old Covenant people did it. Why?
Because we live in “the time of the new order”. This refers to the renewal of all things. How are we to understand this?
What the illustration teaches, v10b-11a
The word used for “clear” carries the same meaning as “perfection” in 7:11, 18-19.
We need our consciences cleared if we are to worship God. We need our sins forgiven, our hearts brought back in line with God. Then, and only then are we free to serve Him. No manner and quantity of external regulation could achieve that.
“external regulations” could and can not achieve that. They only deal with bodily, not spiritual realities. Just like the tabernacle, these were earthly, external, literally “bodily”.
Implications of v7-10
Don’t treat the Old Testament regulations as the way to God
They were never meant for that! This is why legalism, making the law as a saving agent, is fatally flawed. This is not Old Testament religion, but Pharisaism.
They are the way to Christ, though, in this sense: Galatians 3:19
Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.
By meditation on the Old Covenant worship we learn God’s holiness, that He dwells in unapproachable light, and the way to Him is not through an earthly system, even when it’s set up by God. We need to see our need for a Mediator worthy enough to go into God’s presence, and take us there.
We need a clear conscience, not just a reformed life
A clear conscience is completely free from the guilt of sin. It means to be perfected, being restored to right relationship to God.
It is not enough to be sorrowful over past sins. We need a sacrifice that can deal with them. This is what the Old Testament sacrificial system teaches. But only Christ’s perfect sacrifice can achieve.
It is not enough to try and renew our lives. We need our past guilt cancelled.
Romans 8:1 promises:
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
To be a Christian is to be a sliver of “the new order”
Revelation 21:4-5; note the words “old order of things” and “everything new”:
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death” or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’
2 Corinthians 5:17 says:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!
