Imperfect Earthly Purpose

Hebrews 9:1-10
1Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. 2For 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. 3Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, 4having 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. 5Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. 6These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, 7but 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. 8By 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, 10but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.

As we have noted previously, a study of Hebrews is all about a study of the Old Testament and the worship practices God set up for H is people. Now we find some extended verses about the first Tabernacle as constructed under God direction by the Children of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness and the work of those who interceded for the people, the priests.

God set up a system whereby His people could interact with Him, but it was generally through a mediator. We find that on a few occasions, Jesus Himself is that mediator, through what we now call Theophanies or Christophanies. We know that Abraham interceded for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, Moses for the Children of Israel, and the Aaronic priests in the Tabernacle. Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross now makes Him our eternal and permanent Mediator – but I get ahead of the text.


In order to fully understand these particular verses, it is helpful to visualize the Tabernacle as designed by God and shared with Moses. Here in these 10 verses, we find a logical walk from the gates of the Tabernacle into God’s presence in the Holy of Holies. As the priest came into the entrance, he passed by the altar of burnt offerings, the wash basin and enters through the first curtain into the inner court. Only the priests could pass through that first curtain, but there were many of them. (I’ve marked the place of the curtains with a blue line.) The priest would perform various duties regarding the show bread, the candelabras, and the incense, all prescribed by God. The details of these practices become important as the story opens up and we see how the worship practices of the people reflect God’s story for our salvation.

A remarkable formal feature is the carefully arranged list of the ten furnishings of the tabernacle in 9:2b–5a. It mentions three things in the outer compartment (“the lampstand,” “the table,” and “the presentation of the loaves,”) followed by two things after the curtain of the inner shrine (“a golden incense burner” and “the ark of the covenant,”), with the three things in the ark (“the golden jar holding the manna,” “Aaron’s rod,” and “the tablets of the covenant,”) and the two things above it (“the cherubim of glory” and “the mercy seat,”). The movement in this list is inward from the lampstand and then upward to the mercy seat as the focal point of the tabernacle and its services.
Kleinig, J. W. ©2017. Hebrews. (p. 417). Saint Louis, MO: CPH.

As you read these Hebrews passages, if you can keep the work of Christ in your mind it will open up the way that God foreshadows all of His salvation plan already in the Old Testament. What may seem like a clunky worship life is actually a clear path through our need for a Savior.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

יהוה שָׁמַר--Yahweh Shamar (God Watches)

Image
Psalm 121 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. There are numerous passages I cling to when stress takes over my life. I would be hard pressed to declare a favorite, but this psalm would come close. So this morning I listened to Psalm 121 about 20 times as I meditated through the verses. First, I want to point out that the word or idea of shamar appears in every verse expect 6. The NIV uses the word "watch" while the ESV uses "keep". The...
Read more

Excusez-moi

Image
2 Kings 23:31-37 31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 34 And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, and he came to Egypt and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco. 36 Jehoiakim was twenty-fiv...
Read more

Narrow Door

Image
Luke 13:22-30 22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them , 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at tabl...
Read more