✝️ The gives an account of the first covenant and its ordinances, its utensils which were in the the tabernacle such as the candlestick, the table of show-bread, the golden altar of censer, the veil separating the holy place from the holy of holies wherein was the ark of the covenant with the deposit of the pot of manna, Aaron's rod that had budded, the tables of the of the ten commandments, the two winged cherubim of glory, the mercy seat and the shekinah glory. He gives the purposes of daily ministration of priests and the yearly service of atonement by the high priest wherein he first offered a sacrifice for his own sins and then for the people to cleanse the sanctuary for sins committed every year. Then he turns to a more superior excellency of Christ's ministry and sacrifice for the sins of all mankind and the
efficacy of his shedding His own blood once for all sins. Since people must once die and be judged, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many and He shall come without a sin-offering for the second time to them that expect Him, who have been made ready by cleansing from sin and forgiven their iniquity.
*1️⃣Hebrews 9:1-14: The priestly ministry under old covenant and under the new covenant.*
⏹️As God ordered Moses to make a tabernacle according to the heavenly temple, it was for the respective provisions for religious communion between man and God, however the purpose was to show the superiority of the priestly ministry of Christ over that of the Levitical priesthood. The Apostle Paul says, *"Who are Israelites; to whom pertains the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen"(Romans 9:4-5).*
⏭️Leaving out the outer court of the sanctuary, the writer begins with the first apartment of the earthly sanctuary with its objects such as the seven branched candle stick, the table of shew-bread and the golden altar of incense which he attaches to the work of the Ark of the Covenant in the second apartment or Holy of Holies. The Lord instructed, *"And you shall hang up the veil under the clasps, that you may bring in thither within the veil the ark of the testimony: and the veil shall divide to you between the holy place and the most holy"(Exodus 26:33).*
⏹️Work in the first apartment, Holy Place was done on a daily basis by priests who offered sacrifices for sins of the people who were not allowed to enter therein. Work in the second apartment was done by the High Priest once a year to offer sacrifices for his sins and the sibs of the people on the day of Atonement. The spoke to Moses saying, *"And you shall offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and you shall cleanse the altar, when you have made an atonement for it, and you shall anoint it, to sanctify it"(Exodus 29:36).*
⏭️On this day, the High Priest would sprinkled the blood of the sacrificial animal as he asked forgiveness for his own sins and the people. The Lord said, *"Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation to you; and you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. And you shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God"(Leviticus 23:27-28).*
⏭️ This ritual, though arranged by God Himself showed that under the old covenant people could not enter freely into God’s presence, so clearly the sacrifices did not cleanse the worshippers of sin because they were still kept at a distance from God. The sacrifices were a temporary arrangement before the era of Christ's all atoning sacrifice. The old covenant sacrificial offerings brought ceremonial cleansing and not actual cleansing which was brought in by Christ's sacrifice which cleanses sin fully. The Apostle says, *"For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us"(Hebrews 9:24).*
*2️⃣Hebrews 9:14-28: The law of sacrifices under the old covenant and under the new covenant.*
⏹️Under the old covenant, repentant sinners offered sacrifices for their sins but the sacrifices themselves could not bring forgiveness for they were type of the anti-typical sacrifice of Christ. For the actual cleansing of sins depended on the sacrifice of Christ, whether sins were committed before the time of Christ or after the death of Christ is the basis on which God forgives sins. The Apostle Paul says, *** "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him"(Romans 5:9).*
⏫ Through Christ, God has made a new covenant and the inheritance He promises under this covenant is one of total and eternal forgiveness. As an inheritance can only be received after the death of the person who promised it, so people can receive forgiveness of sins only through the death of Christ. The Apostle James says, *"Listen, my beloved brothers, Has not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to them that love him?"(James 2:5).*
⏭️The events of the old covenant pointed to the necessity of Christ’s death for the making of the new covenant. The old covenant was established with sacrifices of animals and sprinkling blood on the altar of sacrifice as signifying the removal of past sins. The Apostle says, *"For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect"(Hebrews 10:1).*
⏹️Yet in the new covenant, Christ’s death brought the real spiritual order which was meant by the animal sacrifices to bring actual cleansing of sin for without shedding of blood there is no remission. The Apostle Paul says, *"Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works"(Titus 2:14).*
⏫The Levitical high priest entered the symbolic presence of God with the blood of a sacrificial animals, bulls and goats but Christ's High Priest ministration brings the sinner in the real and actual presence of God by the sacrifice of His own blood. His death is sufficient to remove completely the sins of the whole world be it past, present and future. The Apostle Peter says, *"For as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot"(1 Peter 1:18-19).*
⏭️As people die once and face judgment, so Christ died once and gained eternal salvation for those come to Him by faith and repent of their sins as they His meritorious death for the forgiveness of sins. For by His death, believers are forgiven, their sins are taken away as they enjoy the fulness of the Godhead fully as their salvation is guaranteed in Christ. The Apostle Peter says, *"For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit"(1 Peter 3:18).*
*🅰️Appeal*
In Christ, the Holy Spirit signifies the necessity of purifying the pattern of the heavenly things by a better sacrifice. It is evident that the sacrifice of Christ is better than those of bulls and goats for He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself as He was appointed by God to do. The Apostle Paul says, *"But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"(Romans 5:8).* Amen!!!
Elico Manenji
(+263712952704)
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