Hebrews 9

     Here, and extending through 10:18, the writer reviews the tabernacle worship system as given to Moses in the old covenant.  He does not speak in detail (5), for the details are lengthy yet well known to the Hebrews, and readily available to them in the OT Scriptures.  It is, in fact, those very Scriptures he will refer to once again to prove his case that the old covenant points away from itself to a time of reformation (10).

     9:1-5.  The earthly sanctuary consisted of two rooms, the first one was called the holy place, and behind the second veil, which divided the two rooms, was the Holy of Holies.  Each room was furnished with the appointed symbolic items.

     9:3-4.  We may safely assume that both the writer and his first readers knew very well that the golden altar of incense with its golden censer was actually in the outer holy place in front of the veil, not behind it in the Holy of Holies (cf. Ex. 30:1-10; Ex. 40:3, 5, 26 Lev. 16).  So, why doesn’t he list it in v.2?  Why place it with the Ark of the Covenant and the other inner room items in v.4?  Perhaps because of its use.  Incense was burned by an ordinary priest morning and evening in the outer room on this altar, while the people in the court outside were offering their prayers (6; cf. Luke 1:8-11).  Though the priest did not go behind the curtain, the ascending smoke no doubt did, thus making it a symbol of access through the veil for their prayers.  But of more significance was the use the High Priest made of the concealing smoke from this altar as he entered through the veil once a year on the Day of Atonement (7; see Lev. 16:12-13).  This made the altar of incense an essential part of the high priest’s ministry before the ark as he approached the holy Presence of the divine glory.

     There is another question people have about v.4.  Both 1 Kings 8:9 and 2 Chr. 5:10 say that there was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets.  Ex. 16:24 and Nu. 17:10 say that the rod and the pot of manna were to be put “before the testimony”  (the testimony being the commandments of the covenant written on the stone tablets).  Could Aaron’s rod fit in a chest only two and a half cubits (approx. 45 inches) long?  Perhaps.  Who really knows?  Some say that the Greek could mean only that the jar and rod were with the ark, not necessarily in it.  Others point out that we are considering the original directions Moses received for setting up the tabernacle worship, and that the ark had a long history before 1 Kings 8:9, which deals with Solomon’s furnishing of the temple.  These two memorial items could have been removed from the ark before then, for instance when the Philistines captured it in 1 Sam. 4-6.  The fact is that later all these sacred items were lost when Solomon’s temple was looted and destroyed.  The new temple built after the Babylonian captivity had nothing whatever behind the veil.  We really can’t be certain about these questions, but none of this matters very much to the line of reasoning here.  The point is to show the figurative and temporary nature of the whole system.

     9:5.  See Ex. 25:17-22, where this lid for the Ark of the Covenant is described.  It is called the mercy seat (margin, Lit., propitiatory).  The two golden cherubim were attached to the two ends, with their wings overshadowing the mercy seat, and their eyes looking down upon it.  There they see the sprinkled blood of the atonement sacrifice on the cover, intercepting their view of the holy law.  This is well, for the law testifies against us, and the duty of these angels is to guard the holy Presence from all that is defiled with sin (cf. Gen. 3:24). 

     9:7.  Not without blood; in Greek, a double negative makes a strong affirmative.  Even in English, “he enters with blood” is much weaker than “not without blood”.

     9:8-10.  The Holy Spirit was signifying with these things that the law and the gospel cannot stand together.  These rites were a symbol for the present time (9), for the promise contained in these types implied that the truth they pointed toward had not yet come.  Their very restrictions of access and repetitions of outward forms proved that they were ineffective in themselves to bring real cleansing of the conscience.  They looked forward to a time of reformation (10).

     9:11-14.  That time of reformation has come in Christ.  Our high priest has fulfilled all these types in the true tabernacle not made with hands.  He has entered the heavenly sanctuary through his own blood, one time for all time, with the pure unblemished and all sufficient sacrifice that fully sanctifies and cleanses, and truly secures eternal redemption for all his people.

     9:15-17.  He is the mediator of a new covenant.  The writer here begins to discuss another aspect of the word covenant in the original language.  It is not only a binding agreement between parties, but here has the meaning of a testament, or will.  This is very appropriate, for by it we are sons and heirs.  A death has taken place, and by it all the requirements of the law are satisfied, and we become beneficiaries of eternal life.

     9:18-22.  All the bloody sacrifices of the old covenant pointed to the cleansing blood of Christ.  “Today, believers are the blood sprinkled vessels of service in the liturgy of worship” (21; Dennis Prutow).

     9:22.  Almost; see the exception in Lev. 5:11-12.  As a mercy to the poor man who could not even afford a pair of doves for a sin offering, he could bring a tenth of an ephah of fine flour.   The priest put a handful of this on the burnt offering, so even then, blood (which signified the life) was shed for the remission of sin (see Lev. 17:11).

     9:23-24.  Christ, through the eternal Spirit (14), entered into heaven itself as the mediator of a new covenant (15).  He entered into the presence of God for us (24).  Thus God came and paid the debt we could not pay.  The law of the old covenant was like a bill of charges.  The new covenant cancels the debt, marking it paid in full.  Someone had to pay.  In this case God himself paid our debt to himself, which we could not pay.  We must not obscure the fact that it was paid by continuing with rites that imply that the promise of forgiveness has not yet come.

     9:25-26.  Since Christ’s sacrifice was fully sufficient and effective to bring forgiveness, it served to put away sin for all God’s people in every age, from the foundation of the world to these last days (1:2), the consummation of the ages.

     9:27-28.  Because all men are born in sin, it is appointed that they must die once and be judged (27; cf. Gen. 2:17).  Thus it was necessary for Christ also to die once (cf. 2:14, 17), not for any sin of his, but bearing in his flesh the sins of his people (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21).  Thus he need not, nor will he ever, appear to deal with sin again.  When he comes again, it will not be to offer more sacrifices, but to gather his saved people into their eternal inheritance (28; cf. 15) at the judgment of the Last Great Day.

     Note that there is nothing here that would support Christ’s leaving the throne of heaven to establish another earthly temple in Jerusalem where he would rule over a mere earthly kingdom for a thousand years.  When he appears a second time, he will not bear sin, but bring judgment.  That judgment will be for the vindication of all those who eagerly await him, for he has fully paid the penalty for all their sins.