Hebrews 9:1-5

Summary retelling of Hebrews 9:1-5

The first covenant did have a place for ritual holiness.  There was a tent (tabernacle) that was divided into two sections.  The first section – the Holy Place – had some holy things such as the lamp stand and the table that held the Bread of the Presence.  The second section – the Most Holy Place – was behind a curtain and it held the altar of incense, the ark of the covenant, manna from the wilderness, Aaron’s staff, and the tablets of the Law given to Moses.  Above the Ark were the figures of the cherubim and the mercy seat.  These things had been lost in captivity, so they are no longer present.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Before we go too far into this section, we need to make sure that we start in the right frame of reference.  All of the things mentioned in this chapter were ordained by God.  They were given to Moses by God.  Therefore, as we talk about these things today and tomorrow we need to remember that they are instituted by God Himself.  As such, they are not bad things.  They are not wrong.  That which God gives serves a purpose.

Why do we need to pause and remember that the Old Testament rituals are given by God?  Do we as human beings tend to think that “our way is better” and other things are lesser?

Second Thought:

We have to remember that although these things are instituted by God they are performed by human beings.  The tabernacle was built by human beings.  The priests who served within the buildings were human beings.  Although these things were instituted by God, the human influence upon them makes them also inherently flawed.  (And yes, the same is true about our New Testament “churches,” too).  Human beings inherently have a corrupting nature on all things – even things instituted by God.

Why is it also important to remember that we as human beings have a corrupting influence upon the things that God Himself designs?

Third Thought:

Furthermore, this earthly reconstruction had certain flaws inherent in its nature.  Because it was made of earthly material, it can only ever be in one place at a time.  It would need repair from time to time.  But perhaps the biggest flaw is that it was purely a symbolic place.  Each of the items within the room symbolized spiritual truth.  The sacrifices on the altar didn’t make forgiveness, they symbolized forgiveness.  The bread on the table didn’t sustain the twelve tribes of Israel; they symbolized the fact that God sustained them.  The lamp stand didn’t give light to the world, it symbolized that God was the light in the world (even through the Hebrew people).  Although the tabernacle was instituted by God, it is at best a symbol of truth.  (And for the record, the same thing is true about much of our New Testament “churches.”)

Why is it important to remember the symbolic nature of worship?  What do we gain by reminding ourselves that it is only a symbolic act of true relationship with God which is to come in heaven?

Passage for Tomorrow: Hebrews 9:6-10

Hebrews 8:10-13

Summary retelling of Hebrews 8:10-13

In continuing the quote from Jeremiah, we hear that the New Covenant from God will be that He puts His law into our minds and hearts.  It will not be an external influence, but an internal one.  Furthermore, God promises then that He will be their people and the people of the New Covenant will be His people.  God will be so present with us that we will not need to teach one another to know the Lord.  People will all know Him simply through His presence in our life.  God promises to be merciful to us and forgive our sins.  This second covenant makes the first covenant no longer valid.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

God will put His Law into our hearts.  God will be an internal influence upon us.  No longer will the Law be something external that we can ignore at will.  God will be inside of us, guiding us.  He will be our God from the inside out!  I don’t know about you, but I believe that this sounds just like the coming of the Holy Spirit – which Jesus Christ promised to us.  Through the Holy Spirit we can say that God has come to dwell within us!

Is the Holy Spirit easy to ignore?  How do you feel the Holy Spirit in your life?  How does it feel to know that God can literally dwell within you?

Second Thought:

God can be present within us.  God’s Holy Spirit can be our true mentor and teacher.  But this does not imply that we will be perfect.  This does not imply that just because we have God within us that we will no longer sin.  After all, does not Jeremiah (and therefore the author of Hebrews) tell us that God will forgive our sins?  Does it not tell us that God will be merciful towards our iniquities?  If we will be perfect when God comes and dwells within us, why would He need to be merciful towards our iniquities and forgiving of our sins?  No, the truth is that even under the New Covenant we will still be sinful.  But with God within us, we will be driven to humbleness before our God and driven towards repentance – a true internal repentance.

How does it make you feel to think about yourself as a sinner even though you can have God dwelling within you?  How does (or should) this knowledge drive you towards the cross and the forgiveness that comes through it?

Third Thought:

We must be careful how we read verse 13.  Some Bible translations use the word “obsolete.”  For the record, that can be a correct translation.  But when we hear words like obsolete, we have a tendency in today’s modern culture to think that we can throw it away.  This word doesn’t mean that we can discard the Law.  No, the author never makes that case.  What the author is saying is that we should discard (or see as obsolete) is the belief that that salvation comes through the Law.  That understanding is absolutely obsolete.  But the Law still has a function – the same function that over the past two days we’ve seen was actually God’s intent anyway.  The Law reveals our sin and exposes our need for Christ.

I asked this a few days ago, but it is worth repeating.  Why is it so easy for us to want to discard the Law and not worry about having to be obedient?  Why is it so easy for us to simply focus on grace all the time?  What is the danger in that approach to life?

Passage for Tomorrow: Hebrews 9:1-5

Hebrews 8:8-9

Summary retelling of Hebrews 8:8-9

We can see God’s true perspective on the Law in the Old Testament (Jeremiah31:31-34).  God says that there will be a day coming when He will create a New Covenant with His people.  This covenant will not be like the covenant that He made with the Hebrew people when they came out of Egypt (IE, the Law).  They broke that covenant.  They showed no regard for that covenant.  Since they disregarded that covenant, God disregarded them.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

It is important to understand the role that the Old Testament plays in the theology of Christ.  It would be one thing for us to say, “We believe Christ said this about the Old Testament, therefore things changed.”  But if that’s all we did, then we’d be no better than someone who came along and said, “We believe ____ said this about Christ’s words, therefore things have changed.”  But if we can go back into the Old Testament and illustrate how the Old Testament supports New Testament theology, we can give New Testament theology a much more stable base.  New Testament theology doesn’t become the next “new thing on the block.”  New Testament theology becomes a fulfillment of the promises of the Old Testament.  Rather than it being something new, it can be seen as a completion of the former.

When you think about the two Testaments, do you think of them as separate entities?  Do you think of them as something promoting a uniform message?  Or do you think of them as two separate entities with a drastic change in the middle?  Why do you think of them as you do?

Second Thought:

God talks about a New Covenant.  Remember how the reading from yesterday ended?  If the first covenant was able to accomplish everything, why would we even need a second covenant?  Since this is God telling us about His desire for a second covenant, we know that it had to have been His plan all along.  God knew that the first covenant would not solve anything.  Rather the first covenant would teach us and prepare us to understand why we need a second covenant.  The first covenant would set the example and demonstrate how broken we are.  The second covenant would actually solve the issues that the first covenant exposed.

How does this “first covenant exposes our problems” while the “second covenant solves our problems” approach help show how the Old and New Testaments are not two different stories at all but one fluid story made up of two parts?

Third Thought:

God is clear about the fact that the Hebrew people could not keep the first covenant.  For the record, that’s not a polemical statement against Hebrew people.  The truth is that no human being regardless of race or creed or color can keep the Law.  But since it was given to the Hebrew people, they are the “example” or the “test case.”  They broke the first covenant.  They exposed humanity’s inability to keep the Law.  They demonstrated the truth about all of us: we all are in desperate need of a second covenant that we cannot break.

How are you guilty of breaking the first covenant?  In what ways do you not live up to God’s desire for your life?

Passage for Tomorrow: Hebrews 8:10-13

Hebrews 8:6-7

Summary retelling of Hebrews 8:6-7

Since Jesus Christ is in heaven with God and not in the earthly copy, the ministry that He initiated is superior to the worldly example.  In fact, the covenant that Jesus Christ acts upon is also better.  After all, if the first covenant had been able to enable true and genuine righteousness, why have a second covenant at all?

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus’ ministry is superior.  Logically, if we remember what we said yesterday this makes sense.  The temple and the priests who served in the temple were merely copies – or an example – of the spiritual process.  In a sense, they were an analogy to the spiritual since we cannot see the spiritual.  We know that all analogies are inferior to the concept the analogy is trying to explain.  Every analogy breaks when it is stretched too far.  Thus, it really does make sense to say that the priests under the Law are not superior to Christ but Christ is superior to them.  That doesn’t mean they weren’t important – it just means that Jesus Christ and His ministry is even more important.

Do you struggle with the idea of understanding how Jesus is superior to the Old Testament priests – yet at the same time accepting how the Old Testament priests are still important in preparing us to understand the work of Christ?  Why do we as human beings have a tendency to immediately downplay anything that isn’t of the utmost importance?

Second Thought:

In this passage we will begin to talk about covenants.  A covenant is an agreement between two (or more) people in which things are promised.  God promises salvation through His presence with us.  What do we promise?  What can we promise?  In righteousness or in sin, we can promise to be humble before our God.  But the reason that this covenant is better is because the covenant is based completely on God’s action.  God saves us.  God brings us to repentance.  Since God is capable of doing all the work, it cannot fail.  All we must do is be humble before our Lord and receive what God does with and for us.

What does it mean to you to hear that the covenant we have through Jesus is better than the covenant the Hebrew people had through the Law?  Can you explain the difference between the covenants and how one is completely based on God’s work while the other is based on man’s work?

Third Thought:

The author makes a point that we’ve already heard, but it is so significant that it is worth repeating.  The covenant made through the Law cannot make anyone perfect.  The Law is not strong enough to keep us from sinning.  The Law can only point out where we do sin.  As generation after generation of human beings proves, we cannot choose to live righteously even when we know we should.  Therefore, we have every reason to look for a new covenant – one that is based on God’s action and not our own action.

Why is this such an important point?  Why is it important for followers of God to understand that we cannot choose righteousness on our own?  Why is it important for us to realize that we need a covenant that is entirely based upon God’s work?

Passage for Tomorrow: Hebrews 8:8-9

Hebrews 8:3-5

Summary retelling of Hebrews 8:3-5

The point of being a priest is to offer gifts and sacrifices to God, thus it makes sense that Jesus offered gifts and sacrifices as well.  Jesus is not on the earth, because the Law only has a provision for the lineage of Aaron to serve as priests.  Such earthly priests serve a duplication of the real temple of God, as the temple here was build according to the instructions given to Moses when he was on Mount Sinai.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Here we have another difference between the high priests of the Law and the high priest of Jesus Christ.  The priests under the Law offered sacrifices of animals over and over and over.  Jesus offered Himself once and then kept that promise.  This goes a long way to speak to the model He set for us.  God doesn’t desire the sacrifice of external things; He desires we offer ourselves to Him in obedient service and devotion to Him.

What does it feel like to know that He is the only sacrifice we need?  Why should we then focus on devotion?

Second Thought:

The fact that we know Jesus is serving God’s purposes in heaven also challenges us to understand the place of the Law.  The Law teaches us to appreciate the need for a sacrifice – a sacrifice God makes available in Jesus.  But the Law also demonstrates just how much Jesus wasn’t meant for worldly service in the temple.  He wasn’t of the line of Aaron.  Thus, Jesus serves as a priest in an eternal capacity, serving God’s purposes in heaven having completed His work here on this earth.

Do you ever wish that Jesus was still on this earth?  Do you ever wish you could see Jesus face to face?  What do you think it will be like to get to heaven and be in the presence of God and Jesus?

Third Thought:

The author of Hebrews here indicates that the temple in Jerusalem is a “reproduction” of God’s heavenly temple.  At the very least, he speaks of the temple as a duplication of God’s instructions.  This isn’t really meant as an insult.  Rather, the author of Hebrews is trying to show that the earthly temple and the Law’s provision for priests is an example of what we cannot see: the heavenly realm.  Thus, the Law provides a means for us to see in the flesh what Jesus did from a spiritual perspective.  In other words, the priests offer sacrifices to teach us about why sacrifice is important so that when we hear about Jesus we are prepared to understand what He did for us.

What does this passage really teach us about how we should perceive the Law and it’s allocations for priests?  Although certainly not perfect, what can we learn from the Old Testament priests and their duties?

Passage for Tomorrow: Hebrews 8:6-7

Hebrews 8:1-2

Summary retelling of Hebrews 8:1-2

All of the study up until now points to the fact that we have a high priest seated at the right hand of God in heaven.  He ministers in the truly holy space.  He is in a place of God’s design, not human design.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Notice the verb that describes the action of Jesus Christ in heaven.  He is seated.  Forgive me if this point is a bit overstated and perhaps not completely in the intent of the author.  However, Jesus is seated in heaven.  Why would Jesus be seated?  His work is complete.  He’s done His job.  He came to earth, died on the cross, and saved all of humanity.  He’s done with what God asked Him to do.  In my opinion, He’s due for a seat besides the Father!

Have you ever thought about Jesus being seated?  What does it mean to you that Jesus’ work is complete?

Second Thought:

Notice that the place where Jesus sits is on a throne at the right hand of God.  The priests of the lineage of Aaron – the priesthood prescribed by the Law – served before God rather than at His right hand.  For that record, they always worked in the temple rather than sat, too.  The author is speaking about the greatness of Christ and how different He is compared to the priests of the Law.  Christ’s work – when done – allows Him to sit at the right hand of God because He is the only priest to officially finish His work.

What does it mean to you that Jesus sits at the right hand of God?

Third Thought:

The author of Hebrews makes one other really neat point.  Jesus is in a place of God’s design: heaven.  All the other priests worked in a place of human design: the temple in Jerusalem.  Jesus is in a truly holy place because it is all about God.  Human beings work in a place that should be about God – and Lord willing most of the time it is – but we bring our humanity with us when we come into it.

When you think of the holiness of heaven, what do you think about?

Passage for Tomorrow: Hebrews 8:3-5

Hebrews 7:26-28

Summary retelling of Hebrews 7:26-28

We confess that our high priest is holy, innocent, unstained, separate from sinners, and exalted in the heavens.  He had no need to make a sacrifice for His own sinfulness as the priests under the Law (from the line of Aaron) do.  He also doesn’t need to offer daily sacrifices for His people either, since that was handled once for all through His death on the cross.  After all, the Law appoints people who are sinners to be priests; but God asked His perfect Son to die for the sins of all those who are in Him.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Look at the list of attributes for Jesus.  Holy: different, separate, of an entirely different nature.  Innocent: blameless, free from sin, not deserving of death.  Unstained: without blemish, perfect.  Separate from sinners: unique among mankind, sent for a specific purpose. Exalted in the heavens: praised even among the divine realms for the work He has done.  I can’t help but read through that list of attributes and feel unworthy.  I can’t also help but feel grateful because of my unworthy state.

Which of those attributes speaks the loudest to you right now?  Why do you think that attribute jumps out at you where you are in your life right now?

Second Thought:

He had to make no sacrifice for Himself.  He was sinless.  He was unblemished.  There was no sin within Him that needed to be covered.  Contrast that with the priest of the Law.  Contrast that with the pastors, ministers, and priests of today even!  Everyone – even the holy ones among us – has sins that must be covered by Jesus.  But Jesus did not sin.  He was in perfect communion with the Father.  That relationship had to be simply amazing.

Do you ever wish your relationship with the Father was like Christ’s relationship with the Father?  What prevents you from being that close all the time?  Why is it important to remember what role our sinfulness plays in our life?

Third Thought:

He died.  He died upon the cross.  He died not for His sake; He died for our sake.  He made atonement for our sin upon that cross.  Because of His death, we don’t need to continue to make sacrificial blood offerings to God.

Stop for a second and think how much Jesus’ death on the cross has changed things in your life.  How different would your life be had Jesus not come and died? 

Passage for Tomorrow: Hebrews 8:1-2