The Better Tabernacle Purified with Better Blood
9: 23-28

The better Tabernacle purified with better blood DIG: Because God was so satisfied with Yeshua’s sacrifice, what did He do for Him (see Philippians 2:9)? Why was the tax collector justified rather than the Pharisee in the story in Luke 18? For whom did Christ appear in the presence of God? What are two proofs that are found in verses 24 and 25 that show that Messiah’s sacrifice was a better one? If Jesus’ sacrifice had not been sufficient, what would have to happen? The perpetual offering of Christ by the Roman Catholic Church contradicts what biblical truth?

REFLECT: The author used analogies from the TaNaKh to explain the meaning of Messiah’s death to the Israelites. What analogies might you use to explain it to people you know? Does the fact that Yeshua died to take away your sins free you to serve Him more? Or make you spiritually “lazy?” Why?

There are three results of the Messiah’s sacrifice. The third result of His sacrifice is His ministry in the heavenly Tabernacle. In the preceding file, the author focused on the use of blood for the purifying and remission of sin. Now, the use of blood in preparation for the way of approach is going to be enlarged. The author shows that Yeshua purified the heavenly Tabernacle through His own blood unlike Moshe who purified the earthly Tabernacle with the blood of bulls and goats. Therefore, Yeshua dwelt in a better Tabernacle, and purified it with better blood . . . His own blood.

Because, as seen previously, without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sins (9:22 CJB), this is how the copies of the heavenly things had to be purified, but the heavenly things themselves require better sacrifices than these (9:23 CJB). The purifying of the heavenly Tabernacle pictures the purifying of the earthly Tabernacle. The copies of the heavenly things are the earthly Tabernacle, its seven pieces of fixtures and all its furnishings. The use of animal blood had to be used to purify the earthly Tabernacle because they were only copies and animal blood was sufficient to purify them. However, the heavenly Tabernacle is the original, and it was necessary to purify it with better blood, the blood of Jesus. Although the sacrifice that Yeshua made was a one-time sacrifice, the term sacrifices (Greek: thusiais) is plural. It is a generic or intensive plural that shows all the sacrifices made during the Dispensation of the Torah were fulfilled in the one sacrifice of Messiah. His sacrifice had to be better because the heavenly Tabernacle required better purifying in keeping with its better nature.²⁴¹

This raises the obvious question: Why did the heavenly Tabernacle need to be purified? First, when the Adversary rebelled against God, he did so while he was still in heaven and, thus, Satan’s rebellion brought sin into heaven itself (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezeki’el 28:11-19). The Ezeki’el passage states that he desecrated the sanctuary in heaven. As a result, heaven was not pure (Job 15:15, 25:5). Second, mankind is untied with creation. When Adam sinned, his sin reached up to heaven. When Jesus died, He reconciled things in heaven as well as on earth: He reconciled all things to Himself, whether on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross (Colossians 1:20)

In verses 24-26 the Ruach HaKodesh deals with Messiah’s once-for-all entrance into God’s presence for us, and points out three key truths. First, Christ entered into heavenly Tabernacle. Messiah entered into the heavenly Tabernacle and not into the Most Holy Place on earth. For the Messiah has entered the Most Holy Place that is not made with human hands and merely a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, in order to appear now on our behalf in the very presence of God (9:24 CJB). On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (see the commentary on Exodus, click to see link Go – The Day of Atonement), the high priest entered the Most Holy Place alone, and, in essence his work there was a secret ministry. What’s more, before he did so, the smoke from the Altar of Incense preceded him into the Most Holy Place so that his face was hidden. That smoke protected him from looking at the Shechinah glory, the visual manifestation of God’s presence. So while the high priest entered into the earthly Most Holy Place in secret and hidden by smoke, Jesus Christ entered boldly into the heavenly Most Holy Place. He did not enter the Most Holy Place made with human hands, but made by YHVH alone. When Jesus entered in, He went in for us. Isn’t it beautiful to realize that when He went in, we went in with Him? Because we’re in Christ (Ephesians 1:3), we were ushered into the presence of God with Him.²⁴²

The second truth is that Yeshua entered with a finished atonement. Again a contrast is made between the once-for-all-time offering of Messiah compared with the yearly offering of the high priest. Further, He did not enter the heavenly Tabernacle to offer Himself over and over again, like the high priest who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise Yeshua would have to suffer death many times – from the founding of the universe on (9:25-26:a CJB). If Jesus’ sacrifice had not been once-for-all-time, He would have had to suffer from the founding of the universe. He would have to die continuously, as it were, since the time Adam sinned. Like the work of the Levitical priesthood, His atoning work would have never be finished. But praise God, His sacrifice doesn’t have to be repeated – not even once. It is completely finished.

The Roman Catholic idea of the perpetual sacrifice of Messiah is a heretical doctrine that for many centuries has contradicted this, and many other clear biblical teachings about the finished work of Christ. It maintains that, inasmuch as the priesthood of Jesus is perpetual and sacrifice is an essential part of His priesthood, therefore the sacrificial offering of Christ must also be perpetual.

Ludwig Ott, a Roman Catholic theologian, explains this perpetual sacrifice dogma, which was made official by that church at the Council of Trent in the middle of the sixteenth century. “The holy mass,” he writes, “is a true a proper sacrifice. It is physical and propitiatory (meaning the averting of God’s wrath by means of the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus that satisfies every claim of God’s holiness and justice so that He is free to act on behalf of sinners), removing sins and conferring the grace of repentance. Propitiated by the offering of this sacrifice, God, by granting the grace of the gift and the gift of Penance, remits trespasses and sin however grievous they may be.”²⁴³

Roman Catholics who take their church membership seriously and who, in most cases, have had it drilled into them from infancy that in the mass a daily sacrifice is offered to them, find it extremely hard to leave the Roman Church precisely because in the Messianic community, or in the evangelical church, they find no mass. And they fear that without the mass they will lose their salvation. A devout Roman Catholic regards this matter of salvation through the mass far more seriously than most messianic Jews or believing evangelicals realize. But when one begins to read the Bible thoughtfully and prayerfully, he discovers that Christ made the only sacrifice necessary for salvation on the cross of Calvary, and the mass cannot possibly be a continuing sacrifice.²⁴⁴

No doubt some Catholics are saved, but in holding to the doctrine of the perpetual offering of His sacrifice, they undermine the power and significance of Messiah’s once-for-all-time sacrifice. This false doctrine is plainly reflected in the crucifix, the ubiquitous symbol of Roman Catholicism. Whether in pictures, in statues, the cross is rarely empty in Catholic representations. To Catholics, Yeshua is still being crucified. In communion, or the Lord’s Supper we remember Christ’s sacrificial death, as He commanded us to do. But He is not re-sacrificed. Our Lord commanded His disciples to remember His death (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Kj – Breaking the Middle Matzah).²⁴⁵

The third key truth is that having entered into heaven with a finished atonement, Jesus conquered sin forever. But as it is, Messiah had appeared once at the end of the ages in order to set aside sin through the sacrifice of Himself (9:26b CJB). Having entered into heaven with a completely finished atonement, Jesus did away with sin forever in the sense that the believer is justified at the moment of faith (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Bw – What God Does For Us at the Moment of Faith). The timing was at the end of the ages. This expression means it was at the end of the Dispensation of the Torah (see the commentary on Exodus Da – The Dispensation of the Torah), similar to what Rabbi Sha’ul states: But when the appointed time arrived, God sent forth His Son. He was born from a woman, born into a culture in which legalistic perversion of the Torah was the norm (Galatians 4:4 CJB).

When ADONAI’s timetable reached the proper moment, Christ was born (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Aq – The Birth of Jesus). The key purpose was to do away with sin. He would not merely achieve forgiveness, or temporary covering of sin, which the righteous of the TaNaKh achieved, but now the sins of the righteous would be set aside (Greek: athetesin, meaning it was no longer in effect). Just as the Levitical priesthood was set aside (7:18), so Yeshua also came to set aside sin. Unlike the temporary work of the Levitical priests, Messiah did one perfect work and set aside sin forever through the sacrifice of Himself. Not by blood that was not His own, but by His own blood.

There were Jewish unbelievers in the Messianic congregation to which the author was writing. He had warned them that they were in danger (see Ag – The Audience of the book of Hebrews). But, here again, writer warns them that just as people are destined to die just once. Everyone has to die, and our death is by divine appointment. This is the Bible’s refutation of the concept of reincarnation, which is found in most Eastern religions and incorporated into a number of recent Western imitations. And after that to face the judgment (9:27 CJB), which is also appointed by God. Since we are not able to atone for our own sins, Ha’Shem’s judgment demands that we pay for them ourselves, or have a substitute pay for them.

Like everyone else, Yeshua Messiah was divinely destined to die just once. But unlike us, He will never face judgment. Because He took out sins upon Himself, He took our judgment upon Himself. But the judgment was for our sins, not His, for He had none. He was our substitute. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). He dies the one death that judgment demanded.

On the Day of Atonement, the people waited eagerly to see the high priest come out from the Most Holy Place. If he did anything wrong, if he failed to follow Ha’Shem’s precise instructions, he would die. So there was always a sight of relief, for their own sakes as well as his, when he reappeared.

That was the situation being alluded to here in 9:28. If the people were so eager to see the former high priests reappear from the earthly Most Holy Place, how much more should believers look eagerly for their great High Priest, Yeshua Messiah, to reappear from the heavenly Most Holy Place? This will occur at the Second Coming (see the commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah).²⁴⁶

So Messiah was sacrificed once to bare the sins of many (Hebrews 9:28a quoting Isaiah 53:12); and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to deliver those who eagerly await Him (9:28b CJB). Here is the clearest statement in the Bible of the relationship between Yeshua’s First and Second Comings. His First Coming fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (see the commentary on Isaiah Iy – The Death of the Suffering Servant), which predicted that Messiah would die as an atonement for human sin and be raised from the dead, so that He could appear a second time to fulfill such prophecies as Isaiah 2:2-5 and 9:6-7, which say that Messiah will bring peace to the world and deliver His people once the leadership of Isra’el asks Him to come back (see the commentary on Revelation Ev – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ).²⁴⁷

You can’t forgive me for my sins nor can I forgive you for yours. Two kids in a mud puddle can’t clean each other. They need someone clean. Someone spotless. We need someone clean us too. That’s why we need a Savior. Trying to make it to heaven on our own goodness is like trying to get to the moon on a moon beam . . . nice idea, but try it and see what happens. Listen. Quit trying to quench your own guilt. You can’t do it. There’s no way. Not with a bottle of whiskey or perfect attendance at Hebrew School or Sunday School. Sorry. I don’t care how bad you are. You can’t be bad enough to forget it. And I don’t care how good you are. You can’t be good enough to overcome it. You need a Savior. A Substitute. We all do!²⁴⁸

Forgiveness Demands Blood
9: 15-22

Forgiveness demands blood DIG: How were people saved during the Dispensation of the Torah? Describe the purpose of the animal sacrifices? What two things did God declare about His character when He sent Messiah to be the ransom for sin? How far back in time was Yeshua’s superior sacrifice effective? What is necessary for a will to go into effect? What had to happen for Christ to release His inheritance to His fellow heirs? How does the writer of Hebrews show that bloodshed in the B’rit Chadashah was not unusual and only to be expected? What did Jesus identify as the confirming sign of the New Covenant on the night before His death?

REFLECT: How is Christ’s mediation like a ransom for your soul? Were you a hostage? Hostage to what? What is the ransom price? Are those who lived and died before Jesus somehow covered by this ransom also (see Romans 3:25)? How is Messiah’s death like a will made good for you? What is your inheritance? What puts the will in force? Why the emphasis on shed blood? What for? How extensive is the application? How effective?

There are three results of the Messiah’s sacrifice. The second result of His sacrifice is the ratification of a New Covenant. In Chapter eight the author stated that the New Priesthood is based upon a better covenant (to see link click Bm – A Better Covenant). Now he will show how that covenant was signed.

Since the blood of the Messiah cleanses our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God (9:14), certain things are true. First, Messiah is the mediator of a New Covenant (Hebrews 9:15 CJB quoting Jeremiah 31:31 CJB). A mediator is one who intervenes between two people either to make peace and friendship or to ratify a covenant; in this case, ratifying the New Covenant is seen to be in contrast with the First Covenant (the Mosiac Covenant). While the Mosiac Covenant was able to point out 613 transgressions, it could never bring the inheritance of the promised blessing of complete forgiveness of sin and eternal life. That is why a New Covenant was needed . . . and He is the mediator of this Covenant.

Secondly, the death of Jesus paid the ransom for the redemption of the sins committed under the First Covenant. The truth is that the sacrifices during the Dispensation of the Torah (see the commentary on Exodus Da – The Dispensation of the Torah) did not remove the sins of the righteous of the TaNaKh. The Hebrew word kippur for atonement simply means to cover. Animal blood could not remove the sins of the righteous of the TaNaKh. It only covered them temporarily. That is why when the righteous of the TaNaKh died, they could not go directly to heaven. Instead they went down to Paradise or Abraham’s side (one section of sh’ol), and waited for the death of Yeshua. It was then that the sins of the righteous of the TaNaKh were removed. When Messiah died, He did not simply die for all the sins to be committed after His death, He also died for all the sins that were committed before His death . . . for the sins committed under the First Covenant. The same point is made by Rabbi Sha’ul: God presented Him as a propitiation (Greek hilasterion, meaning the covering of the ark that was sprinkled with the blood of a sacrifice on the Day of Atonement) through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed (Romans 3:25 HCSB).²³⁴

Consequently, the righteous of the TaNaKh who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance – now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the First Covenant (9:15 CJB). The death of Jesus provided the means for their promised eternal inheritance. These words can be traced throughout the TaNaKh as they outline one its major themes. God promised Adam eternal life, conditional on obedience (Genesis 2:16-17 and 3:22). ADONAI’s covenant with Noah includes many promises and is called everlasting (Genesis 9:16). YHVH promised Abraham and his seed the Land of Isra’el forever (Genesis 13:15), and the term inherit is first used in the Bible in connection with this promise (Genesis 15:7). Ha’Shem’s promises to Avraham are reconfirmed in the covenant with Moshe (Galatians 3:6 to 4:7, constitute an indispensable commentary on this verse), but people’s sins disqualified them from receiving what had been promised. Those who accept Yeshua’s eternal dealing with sin, as explained in these chapters, may receive the promised eternal inheritance.²³⁵

A will demands a death: Now the writer switches in his thinking from the concept of a Covenant to the concept of a will. The connection between the two is the concept of inheritance. A will provides for an inheritance. For where there is a will, there must necessarily be produced evidence of its maker’s death, since a will goes into effect only upon death; it never has force while its maker is still alive (9:16-17 CJB). The Greek word for covenant, diatheke, closely corresponds to our present-day will. A will does not take place until the one who made it dies. Until that time, its benefits and provisions are only promises, and necessarily in the future. The point the writer is making here is simple and obvious to us today. But its relevance to the Torah was anything but obvious to the Jews being addressed here. So the writer briefly explains how it applies. Building on verse 15, he is saying that God gave an eternal inheritance to Isra’el in the form of a covenant, or a will. As with any will, it was only a type of promissory note until the provider of the will died. At this point, no mention is made of who the deceased is or how Christ fulfills that role.²³⁶

Now, a will is one-sided, but a covenant is two-sided. Obviously it was not God, who set the terms of these covenants with Adam, Abraham, and Moshe, who died. Rather, it was, in every instance, the receiver of Ha’Shem’s covenant who died – not actual physical death, but spiritual death through identification with the shed blood. In the God’s covenant with Moses, the dead animals represent the people of Isra’el as having died to their former sinful way of life; while the sprinkled blood represents the new life offered through the Torah – the life is in the blood (see the commentary on Leviticus Da – The Life is in the Blood). The necessary connection between deaths and covenants in the TaNaKh means, literally, to cut a covenant. One day ADONAI would cut a covenant with Abram that his descendants would inherit the Land, then Abram cut animals in pieces and saw a smoking firepot with a blazing torch pass between them (see the commentary on Genesis Eg – I am the LORD, Who Brought You Out of Ur of the Chaldeans to Give You This Land).²³⁷

Forgiveness demands blood: Now the writer illustrates the principle and reverts back from the concept of a will to the concept of a covenant. The background for these verses can be found in Exodus 24:3-8. This is why the First Covenant too was inaugurated with blood (9:18 CJB). Here, too, a death had taken place, but it was the death of an animal. The Mosaic Covenant was ratification by the shedding of blood, but the blood was animal blood. So it was not so shocking that second covenant should be ratified the same way. But Yeshua ratified the New Covenant with His own blood. His blood being better than animal blood. As in the case of the Mosaic ratification, where the death of an animal gave validity to the First Covenant and made it unchangeable, the same thing is true of the New Covenant.

After Moshe had proclaimed every command of the Torah to the people, he took the blood of the calves with some water and used scarlet wool and hyssop to sprinkle both the scroll itself and all the people (9:19 CJB). The Testator of the First Covenant was YHVH, for it was God who was the source of salvation during the Dispensation of the Torah. But the LORD was not yet ready to come in the Person of His Son and die on the cross for mankind. Therefore, He provided a substitute that would represent Him in death, a death that would make the Covenant effective. The substitute was an animal. In fact, according to the Torah, one must almost say that everything is purified with blood (9:22a).²³⁸

Moses used a solemn blood ceremony to seal the First Covenant after he had spoken the words of the Torah (Exodus Chapters 20 through 23). Then he ratified the First Covenant by sprinkling both the Book of the Covenant and the people with blood (see the commentary on Exodus Ek – The Ratification of the Sinai Covenant). He used the blood of an animal. This sprinkling of blood meant that the people were to obey, and if they obeyed, ADONAI would bless them.²³⁹

And he said, “This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you” (Hebrews 9:20 CJB quoting Exodus 24:8 CJB). The blood was the confirming sign. Do you remember the startling words of Yeshua: This cup is the New Covenant in My blood, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me (Matthew 26:27-28; Mark 14:23-24 Luke 22:20; First Corinthians 11:25). Messiah was ratifying the New Covenant after the pattern of Exodus 24:8, except that it would be confirmed through the shedding of His own blood, symbolizing His atoning death for sin.

Likewise, he sprinkled with the blood both the Tabernacle and all the things used in tis ceremonies (9:21 CJB). Since the Tabernacle was not yet built when Moshe ratified the First Covenant, his sprinkling of both the Tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with blood were obviously meant to be anticipatory. The blood he sprinkled at the initiation of the First Covenant continued, in a sense, to be sprinkled by the priests of the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, as long as the First Covenant was in effect.

The purpose of the blood was to symbolize sacrifice for sin, which brought about cleansing from sin. Indeed, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (9:22b). Forgiveness is very, very costly. The Father doesn’t forgive sin by looking down and saying, “Well, It’s all right. Since I love you so much, I’ll overlook your sin.” ADONAI’s righteousness and holiness will not allow Him to do that. Sin demands payment by death. And the only death great enough to pay for all of the sins of mankind is the death of His Son. And if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). God’s great love for us will not lead Him to overlook our sin, but it has led Him to provide the payment for our sin, as Yochanan 3:16 so beautifully reminds us. YHVH cannot ignore our sin; but He will forgive our sin if we trust in the death of His Son for that forgiveness.²⁴⁰

The Insufficiency of the Blood of Bulls and Goats
9: 13-14

The insufficiency of the blood of bulls and goats DIG: What was the best the Levitical cleansing could do? What is the significance of the red cow to Isra’el? What message is the writer to the Hebrews sending to those unbelievers in the congregation? Why and when did those washings stop? What is the Temple Institute trying to do? What difference will it make? How is the cleansing of Christ distinguished from the Levitical cleansing?

REFLECT: Is there anything that has become a “holy cow” in your life? How can you get back to worshiping the “holy Messiah?” What is the difference between external and internal cleansing in your life? Do you know someone who needs to hear this?

There are three results of the Messiah’s sacrifice. The first result of His sacrifice was the purification. From early times, every Jewish community has had a mikveh, a pool for ceremonial cleansing. Immersion in its waters is never more important than just prior to Yom Kippur. Being clean before ADONAI is the concern of every true worshipper.

The TaNaKh has many examples revealing mankind’s defilement. Our first parents knew the shame of defilement when they sinned against God’s command (Genesis 3:10).

Aaron and his sons had to wash their hands and feet whenever they drew near to worship YHVH; failure to obey this lasting ordinance would result in death (Exodus 30:17-21).

Concern for purity extended to one’s livestock; ADONAI would not receive a sacrificial offering that was blemished or defective in any way (Exodus 12:5). And only a select group from among the twelve tribes – the priests – could bring those acceptable offerings to Ha’Shem. The high priest alone was permitted to enter the holiest place beyond the Tabernacle’s inner veil, once a year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Go – The Day of Atonement).

There was a cleansing, but not enough thorough cleansing. The writer reminds the Hebrews that under the Levitical priesthood the best they could hope for was a limited holiness (Hebrew: kedushah), for the blood of goats and bulls could never really accomplish deep internal cleansing. The Tabernacle was a symbol for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered there were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper (9:9).

In addition, there was an extraordinary form of ritual cleansing Moshe was given a regulation that became an increasingly significant part of Isra’el’s worship experience. Numbers 19 describes the ceremony a perfect red heifer (Hebrew: parah adumah), which had never been yoked, and was slaughtered outside the camp of Isra’el. After sprinkling its blood seven times in front of the Tabernacle, the animal was consumed by fire and its ashes stored for mixing with water. This water of cleansing (Hebrew: me niddah) containing those ashes was applied to those who had been defiled as a result of coming near or touching a dead body. The high priest was no exception; he was sprinkled with the purifying waters twice during the week immediately preceding Yom Kippur, just in case he unknowingly became ceremonially defiled.

Oddly enough, this is the only sacrifice where God commands that the ashes of the burnt animal be kept. And this was for a unique purpose as the red heifer was the key sacrifice for purifying the priesthood and their sacred utensils from sin and uncleanliness (see the commentary on Numbers Cy – The Red Heifer). As the Passover lamb was essential to bring our people into covenant relationship with our Heavenly Father, the red heifer was that which kept us cleansed in our service to Ha’Shem.

After the destruction of the Temple and its sacrificial altar in 70 AD, the water for these washings could no longer be made. According to the Oral Law (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ei – The Oral Law), the last priest to kill a red heifer was the high priest Ishmael ben Phabi ten years before the destruction of Jerusalem. And 12 chapters of the Oral Law (an entire tractate called Parah) are devoted to this strange ritual!

The Samaritans, who viewed Jerusalem’s Temple indifferently, continued slaying red heifers until the fourteenth century, using those ashes for generations afterwards. Maimonides (a twelfth century scholar) believed that the red heifer ritual would be resumed with the coming of the Messiah.

The problem is that this, like so many of Isra’el’s rituals, dealt with the externals of religion. The sometimes elaborate and impressive procedures could not touch the inner defilement that prevented fellowship with the Holy One of Isra’el.²³³

Speaking to the unbelievers in the messianic congregation the writer says: The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of red [heifer] sprinkled on those who are ceremonially clean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean (9:13). Some of the Hebrews in the Diaspora continued to look to the blood of bulls and goats as a means of gaining a right relationship with ADONAI. But that sprinkling only achieved the purifying of the flesh, not the cleansing of the conscience.

There is considerable excitement about the red heifer in Isra’el today. There is an organization called the Temple Institute that is dedicated to establishing the Third Temple. It’s long term aims are to build the third Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount, on the site currently occupied by the Islamic Dome of Rock and reinstate the Levitical sacrifices. Members of the Temple Institute have been working on this for decades.

In order to carry out this project, the Temple Institute has joined forces with an experienced Israeli cattle rancher who is an expert in the science of animal husbandry, under the halakhic supervision and guidance of the rabbis of the Temple Institute. The cattle rancher is utilizing the technique of implanting the frozen embryos of the Red Angus cattle, which originally come from North America and Israeli domestic cattle. The end result of this program will be the introduction of the Red Angus breed into Isra’el. But before we get too carried away, we need to realize that even if the Temple Institute can produce a perfect red heifer, it would still only produce an external cleansing! Thus, the importance of the red heifer sacrifice lies in that it serves as a Torah picture of the cleansing sacrifice accomplished by the Messiah. If on the non-Messianic rabbis would understand this, they would not be in so much darkness about this special sacrifice.

While many seem to be caught up in the recent commotion, a question is posed to those of us, Jews and Gentiles, who believe in Yeshua Messiah. What does all this mean to us? On the one hand, I am sure many believers are also excited that things keep moving closer to the end of the present age. As we see some of these events of the Scriptures come into focus, we realize anew that Mashiach is coming! Yet, I believe we miss an important point if we feel the need for a red cow in order to be cleansed before God. In fact, such excitement about the red heifer seems to imply that Yeshua is not the Messiah and that we must have the cleansing of our sins through the sacrifices of the rebuilt Temple. The New Covenant scriptures remind us of the opposite truth; namely, that Jesus Himself fulfilled the ministry of the red heifer in His first coming to Jerusalem. Significantly, the writer to the Hebrews states: Then how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Holy Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from works that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God (9:14). The blood of Jesus does exactly what the blood of the red heifer could not do – it cleanses the conscience.

Numbers 19:1-13 points out that the red heifer sacrifice could only cleanse the flesh. Yeshua’s sacrifice, however, could penetrated much deeper – to cleanse our defiled consciences from acts that lead to death. Contact with a physically dead person rendered a person tam’ei, or impure. But here the writer to the Hebrews reveals that our contact with works that lead to death renders all of us unfit to enter God’s presence. What are works that lead to death? They are the works done by a person who is spiritually dead in an attempt to gain spiritual life. It never works (no pun intended)!  Only a blood sacrifice can accomplish what is necessary to clear the conscience of a sinner – attempting to do good works is never acceptable to ADONAI, nor does it relieve one’s guilty conscience.

Thus, Messiah’s sacrifice goes beyond the red heifer’s to which He is compared. It does so because the red heifer’s sacrifice could never cleanse a dead soul from his dead works. It only cleansed one from contact with a dead body. Yeshua’s sacrifice provided spiritual cleansing. Just as contact with the realm of death prohibited one form being in the intimate presence of the Holy One, personal “contact” with the realm of spiritual death prohibits the sinner from an intimate personal relationship with God.

Indeed, the death of Yeshua Messiah is a beautiful fulfillment of the symbolism associated with the red heifer. He was sinless and without defect. Like the red heifer, Yeshua’s death took place outside the camp. The ongoing effect of His sacrifice, similar to the ashes of the heifer, cleanses His people for priestly service. As interesting as all the recent events are, it seems Messianic believers, whether they be Jew or Gentile, have even a better reason to be excited. Instead of getting caught up in the “holy cow”, I hope we are more caught up in the “holy Messiah“! Are you ready for His return? Are you fulfilling your calling as a priest cleansed to serve the Living God?

The Results of Messiah’s Sacrifice
9: 13-28

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus (First Tim 2:5). When this verse is understood the whole system of the Roman Church falls to the ground, for it invalidates the papacy, the priesthood and all Mary worship.

Other verses that teach the same thing are: John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Hebrews 9:15; First John 2:1; Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25. Thus Christ, because He is both God and man, is the only Savior, the only Mediator, the only way to God. Not one word is said about Mary, or a pope, or the priests, or the saints as mediators. Yet Romanism teaches that there are many mediators, and the great majority of Roman Catholics, if asked, would say that their primary approach to God is through the Virgin Mary, and that only as she begs for them can they enter the presence of God.

The priests detract from the glory of Christ when they teach that Mary is a mediator. The priests have no right to place her in such an unscriptural position. Mary is presented in Scripture as a handmaiden of the Lord who fulfilled her ministry just as John the Baptist and others did, but whose work has long since ceased. The great antithesis is not between Eve and Mary, as Rome teaches, but between Adam and Christ (Romans 5:12-21; First Corinthians 15:21-22, 45-47). Roman tradition has so altered the picture of Mary that the Mary found in the New Covenant and the Mary found in the Roman Catholic Church are two different and conflicting persons. Fair-minded Roman Catholics knows that their church gives first place to Mary and that Christ is kept in the background.

The reason that Mary, the saints or angels cannot act as our priest or mediator is because they have no sacrifice, nothing to offer in behalf of our sins. Only a Priest with a true sacrifice can serve as mediator between God and man. Christ alone has a true sacrifice, and He alone can act as our Priest.²³²

The Superiority of Messiah’s Sacrifice
9: 11-12

The superiority of Messiah’s sacrifice DIG: To what did the greater and more perfect Tabernacle refer? In what ways were Christ’s services different from those of the priests? Through whom in obedience did Jesus do everything while on the earth? How did Messiah’s cleansing differ from the Levitical system? Why does Christ’s sacrifice have the more significant, everlasting result? Where is the Tabernacle that is not man-made located?

REFLECT: Instead of covering our sin, Christ’s blood removes our sin in God’s sight as far as the east is from the west, that is how far he has removed our sins from us (Psalm 103:12 ISV). Can you measure how far the east is from the west? What does that tell you about God’s love for you? How do you think your life would be different today if your sin was merely covered rather than removed?

Even a casual student of Scripture notes the connection between blood and mercy. As far back as the son of Adam, worshipers knew without the shedding of blood there is not forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22). Abel, with a field as his temple and the ground as his altar, became the first to do what millions would imitate. He offered a blood sacrifice for sins. Those who followed suit form a long line: Abraham, Moshe, Gideon, Sha’ul, and David. They knew the shedding of blood was necessary for the forgiveness of sins. Jacob knew also; hence, the stones were stacked for the altar. But the line ended at the cross. What Abel sought to accomplish in the field, YHVH accomplished with His Son. What Abel began, Messiah completed. After Christ’s sacrifice there would be no more need to shed blood.²²⁶

The author shows the superiority of Christ’s sacrifice in three ways. The Jews who had not put their faith in Messiah and were considering going back to the Temple and the Levitical system needed to understand the superiority of Messiah’s sacrifice.

Messiah has a better Tabernacle: Speaking to the Jewish unbelievers, the Holy Spirit declares: When Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, He went through the greater and more perfect Tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to day, not a part of this creation (9:11 NASB). He proves this by contrasting the earthy Tabernacle that the Levitical high priest entered with the heavenly Tabernacle that Yeshua has entered. The heavenly Tabernacle is both greater and more perfect than earthly one. The earthly Tabernacle was made with sinful human hands. The heavenly, more perfect Tabernacle, however, was not man-made; it is not a part of this creation.

To summarize, Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come were the messianic fulfillments. He came through the heavenly Tabernacle, which is more perfect because it can bring the believer to spiritual maturity. The author draws a contrast between the work of the high priest on the Day of Atonement and the work of Christ. The contrast is not between Jesus and the five Levitical offerings (Leviticus 1-7). It is between the most important day of the Levitical calendar (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Go – The Day of Atonement) and what Messiah accomplished through His death, resurrection and ascension. This became the basis for His ministry as the Great High Priest in the heavenly Tabernacle that was greater and more perfect than the earthly one.²²⁷

The Levitical priests had to go into the Holy Place by themselves – for the people, not with the people. The same was true of the Levitical high priest in regard to the earthly Most Holy Place, where he could not even take other priests. But our heavenly High Priest takes His people with Him all the way to the throne of God. He takes us into heaven itself – not into the Sh’khinah Glory, or the visual manifestation of YHVH, but into the real presence of God. Not only has He gone before us, but He also takes us with Him.

If we are believers, He has already taken us with Him. But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it was by grace you have been saved. And God raises us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly [Tabernacle] in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-6). When we were saved, Messiah took us into the Father’s presence, where, spiritually speaking, we already live with Him and will live with Him eternally. Since God is not bound by time, we currently live in heaven in the presence of God – in His throne room and in His heavenly Tabernacle. This world is not our home; our citizenship is in heaven (First Peter 2:11; Philippians 3:20).²²⁸

Jesus has a better offering: The author now draws a comparison between the sacrifices of the high priest on the Day of Atonement detailed in Leviticus 16 and Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Messiah did not enter the earthly Tabernacle by means of the blood of goats and bulls (9:12a CJB). The blood of goats was for the people (Leviticus 16:15), and the blood of bulls was for the priests (Leviticus 16:11). Yeshua did not come into the heavenly Tabernacle carrying the blood of a goat or a bull, but He entered by His own blood, which is a memorial of His sacrifice. His blood is a remembrance (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Kj – Breaking the Middle Matzah).²²⁹ However, we are not to understand that our Lord took His blood into heaven. That precious blood was poured out on the cross and dripped into the earth. But it was by virtue of that fact that He entered heaven, having accomplished salvation by the sacrifice of Himself.²³⁰

Christ offers an eternal redemption: An additional contrast concerns frequency. The high priest could go into the earthy Most Holy Place only once a year. But Yeshua entered the Most Holy Place in the heavenly Tabernacle once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption (9:12b NASB). The word obtained is the translation of the Greek word heurisko. The writer could have used lambano, which is the general term for the idea of obtaining or procuring something. But he uses a specialized word. Heurisko means to find, to come upon, to find a thing sought, or to discover. So the word speaks of the act, not merely of obtaining something, but of seeking something, finding it, and then embracing it. The problem of how a just God could require that justice be satisfied in the case of the human being separated from Himself by sin, and mercy offered the evil doer, was solved by Messiah’s substitutionary death on the cross, His resurrection and ascension to the heavenly Tabernacle. The Judge in this case steps down from His judgment throne to take upon Himself the guilt and penalty of the sinner. In this way justice is satisfied, His Kingdom is maintained, and the floodgates of mercy are opened, resulting all of Christ’s righteousness being transferred to our spiritual bank account by faith. What amazing grace.

The means of this transfer is the shedding of His blood. This is also told to us by the Greek word lutrosis, translated redemption. This word used as a verb means to release on receipt of a ransom, to redeem or liberate by payment of a ransom. The word ransom (Greek: lutron), was used of the ransom-money that was paid in freeing slaves. Sinners are slaves to sin and the Adversary. Messiah, by His sacrifice on the cross, paid for our liberation, the ransom-money, His blood, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23), and death means the spilling of blood. So the primary necessity of the cross was to satisfy the claims of outraged justice, of paying the penalty for our sin – past, present, and future. As sinners, we place our faith in Christ as our High Priest, and are liberated forever from sin’s penalty. Saved by the blood of Jesus, we are saved for all eternity. We can never lose our salvation (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer).²³¹

A Better Sacrifice
9:11 to 10:18

The author will prove the priesthood of Jesus is superior to the Levitical priesthood by the use of five contrasts. The fifth, and final contrast, shows us that the New Priesthood is based on a better Sacrifice. The Levitical priesthood was based on animal blood, the blood of bulls and goats (10:4), which only provided a temporary atonement, while the New Priesthood is based upon Messiah’s blood, which provides an eternal redemption.²²⁵

The Insufficiency of the Former Sacrifices
9: 8-10

The insufficiency of the former sacrifices DIG: How was worship during the Dispensation of Torah limited? When was the first time the righteous of the TaNaKh could have full access to God? What did not happen in the Most Holy Place? Why were their gifts and sacrifices not able to clear their consciences? Why was the person sacrificing never freed from the feeling of guilt?

REFLECT: When you feel guilty, how do you try to clear your conscience? What is the difference between the internal faith and the external faith in your life? Is there any difference? Should there be any difference?

The tabernacle was temporary: Because the high priest (Hebrew: cohen hagadol) was the only one who could enter the Most Holy Place once a year, the Ruach Ha’Kodesh was showing us that the way into it had not yet been disclosed as long as earthly Tabernacle was functioning (9:8). The Levitical priesthood was unable to provide a way of access to God because the Most Holy Place was limited to the high priest. This temporary system was meant to prove that without a Redeemer, without the Messiah, without a Savior, there is no access to YHVH. The Ruach Ha’Kodesh was teaching the impossibility of access to ADONAI without a perfect Priest, a perfect Sacrifice, and a perfect Covenant. By allowing the people to go no farther than the outer court, God was illustrating that through the Levitical system there was no access to Him, only symbolic access through the high priest.²²²

After Messiah’s death on the cross, thus fulfilling the Levitical priestly sacrifices, the curtain of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Lw – Accompanying Signs of Jesus’ Death). This was God’s object lesson to the Aaronic priesthood that its ministry was over with, that the Tabernacle (and then the Temple later on) was to be closed, and that a new Priest had arisen after the order of Melchizedek. But Isra’el, in her apostasy, repaired the veil and kept on offering sacrifices until Ha’Shem, in His wrath, sent Rome to destroy Yerushalayim and scatter His people to the ends of the Roman Empire (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Mt – The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple on Tisha B’Av in 70 AD).

The way into the Holiest of all, into heaven itself and into the presence of ADONAI, had been opened at the cross. When God tore the veil in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51), God made a way for all who follow Yeshua as their High Priest to enter the Most Holy Place. They could enter thru the sacrifice of the true High Priest, the Messiah, who entered the heavenly Most Holy Place – showing the earthly one was to be a thing of the past.²²³ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. (Hebrews 4:14).

The tabernacle ministry was external, not internal: The Tabernacle was a symbol for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered there were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper (9:9). Even with all the ceremonies and rituals, perfect cleansing from sin could not be accomplished under the Levitical priesthood. The particular imperfection mentioned here is that of conscience. The Levitical system was imperfect in every way, but the author selected only certain aspects of it to make his point.

The word symbol is the translation of the Greek parabole, which means to place beside to explain a spiritual truth. The Levitical priesthood was only a parable, an object lesson used to explain a spiritual truth. The Levitical sacrifices were never meant to permanently cleanse from sin. The conscience of the person sacrificing was never freed from the feeling of guilt because the guilt itself was never permanently removed. The Levitical ritual, as such, did not touch the conscience. No ritual in itself ever does. As a result, the Israelite could never fully have a clear conscience, a deep abiding sense of forgiveness.

Then the writer points out the basis for the weakness of the Levitical system. They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings – external regulations applying until the time of restoration through Jesus Christ (9:10 CJB). The Levitical sacrifices were dependent upon the strength of the flesh. It was only external, and therefore, temporary. As of now, it has been nearly two thousand years since the last sacrifice was made in the Temple. The word reshape is from diorthosis, which means to make straight, to make things right, or to reform. Only the death, resurrection and ascension of Yeshua Messiah restores the path to heaven. The Levitical sacrifices were never meant to permanently make things right between the Israelites and God. They had to be repeated day after day, year after year. The final sacrifice came with the establishment of the B’rit Chadashah. With it, the time of restoration had arrived. When Christ shed His blood on the cross, however, the restoration came internally, not merely externally. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here (Second Corinthians 5:17)!

The Tabernacle and its sacrifices were significant and meaningful. But they were limited, imperfect and temporary. They pictured Messiah, but they could not do the work of Christ. Part of their purpose, in fact was to show Isra’el that they were only pictures of better things to come. They not only pictured the Lord but also their own built-in inadequacies.²²⁴

The Insufficiency of the Former Priestly Service
9: 6-7

The insufficiency of the former priestly service DIG: On what basis does God have fellowship with His children? What did the priest’s daily work in the Holy Place picture with regard to Christ? What was the annual event in Isra’el that served as the greatest picture of Messiah? What priestly procedure was not typical of Yeshua? What did the two goats represent? When did the cohen hagadol enter the Most Holy Place? For what purpose? What happened if he entered with unconfessed sin? What is the significance of the high priest offering the sacrifice of blood for himself?

REFLECT: The mercy seat reminded the Israelites of the blood shed to cover their sins on Yom Kippur. What experiences or items in your life remind you of the mercy you were shown through Christ’s blood?

The tabernacle was not accessible to the people: We must net get the idea that the Israelites assembled in the Tabernacle for worship. The priests were permitted into the Tabernacle, but not the people from the other tribes. Furthermore, though the priest ministered in the Holy Place day after day, only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and that once a year. When he did, he had to offer a sacrifice for his own sins as well as for the sins of the people. In contrast to this, the heavenly Tabernacle (to see link click Bn – The Superiority of the New Covenant) is open to all the people of God, and at all times (see Ch – Let Us Draw Near to God).²¹⁹

The author starts with a general description of the Holy Place. The emphasis is on the continual, daily work of the Levitical priest who was to do the same thing every day. With the Tabernacle so arranged (see Br – The Insufficiency of the Former Sanctuary), the priests (Hebrew: cohanim) enter the Holy Place all the time to perform their duties (9:6 CJB). These duties included attending to the Lampstand twice a day, adding oil, trimming the wicks, and making sure the flame continued to burn (Exodus 27:20-22; Leviticus 24:1-4), each week placing fresh loaves of bread on the table of the bread of the Presence (Leviticus 24:5-9), and burning incense on the Altar of Incense (Exodus 30:7-9), as did Zechariah (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ak – The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold). The emphasis here is upon the repetition. Every day, over and over again, the same thing took place. The Levitical priest’s work was never finished. In this they picture Jesus Christ, who does not cease ministering on our behalf. His ministry is perpetual, continual, and unceasing. How wonderful that our Lord never stops His priestly work on our behalf.

But only the high priest (Hebrew: cohen hagadol) enters the Most Holy Place, and he goes in only once a year, and he must always bring the blood of a slaughtered animal as a reminder that death is the penalty for in, which he offers both for himself and for the sins committed in ignorance by the people (9:7 CJB). The Greek word for is the transliteration of huper, a preposition that speaks of substitution. It means for the sake of, or in behalf of. It points to the substitutionary character of the atonement. For instance: It is more to your advantage to have one man die for all the people than for the whole nation to perish (John 11:50 NET), or, He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin (Titus 2:14 NLT). Here the blood is offered as a type pointing to the atonement.²²⁰

Nothing, however, illustrates Messiah so perfectly as the work of the high priest in the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement (see the commentary on Exodus Go – The Day of Atonement). Whenever an Israelite sinned, his communion with YHVH was broken. As a result, the sacrifices for sin were never finished and the priest’s work was never done. However, in spite of the continual sacrificing, the many sins committed in ignorance would accumulate, for which no sacrifice had been made. The Day of Atonement was intended to make sacrifice for all those sins that had not yet been covered.

The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, was a great day for liberation of conscience. The Israelite knew that whatever sins may have been missed in the daily sacrifices would then be taken care of. The slate would be completely clean, at least symbolically for a while. Yom Kippur was a time of release and relief. The devout Jews longed for that Day. They could not go into the Most Holy Place themselves, but the high priest would go in for them and they would be delivered.

As John MacArthur relates in his commentary on Hebrews, very early on Yom Kippur, the high priest cleansed himself ritually and put on his elaborate robes, with the breastplate (near his heart, signifying that he carried the people in his heart) and ephod (on the shoulder, signifying that he had power on their behalf) representing the twelve tribes. Then he began his daily sacrificing. Unlike Messiah, he had to sacrifice for his own sin. Very likely he would have already slaughtered twenty-two animals by the time he reached the Most Holy Place: for the daily burnt offering – a lamb; for the new moon burnt offering – two young bulls, a ram, and seven male lambs; for the Day of Atonement burnt offerings – a young bull, a ram, and seven male lambs (Numbers 28:11-15, 29:7-10) and for his own sin offering – a young bull and a ram for the burnt offering (Leviticus 16:3, also see the commentary on Exodus Go – The Day of Atonement).

After finishing all these sacrifices, he took off the robes of glory and beauty and went and bathed himself again completely. He then put on a white linen garment, with no decoration or ornament at all, and performed the sacrifice of atonement.

Wearing his white linen, the high priest took coals off the bronze altar (see the commentary on Exodus Fa – Build an Altar of Acacia Wood Overlaid with Bronze), where the sacrifice was going to be made. Then he put them in a gold censer with incense and carried it into the Most Holy Place. Here again is a beautiful picture of Messiah, interceding for His own people before the presence of YHVH. Then the high priest went out and took a bull purchased with his own money, because it was to be offered for his own sin. After slaughtering the bull and offering the sacrifice, he had another priest assist him in catching the blood as it drained off. He swirled some of it in a small bowl and carried it into the Most Holy Place, and sprinkled it on the mercy seat. The people could hear the bells on his robe as moved about. When he hurried out, the people breathed a sigh of relief when the saw him. Had he entered the Most Holy Place ceremonially unclean, he would have been stuck dead.

When he came out, two goats were waiting for him by the bronze altar. In a small urn were two lots to determine which goat would be used for which purpose. One lot was marked for ADONAI and the other for Azael, the scapegoat, which personified impurity. As each lot was drawn, it was tied to the horn of one of the goats. The goat designated for Ha’Shem was then killed on the bronze altar. Its blood was caught in the same way as the bull and was swirled in the bowl as it was carried into the Most Holy Place. This blood was also sprinkled on the mercy seat, but this time for the sins of the people. Again he hurried out. Only on the basis of the blood of a goat would YHVH have fellowship with Isra’el, and only on the basis of the blood of Yeshua Messiah will the LORD have fellowship with us. Christ’s blood on the mercy seat, is the place where God meets us.

Then the high priest placed his hands on the goat that remained, Azael, the scapegoat, symbolically placing the sins of the people onto the goats head. This goat was released into the desert to die, symbolically sending the sins of the people away for another year. The rabbis teach that far from involving the recognition of Azazel as a deity, the sending of the goat was a symbolic idea that the people’s sins and their evil consequences were to be sent back to the spirit of desolation and ruin, the source of all impurity.

When the high priest was done with the sacrifice of atonement, he put the robes of glory and beauty back on, picturing still further the work of our Lord. In His high priestly prayer (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Kx – The High Priestly Prayer), anticipating what would happen after His crucifixion and resurrection, Yeshua said: And now, Father, glorify Me in your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began (Yochanan 17:5). It was if He was saying, “Give Me back My robes. I’ve done the job of atonement. My work of humility is finished.”

Only one man, out of one family, out of one clan, out of one tribe, out of one nation, out of one race, out of all of humanity ever had access to the Most Holy Place. And, even then, this one man could enter on only one day of the year on Yom Kippur (see the commentary on Exodus Go – The Day of Atonement) because there was only one annual observance. He could not ever enter the Most Holy Place without bringing blood. That was his ticket, so to speak. The earthly high priest, who was making the offering in an earthly Tabernacle, needed the same protection of blood as did everyone else. The Greek word used here for blood is aimatos, which means a basin of blood. First, the high priest had to go into the Most Holy Place to offer the blood for his own sins. Only then, could he go in to offer blood for the sins of the people committed in ignorance (these requirements are seen in Leviticus 16). Although the Most Holy Place offering was once a year, there was still repetition, year in and year out. The Holy Spirit is emphasizing that the former priestly service had very limited access to God: only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, only once a year, and only with blood.²²¹

How wonderful that we now have twenty-four/seven access to God, for Yeshua paid the eternal sacrifice for our sins. God’s opening the door of fellowship with Him to all who choose to love and follow Messiah as Lord, is amazing! Though life gets busy, we need to make time for the most important relationship we will ever have-with our Savior and Lord. Let us make time for the joy that comes from spending time with the God who loves us with an extravagant love!

The Insufficiency of the Former Sanctuary
9: 1-5

The insufficiency of the former sanctuary DIG: Why should we study about the Tabernacle? What were the three pieces of furniture within the Holy Place? What does each picture about our Lord? Into what part of the Tabernacle did the high priest enter only once a year? Specifically, where did YHVH say He would meet with Isra’el? Review the furniture in the Tabernacle. What lessons do you think ADONAI wanted to teach the Israelites through these items? As a dwelling place for God, what were the limitations of the Tabernacle?

REFLECT: What are the limitations of your life and heart as a dwelling place for God? What barriers are keeping you from fellowshipping with Him? What do you find to be challenging in keeping the balance between your earthly home and your heavenly one?

Having argued for the superiority of the New Covenant (to see link click Bo – Proof of the Superiority of the New Covenant), the author now introduces the insufficiency of the Sanctuary. Even though it was set up with human hands, earthly, and faulty, it was still valuable as a teaching tool. The author gives us a rapid review of the layout of the Tabernacle and how it consisted of a system of barriers between the worshipper and God.

The Tabernacle was an earthly sanctuary: This means it was made with human hands (9:11), and set up with human hands (8:2). The Israelites generously brought the spoils of Egypt to Moshe, and from those materials the Tabernacle was made. YHVH gave two men the wisdom and skill to do the intricate work of making the various pieces of furniture and furnishings of the Tabernacle (see the commentary on Exodus Ew – The Appointment of Bezalel and Oholiab). After the construction was completed, the Tabernacle was put in place and dedicated to God (see the commentary on Exodus Hh – The Glory of the LORD Filled the Tabernacle). But even though the glory of ADONAI moved into the Tabernacle, it was still an earthly building, made with human hands out of earthly materials. Despite the fact it was man-made and earthly, it was still valuable as a teaching tool.²¹³

Now the First Covenant had both regulations for worship and a Holy Place here on earth (9:1 CJB). The First Covenant, inspired by the Spirit of God, was not worthless or pointless. Believers in the New Covenant should also love the Torah. At the festival of Shavu’ot about three thousand were saved (Acts 2:41). Many years later, however, tens of thousands of believers were still zealous for the Torah (Acts 21:20). As a result, the Torah is not merely for the righteous of the TaNaKh, but for all believers. Rabbi Sha’ul teaches us that the Torah is holy (Romans 7:12), and we know that the Torah is good, provided one uses it in the way the Torah itself intends (First Timothy 1:8). Through it, God required certain kinds of worship and a special place in which to worship. The Tabernacle was temporary, as implied by its earthly character. Only two chapters are devoted to the creation story, whereas some fifty chapters focus on the Tabernacle. It is important and demands attention in our study because everywhere you look in the Tabernacle, you can see Jesus Christ (see the commentary on Exodus Eq – Christ in the Tabernacle).

The inspired human author of Hebrews makes many comparisons. He compared the prophets, the angels, Joshua, and Aaron to Messiah – always pointing out Christ’s superiority. But he never depreciates the people or things he compares with Messiah or His work. In fact he exalts them in the TaNaKh. He doesn’t compare Christ to people or things that are meaningless or worthless, but ones that were God-ordained, faithful and purposeful. Not only that, but he doesn’t try to build Yeshua up by running these down. Quite the contrary, he lifts them up and praises them. And in doing so, he exalts Messiah all the more. The more the other persons and things and legitimately lifted up, the more Christ is glorified, the more superior, the better, He is shown to be.²¹⁴

The Tabernacle was a picture of something greater: In the outer court (see the commentary on Exodus Ex – The Courtyard and Gate of the Tabernacle) a tent was prepared which was the Sanctuary. As the priest passed the bronze altar (see the commentary on Exodus Fa – Build an Altar of Acacia Wood Overlaid with Bronze), and the bronze basin (see the commentary on Exodus Fh – The Bronze Basin in the Tabernacle: Christ, Our Cleanser), he would enter the Sanctuary through the outer veil (see the commentary on Exodus Fj – The Outer Veil of the Sanctuary) and enter the Holy Place. It was thirty feet long, fifteen feet wide, fifteen feet high, and had three pieces of furniture.

In it was the Lampstand (see the commentary on Exodus Fn – The Lampstand in the Sanctuary: Christ, the Light of the World), on the left as the priest walked in. It had seven branches and was made of gold. Variations are found in the synagogues throughout the world, and the design rivals the six-pointed star of David popularity as a Jewish symbol.²¹⁵

On the right was the table of the bread of the Presence (see the commentary on Exodus Fo – The Bread of the Presence in the Sanctuary: Christ, the Bread of Life) (9:2 CJB), which held the sacred bread. Every Shabbat twelve loaves of bread were set on it, one for each of the twelve tribes. At the end of the week, the priests, and only the priests, were allowed to eat it.

Behind the inner veil (see the commentary on Exodus Fq – The Inner Veil of the Sanctuary: That is Christ, His Body) was the Most Holy Place, which had the golden altar for burning incense. It would seem that the author made the mistake of locating the golden altar of incense “in” the Most Holy Place, which would be an error. But on the contrary, choosing his words very carefully, he associated the altar of incense with the Most Holy Place even though it was outside the inner veil. The Greek text says that the table of the bread of the Presence and the seven-branched Lampstand were “in” the Holy Place. And below we learn that the Greek text says that the jar of manna, Aaron’s rod that budded and stone tablets of the Covenant were “in” the Ark (see my commentary on Exodus Fr – The Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place: Christ at the Throne of Grace). But the Greek expression for the relationship between the Most Holy Place and the altar of incense is not “in” but “having,” or having associated with itself. Like the Ark, the golden altar for burning incense was associated with the Most Holy Place (9:3).²¹⁶

Although the golden altar was used for daily purposes, it was also used in a special way by the high priest on the Day of Yom Kippur. He would take from it a special golden censer of coals, different from that of any other day, and bring it into the Most Holy Place. The meaning of the writer therefore, would be that the golden altar and golden censor were associated with the Most Holy Place, but was not a permanent article of furniture.

And the gold covered ark of the Covenant. This Ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that budded, and the stone tablets of the Covenant (9:4). Above the Ark were the cherubim (Hebrew: k’ruvim) representing the Sh’khinah glory of God (see the commentary on Isaiah Ju – The Glory of the LORD Rises Upon You), casting their shadow on the mercy seat (see the commentary on Exodus Fs – The Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place: Christ at the Throne of Grace). It was between the wings of those cherubim on the mercy seat that God met mankind (9:5a CJB). There, above the mercy seat between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Covenant, I will meet with you and give you all My commands for the Isrealites (Exodus 25:22).

The point of this whole overview, and why the author says: But now is not the time to discuss these things in detail (9:5b CJB), is to show that the Levitical priesthood consisted of a system of barriers between the worshipper and God. Only the High Priest could ever enter the Most Holy Place, and then only once a year. For all practical purposes, the men and women of Isra’el had no access to God at all. The gate (see the commentary on Exodus Ez – The Gate of the Tabernacle: Christ, The Way to God) and the courtyard separated Gentiles from Jews. The Sanctuary separated the Levites from the non-Levites. The outer veil separated the priests from the non-priests and the inner veil separated the high priest from the common priests.²¹⁷ Hence, the Dispensation of Torah had a Tabernacle with divine pictures and symbols, but it was earthly, and temporary, and it never provided true access to ADONAI.²¹⁸

A Better Sanctuary
9: 1-10

ADONAI never asks anyone to give up anything without first offering something far better in return. The chief obstacle in the way of those first century Jews who had not crossed the line from knowledge to faith (to see link click Ag – The Audience of the book of Hebrews) was their failure to see that everything connected to the Levitical priesthood was preparatory and temporary. So the writer painstakingly and definitively pursues a clear picture of why the New Covenant is better. As a result, the author will prove the priesthood of Jesus is superior to the Levitical priesthood by the use of five contrasts. This fourth contrast shows us that the new priesthood functions in a better sanctuary.

As believers we are citizens of two worlds – the earthly and the heavenly. We must render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s (Matthew 22:21). Because we are citizens of two worlds, we must lean how to walk by faith in a world that is governed by sight. Like Moses, we must see the invisible if we are to overcome the pull of the world (see Ct – The Faith of Moshe). The natural man says, “Seeing is believing.” But men and women of faith say, “Believing is seeing!”

The principle of faith must apply to our relationship to the heavenly Sanctuary. We have never seen this sanctuary. Yet we believe what the Bible says about it. We realize that Ha’Elyon does not live in places made by human hands . . . “Heaven is my throne,” says ADONAI, and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house could you build for Me? What kind of place could you devise for My rest? Didn’t I make all these things (Acts 7:48-50 CJB). There is no specific, special place on earth where Ha’Shem dwells (Isaiah 57:15, 66:1-2; Yochanan 4:19-24). We may call the place where we worship “the house of God,” but we know He doesn’t live there. He dwells in the people that come there to worship, but that is not His permanent dwelling place. His permanent dwelling place is in heaven.

Hebrews 9 gives us a detailed contrast between the Sanctuary of the First Covenant (the Tabernacle) and the heavenly Sanctuary of the New Covenant where Yeshua now ministers. This contrast makes it clear that the New Covenant is far better. What was it that made the Tabernacle inferior? There are five answers to that question.

The Tabernacle was an earthly sanctuary (9:1).

The Tabernacle was a type of something greater (9:2-5).

The Tabernacle was not accessible to the people (9:6-7).

The Tabernacle was temporary (9:8).

The Tabernacle ministry was external, not internal (9:9-10).

The Dispensation of Grace
Acts 2:1 to Revelation 19:21

The basis for this material comes from Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas

One of the most important things in understanding the Bible is rightly dividing the word of truth (Second Timothy 2:15 NJKV). There are a number of ways we can divide the Bible to understand the different parts of the whole. One of the ways is by the dispensations contained in God’s Word. To understand what a dispensation is, we need to take a look at two Greek words. The first word is oikumenei from which we get our English word ecumenical. It means to manage, to regulate, to administer, or to plan. The second word is aion and it means age. It emphasizes the time element of the dispensation. So the term dispensation refers to a specific way by which God administers His program, His will, His rule and His authority. Each dispensation is an age, because each dispensation covers a period of time. Dispensations are periods of time in which God governs in a different way than He did previously.

There are seven dispensations described in the Bible: (1) the Dispensation of Innocence or Freedom (Genesis 1:28 to 3:5); (2) the Dispensation of Conscience or Self-Determination (Genesis 3:6 to 8:14), (3) the Dispensation of Civil Government (Genesis 8:15 to 11:32), (4) the Dispensation of Promise or Patriarchal Rule (Genesis 12:1 to Exodus 18:27), (5) the Dispensation of Torah (Exodus 19:1 to Acts 1:26), (6) the Dispensation of Grace (Acts 2:1 to Revelation 19:21), and (7) the Dispensation of the Messianic or Millennial Kingdom (Isaiah 4:2-6, 11:1 to 12:6, 54:11-17, 60:1-22).

The sixth dispensation is called the Dispensation of Grace. While grace was evident in all other dispensations, it is in this dispensation that a very unique display of grace was manifested that was different from all former displays of grace. Concerning this dispensation, Yochanan 1:17 states: For the Torah was given through Moshe; grace and truth came through Yeshua the Messiah. Certainly, ADONAI was gracious before the coming of Jesus, for that are many evidences of YHVH’s grace throughout the pages of the TaNaKh. However, with the coming of Christ, there was a totally unique display of grace. This is why it is called the Dispensation of Grace, and it is in effect at this present time.

This dispensation extends from Acts 2:1, with the beginning of the indwelling ministry of the Ruach ha-Kodesh at Shavu’ot, through Revelation 19:21. It covers the entire period of the Church Age, and also the seven years of the Great Tribulation.

At the beginning of each dispensation there is one key person through whom God reveals the new features of that particular dispensation. The key person in the sixth dispensation was Rabbi Sha’ul, also known as the apostle Paul after his Damascus Road experience (see the commentary on Acts, to see link click Bc – Sha’ul Turns from Murder to Messiah). It was Sha’ul who uniquely received the revelation concerning the Dispensation of Grace. It was no accident that he received more revelation than any other apostle. Sha’ul wrote most of the letters of the B’rit Chadashah. It was he that received that special revelation concerning the dispensation of the grace of God (Ephesians 3:2 KJV). Sha’ul, the apostle to the Goyim (Acts 22:21 and Ephesians 3:1-13), more than any other apostle, is the key person for this dispensation.

Each dispensation also had a specific responsibility. Our responsibility during the Dispensation of Grace is obedience to the Jewish New Covenant (see the commentary on Jeremiah Eo – I Will Make a New Covenant with the People of Isra’el), of which we are participants. Obedience to the B’rit Chadashah means to accept the gift of righteousness that ADONAI offers to everyone through the Messiah of Isra’el.

Not only does each dispensation come with a responsibility, but each also comes with a test. The specific test of this dispensation is simply this: Will you accept the gift? Will humanity, as a whole, accept the LORD’s offer of the free gift of salvation by the simple act of faith in the person of Yeshua Messiah? For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

There will also be a failure during this dispensation. As with all the previous dispensations, the present one will also end in failure, and this can be seen in two ways. First, most will reject the free gift of salvation (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Dw – The Narrow and Wide Gates). The majority of humanity will not come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in our own day, any more than it was true before our time. The second way that failure is going to be seen is that they very organism that has a knowledge of the truth, the unbelieving visible church, will become apostate, and will even turn away from the truth (see the commentary on Revelation Bf – The Church at Laodicea).

After the failure there is the judgment. This dispensation will also end with judgment, the judgment of the Great Tribulation (see the commentary on Isaiah Eu – The Rapture and the Great Tribulation). The Great Tribulation will fall upon the whole world in general, because humanity has failed to accept the free gift of salvation offered through Yeshua Messiah. Also, the unbelieving visible church will go into the Great Tribulation and suffer the wrath of God. But the believing invisible Church, the true believers in Jesus Christ, will be taken out of this earth before the Tribulation ever begins.

In every dispensation there is also the display of God’s grace. It will be seen through the Rapture of the Church in that the invisible Church, the true Body of Messiah, composed of Jews and Gentiles, all true believers, will be raptured out of this earth (see the commentary of Revelation By – The Rapture of the Church). Even for those who have died, their bodies will be resurrected, so that even their bodies will not be on this earth during the seven years of the Great Tribulation. The rapture will be a unique display of grace during the Dispensation of Grace.²¹²

Proof of the Superiority of the New Covenant
8: 7-13

Proof of the superiority of the New Covenant DIG: Through whom did God imply that the First Covenant had faults? In what sense was the B’rit Chadashah new? With whom was the New Covenant made? When will all Isra’el be saved? How will the knowledge of ADONAI be different at that time? What is the greatest feature of the B’rit Chadashah (Matthew 5:27-32)? What was Messiah telling His listeners about the New Covenant in terms of external and interior proof? Why will the New Covenant never need to be overhauled or replaced? The priests mediated the covenant under the Dispensation of the Torah (Ex 19:5-6, 20:1-17 and 29:35-41). How does the B’rit Chadashah mediated by Yeshua differ in verses 10-11?

REFLECT: Before the coming of the Lord, a boy or girl took on “the yoke of the Torah” at their bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah, and were expected to live up the impossible standard of obedience to the 365 prohibitions and 248 commandments contained there-in. Even worse, future generations tried to obey the traditions of men (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ei – The Oral Law). Are you trying to measure up to some impossible standard that is not biblical today? What does it mean to you that the B’rit Chadashah is based on God’s actions in Christ – not on your actions. Under the New Covenant, God puts His Torah in our minds and writes it on our hearts (8:10). Have you experienced this? If so, give an example of how.

There was an incompleteness that was evident in the First Covenant, especially in the way the people of Isra’el related to YHVH. Hebrew religion was characterized by a corporate relationship with ADONAI. It was the nation, an extended family, that was in a covenant relationship with Ha’Shem. Isra’el, as a people, was God’s son. The priests and the prophets represented the nation before the LORD. Even when judgment was meted out, there was a collective dimension to it (Lamentations 5:7). Isra’el’s relationship with God was not fully developed at the end of the book of Jeremiah. ADONAI would have more to add with other prophets. The prophet knew, as did the writer of Hebrews, that there was something wrong with the First Covenant. For if there had been nothing wrong with that First Covenant, there would have been no need for a second one (8:7). Jeremiah’s prophecy of a New and better Covenant to a people about to be exiled is a message concerned with their healing. It is full of hope because the radical cure that is prescribed is directed right at the location of mankind’s infection: the heart and mind.²⁰³

The writer to the Hebrews in the Diaspora (the worldwide dispersion of Jews after 70 AD) was not criticizing God’s Covenant with Moshe (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Dd – The Mosaic Covenant), but merely making clear what Jeremiah had implied. But God found fault with them, the people, not with the Torah. In Romans 7:12 Rabbi Sha’ul states that the Torah was holy, perfect and good as the righteous standard of YHVH.

What follows next is the longest quotation from the TaNaKh to be found anywhere in the B’rit Chadashah. These verses contain evidence that the New Covenant is better. The reason it is better is because the Dispensation of Torah and the First Covenant were temporary, but the New Covenant is eternal. The author’s point is that the Jewish prophets themselves recognized that one day the First Covenant would be superseded by a New and better Covenant. He does not quote this passage to show that the Church has replaced Isra’el or that the Church is fulfilling the New Covenant. He quotes this passage only to prove it was already known in the TaNaKh that the Dispensation of Torah and the First Covenant were temporary. The content of the B’rit Chadashah has the promise of the forgiveness of sin causing an internal change and a new relationship with ADONAI.²⁰⁴

Although the rabbis spoke of the yetzer hara, or the evil inclination, few took seriously Jeremiah’s comment pronouncing the heart incurably corrupt (Jeremiah 17:9). Jewish thought also believed in the yetzer hatov, or the good inclination. The writers of the Talmud taught that Adam was created with both, although Rabbi Assi noted that the yetzer hara begins like spider’s thread but becomes like wagon ropes. The best the natural man or woman can produce is external religion. Although Jeremiah witnessed and gladly influenced the reforms under good King Josiah, the prophet could see that Judah did not return to the LORD with all her heart (Jeremiah 3:10). What was needed was a wiping clean of mankind’s filthy slate. A radical remedy was envisioned – personal knowledge of God.²⁰⁵

The writer now quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34, one of the great Jewish prophets. This is a smart move. He puts the Jewish recipients of this letter in the place where they will have to accept the New Covenant and the testimony of their own prophet to the effect that God would bring in a New Covenant, or, if they reject the B’rit Chadashah, they will be forced to reject their own prophet. Thus, the writer builds his argument upon the TaNaKh, the very word of God his readers claim to believe. The days are coming, says ADONAI, when I will make a New Covenant with the whole house of Yisra’el and with the house of Judah (8:8). It is important to understand that the New Covenant is not Christianity (see the commentary on Jeremiah Eo – The Days are Coming, declares the LORD, When I Will Make a New Covenant with the People of Isra’el). The book of Hebrews is not written to prove that Christianity is better than Judaism as seen in its Founder – Jesus Christ. The First Covenant was made with Isra’el. The New Covenant is also a covenant made with the whole house of Yisra’el (the northern Kingdom) and with the house of Judah (the southern Kingdom). Notice, the covenant is made with the Jewish house of Yisra’el and of Judah, not with Gentiles. God makes no covenant with Gentiles; but God does make a provision for Gentiles to come into that covenant; thru Yeshua’s purpose to create in himself one new man out of the two, thru making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.( Ephesians 2:15-16). Isra’el is the chosen channel through which He brings salvation to the human race.²⁰⁶

It will not be like the Covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke My Covenant, and I turned away from them, declares ADONAI (8:9). The words took them by the hand speak of the fact that the First Covenant was given to a people in her youth. Ha’Shem put her under commandments and regulations. If Isra’el behaved herself, she was rewarded, and if she misbehaved, she was punished. But even after the Israelites showed a lack of faith by refusing to enter the Promised Land after leaving Egypt, YHVH did not cease loving the Jewish people, but God’s holiness required Him to give His people over to their own desires. It is not that ADONAI stopped loving them. Ha’Shem says of the people of Isra’el, I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving kindness (Jeremiah 31:3). God had chosen Isra’el, rescued them out of slavery and longed to bring in a wonderful promised land. ADONAI still loved and cared for them, but their hearts had become so hard that they lost sensitivity to the LORD and could no longer can hear His call of love to them. There came a point when Ha’Shem’s love and holiness caused Him to give them over to their own sinful heart attitude. We need to understand that when we turn away from Him with sufficient stubbornness, He turns away from us (Romans 9:17-21).

God’s arms of love are always open to the prodigal child when they choose to leave behind sinful desires of the heart (Romans 1:24, 26, 28) and return home to God (Luke 15:11-31). But God will not go out and grab him to drag him home. He must make that decision to turn from his old sinful ways – whether they be deep habits of sin (Ephesians 4:18-19) or just stuck in old patterns (Hebrews 3:12-15) that deny that Yeshua is LORD, both are sinful and wrong. Wisdom says, examine yourself and choose to follow the eternal High Priest, Yeshua, who is the God of extravagant love!

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Isra’el after those days, says ADONAI, “I will put my Torah into their minds and write it on their hearts; I will be their God, and they will be My people” (8:10). The New Covenant will have a different sort of commandment – an internal, not an external reason to be faithful. Although the righteous of the TaNaKh obeyed primarily out of a love for ADONAI, most Israelites during the Dispensation of Torah (see the commentary on Exodus Da – The Dispensation of Torah) obeyed out of fear of punishment. Under the B’rit Chadashah our obedience is to be totally out of love and thankfulness for our salvation and all the LORD has done for us. Formally God’s commandments were given on stone tablets and was to be written on their wrists and foreheads and doorposts as reminders (Deuteronomy 6:8-9). But now, however, the Ruach Ha’Kodesh puts YHVH’s commandments into the minds and on the hearts, of those who belong to Him (Ezeki’el 11:19-20, 36:26-27; Yochanan 14:17).²⁰⁷

“No longer will they teach (emphatic in the Greek) their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know ADONAI,’ for all will know Me from the least of them to the greatest, the young and the old, and the humble and the famous (8:11). Being internal, the New Covenant has to be personal. Under the First Covenant, none but the educated could understand the details of the Torah. A priest had to be consulted. But under the B’rit Chadashah these intermediaries were abolished. Not only is His Word within us, but His very Spirit is within us also. Every believer has a resident Helper, a resident Teacher, and a resident Friend. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you (John 14:26).

At the very end of the Great Tribulation, just before the Second Coming, all Isra’el will be saved (see the commentary on Revelation Ev  – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ). Therefore, during the Messianic Kingdom, individual Israelites will be saved and indwelt by the Ruach ha-Kodesh, who will both sanctify and teach the individual. No intermediaries will be needed (Zechariah 12:10-13:6). There will be priests who will be providing burnt offerings, sin offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings and fellowship offerings at the festivals, the New Moons and the Sabbaths – at all the appointed feasts of the house of Isra’el during the Millennial Kingdom (Ezeki’el 45:17). This sacrificial system will serve the same purpose as communion in the Dispensation of Grace. It will be, do this in remembrance of Me, for Jewish believers. Yet the people will be on an even basis with the priests so far as their understanding of God and His Word is concerned. This knowledge of God will be without any distinction of age or station in life.²⁰⁸

For I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sin no more” (Hebrews 8:12 quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34). Here is the capstone of the New Covenant. Here is what mankind needs more than anything else – and what the TaNaKh pictured in type, but could not deliver. Under the First Covenant, sins could never really be forgotten because they were never really forgiven. They were only temporarily covered, foreshadowing and anticipating true forgiveness in Messiah. Under the New Covenant, sins are forgotten because they have been paid for. God remembers them no more.

I was thanking the Father today for His mercy. I began listing the sins He’d forgiven. One by one I thanked ADONAI for forgiving my stumbles and tumbles. My motives were pure and my heart was thankful, but my understanding of God was wrong. It was when I used the word remember that it hit me. “Remember the time . . .” I was about to thank Ha’Shem for another act of mercy. But I stopped. Something was wrong. The word remember seemed out of place . . . “Does He remember?” Then I remembered. I remembered His words: And I will remember their sins no more. Wow! Now, that is a remarkable promise. YHVH doesn’t just forgive, He forgets . . . For all the things He does do, this is the one thing He refuses to do. He refuses to keep a list of my wrongs.²⁰⁹

By using the term, “new,” God has made the First Covenant obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear altogether (8:13). Are we to infer that the Jewish holidays, Shabbat, kashrut, civil and moral commandments of Torah are outdated and will soon disappear altogether? No, God forbid, the author could hardly have been unaware that the Mosaic Covenant presents itself as eternal, good and holy; also the context shows that he is speaking only of its system of priests and sacrifices, not its other aspects. Since the commandments concerning the system of priests and sacrifices constitute the majority of the Mosaic Covenant, it is an appropriate figure of speech to say that the First Covenant itself is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

The writer to the Hebrews presents a rationale for messianic Jews not to be distressed by the passing of the Temple and to carry on anyhow. In this sense, the role of the book of Hebrews is comparable with that of the Yavneh Council in non-messianic Judaism (90 AD), which transformed its focus from the Temple to the Written and Oral Law (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ei – The Oral Law). So Hebrews teaches messianic Jews not to center their attention on the Temple, but on the Messiah and what He has done.

Those who believe in Replacement Theology, or the notion that the Church has inherited all the promises of God to Isra’el because of her sin, use this verse to try to bolster their argument. However, [they] are deceived because [they] do not know the Scriptures or the power of God (Mattityahu 22:29).

What was actually on the verge of vanishing was the Levitical priesthood, not the Torah – or perhaps we could say, not YHVH’s unchanging nature that stands behind the Torah. The priesthood is the subject of this whole section (see Av  – Messiah is in a Better Position Than Aaron). Therefore, this refers to the replacement of the old sacrificial system by sacrifice of Christ, not to a change in the ethical requirements of Torah! The Torah continues to be a blueprint for living (see the commentary on Exodus Dj – The Ten Commandments). But there is now a new system of cohanim, as has already been said and will be explained further in the next two chapters.²¹⁰

Look over the verses in this file. Let’s suppose you were a persecuted believer in a country where you were not allowed to have a copy of the Scriptures by the decree of an atheistic government, and these were the only verses you were able to acquire. If you had the responsibility of teaching other believers, what would you teach them from these verses alone? How may attributes of YHVH can you find that are either implied or explicitly stated? Take time to thank ADONAI for what He has done, to praise Him for who He is, and to rejoice in the hope that only such a God as He can provide.²¹¹

The Superiority of the New Covenant
8: 1-6

The superiority of the New Covenant DIG: What is the most important feature about our High Priest? Why could the Levitical priest never sit down? With regard to your salvation, why is Christ pictured as sitting down? What is significance of Yeshua sitting on the right hand of God? To what does the true Tabernacle refer? What sacrifice did Christ make as a priest? In what way is Jesus ministering gifts as a high priest? Why couldn’t Messiah have been an earthly priest according to the Torah? Because a shadow has no independent existence of its own, to what does it point to? Describe some of the differences between the TaNaKh and the B’rit Chadashah. What is a covenant? What is the significance of the fact that God initiates and guarantees it? What is a mediator? Why is one needed? How is the way you experience God’s love and forgiveness under the New Covenant far different from the way the righteous of the TaNaKh would have experienced it?

REFLECT: Christ is seated in heaven because His work of redeeming us is complete. What about our part of accepting His redemption? What do we do to complete our part of the work in our own lives? What aspect of the New Covenant brings you the greatest joy right now? Which aspect of the covenant do you wish to experience more? Why?

At the core of Jewish discipleship was a very simple principle: retention through repetition. It was the responsibility of the talmid (student) to listen carefully to every word of the rabbi. The rabbi would say something, and the talmid would repeat it to him, verbatim. Isaiah describes the ideal principle: The Sovereign LORD has given Me the tongue of those who are taught, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens Me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen . . . and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back (Isaiah 50:4-5).

It is fitting that the One whom Scripture calls the Word (John 1:1) should desire the word of His Father. Yeshua, as flesh and blood, needed that word. He studied it; it was His food (John 4:34). In that word He discerned life’s direction. Through that word He learned how to speak to sustain the weary. From a traditional Hebrew perspective, nothing is more important than study. It is the one “activity” that is most heartily pursued on Shabbat. It is the source of rest and renewal for the soul.

The motto of the ancient rabbinical scholars, “search the Scriptures,” was embraced with a diligent and painstaking thoroughness. Not a yud, the smallest Hebrew letter (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Dg – The Completion of the Torah) was to be overlooked. Therefore, Hebrews 8:1 wastes no time getting to the ikar, the heart of the matter. Having shown that the Levitical system was weak and useless (7:18), the believer’s attention is once again turned to Him who speaks in our defense.¹⁹³

Here is the main point of what we have been saying: we do have just such a high priest as has been described. It as if the writer is saying, “a great many things have been presented and explained, but they all relate, in one way or another, to Messiah’s high priesthood.” The priesthood of Yeshua is in the Order of Melchizedek. But as an introduction to his discussion of the better covenant, the writer first mentions two more indication of Christ’s superiority as High Priest.

The Levitical priest’s job was never done, because the sacrifices they offered were never permanently effective. They had to be repeated over and over again. No place was provided in the Tabernacle or the Temple for the priests to sit down. Why? Because their work was never done. First, then, Christ is superior because He sits at the right hand of the Greatness (Hebrew: HaG’dulah, a euphemism for God) in heaven (Hebrews 8:1 CJB quoting Psalm 110:1 CJB). When Yeshua offered His sacrifice, however, He sat down (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Lv – Jesus’ Second Three Hours on the Cross: The Wrath of God). He accomplished in one glorious act what all the priests in the Dispensation of Torah (see the commentary on Exodus Da – The Dispensation of Torah) could never accomplish – forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with ADONAI. This should have been the most joyful news possible to the unbelieving Jews who were hesitating accepting Yeshua as Messiah (see Bb – Once Fallen Away, It is Impossible to be Brought Back to Repentance). Imagine, a final sacrifice, a finished work, so that the high priest could sit down . . . and at God’s right hand!

The book of Hebrews repeatedly reminds us that Messiah is at the right hand of God. I think the purpose of these reminders is to assure those who were deprived of the Temple services in Jerusalem that they didn’t need to fear losing out on what was going on in the symbolic, temporary Most Holy Place. They had the true, perfect, eternal High Priest in the real, heavenly Most Holy Place, of which the earthly one was only a poor and soon-passing picture. In the heavenly one, Jesus Christ was ministering and interceding for them.¹⁹⁴ Thus, Messiah, as High Priest, is seen in every way to be better than Aaron, and the New Covenant that He inaugurated is superior to the First Covenant under which Aaron officiated.¹⁹⁵

Secondly, There He serves in the Most Holy Place, that is, in the true Tabernacle (Revelation 15:5), the one erected not by human beings, but by ADONAI (8:2 CJB). The earthly Tabernacle that Moshe made was simply a copy of the Tabernacle already existing in heaven. As would be expected, the better High Priest ministers in a better sanctuary. When the book of Hebrews was written, the Tabernacle had not been used for a thousand years, and Herod’s Temple would be standing for less than five more years. But Yeshua’s sanctuary is in the true Tabernacle that can never rot or crumble or be destroyed.

The word true here is not used as the opposite of false. The true Israelite Tabernacle is not to be contrasted with the false tabernacles, or temples, of her pagan neighbors. Nor is the idea that the Israelite Tabernacle itself was in anyway false. It was temporary and inadequate, but it wasn’t false. True is used here as opposed to the shadowy or unreal. The comparison is between the type and the temporary and the real and the permanent. The Ruach ha-Kodesh is showing us that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as earthly Tabernacle was functioning, which is an illustration for the present time (9:8-9a). The First Covenant with all of its rituals and ceremonies, altars and sacrifices, and the Tabernacle and Temple, actually did serve a temporary purpose; but were merely shadows and types (the commentary on Exodus Eq – Christ in the Tabernacle), of the realities of the New Covenant. Earthly worship, even the most sincere and godly, is only a remote reflection of what worship will be like in heaven, and the earthly priesthood is only an inadequate shadow of the real priesthood.¹⁹⁶ Messiah is, therefore, superior to Aaron since He serves in a better sanctuary, and because He is superior to Aaron, the New Covenant that He inaugurated is better than the First Covenant under which Aaron served.¹⁹⁷

Verse three begins to take the writer’s argument from the general to the specific. Exactly what Jesus has to offer will be discussed in detail later (see Bu – A Better Sacrifice). The question would come up at some point, “If Messiah has finished His work, and He is seated in heaven, does He have nothing to do now? Is all His priestly work finished?” The answer is no. Emphatically no! His sacrifice is finished, His atoning work is finished, but all of His priestly ministry is not finished. For if every High Priest (Hebrew: cohen gadol) is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so this cohen gadol too has to have something to offer (8:3 CJB). He is truly a ministering a ministering choen gadol.

Yeshua has already offered the one final blood sacrifice that is sufficient for all people for all time. This sacrifice of His is completely finished, because there is no need, and there will never be a need, for any additional sacrifice for the cleansing of sin. However, the need for us to come to Him for the forgiveness of our sins (First John 1:8-10), praise and thanksgiving is not over. He continues to minister on our behalf before His Father.

None of us can praise God, worship or serve Him, apart from Jesus Christ. Just a no Israelite could offer a sacrifice and seek forgiveness from YHVH except through a priest, so believers today cannot do so except through their High Priest. We cannot confess our sins and seek forgiveness apart from Messiah any more than we could have come to the Father apart from Christ. Anything of any value or consequence we do as believers must be done through our Lord. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father (Colossians 3:17; Ephesians 5:20).

It is obviously necessary, then, for Jesus to continue to minister in our behalf. He continually brings the gifts – the worship, the praise, the repentance, the dedication, the thanks – of the hearts of His people before the Father.¹⁹⁸ Now if He were on earth, He wouldn’t be a cohen at all, since there already are priests (Hebrew: cohanim) offering the gifts required by the Torah (8:4 CJB). There is no conflict between the Levitical priesthood established by the Torah of Moshe and that of Yeshua as predicted in Psalm 110; it is not necessary to think of Messiah’s priesthood as superseding the Levitical one. The Torah says that earthly cohanim must be descendants of Levi, and Numbers 25:12-13 speaks of ADONAI’s covenant of an everlasting priesthood with Phinehas, son of Aaron. But since Yeshua serves in heaven, He can be from the tribe of Judah (7:13-14), and can also have an eternal ministry (7:23-25).¹⁹⁹

Not only is Christ Himself better than the Levitical priest, but the work of Yeshua has been given to do is far superior to theirs, since the place where they serve is only a copy and shadow of the heavenly original (8:5a). A shadow has no substance in itself. It has no independent existence. It merely is proof of the fact that there is a reality back of it. It is not real of solid. Just so, the earthly Tabernacle gave proof of the fact that there was a real one, the heavenly one where God Himself dwells, and where Messiah officiates as High Priest. The descendants of Aaron, the Levitical priesthood, performed their priestly rites in the representation of the heavenly Tabernacle.²⁰⁰

For when Moshe was about to erect the Tabernacle, God warned him, “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern you were shown on the mountain” (Hebrews 8:5b CJB quoting Exodus 25:40 CJB). That there is a true Tabernacle in heaven is proved by this passage. The Tabernacle constructed in the wilderness (see the commentary on Exodus Et – The Call to Build the Tabernacle), long before there was any thought of a Temple, demonstrated that YHVH dwells with His people. Why then should anyone be satisfied with a copy when we could have the real thing? Why should those hesitating Jews be satisfied with a weak priesthood and useless sacrifices (7:18), which are only copies and shadows of forgiveness and reconciliation – when they could have real forgiveness and true reconciliation in Yeshua Messiah?

Verse six is an important verse. It is a pivotal verse in the letter to the Hebrews. It was written to prove that the blood of Yeshua in the Dispensation of Grace is better, and take the place of the blood of bulls and goats in the Dispensation of Torah. Using the logical argument that a better workman turns out a better product, the writer has shown that Messiah, the founder of the B’rit Chadashah, is better than the founders of the First Covenant, who were the prophets, angels, Moses, Joshua, and Aaron. Therefore, the New Covenant He brought in is superior to and takes the place of their covenant.²⁰¹

In light of this, we can better understand the words: But now the work Yeshua has been given to do, is far better than their work, just as the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34) that He mediates (see Bo – Proof of the Superiority of the New Covenant) is far better than their covenant. Any covenant made between God and mankind demands a mediator. Moshe was the mediator of the First Covenant and Aaron was the priest. However, Yeshua is both the Mediator and the Priest of the B’rit Chadashah. Jesus also has a better priesthood because of the better basis on which it rests. For this New Covenant has been made Torah (see the commentary on Second Corinthians Av – A Glory Transformed) on the basis of better promises (8:6 CJB). For example, God’s Covenant with Moshe was based upon the Torah. It brought blessing for obedience, but it also brought cursing and even death through disobedience. In contrast, the B’rit Chadashah is based upon grace, and it is able to impart righteousness and provide the empowerment of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh to keep its demands. It is the New Covenant that is the basis for Messiah’s high priestly ministry in a better sanctuary.²⁰²

Who can you trust? Who can you count on in this world? Parents? Spouse? Brothers? Sisters? Grandparents? Friends? What does it mean to you that Yeshua never breaks His promises? Never. He is the Promise Keeper. Going through a tough time in your life? Know someone who is? Then cling to the promises of God and call upon the LORD. For the LORD is my Rock and my fortress and my deliverer. My God, my Rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (Psalm 18:2).

Yeshua the Melchizedek Priest
7: 26-28

Yeshua the Melchizedek Priest DIG: Before they could offer sacrifices for the people, what did the Levitical priests have to do first? Why? What type of holiness is being emphasized in verse 26 with regard to Messiah? Why didn’t Jesus need to offer up sacrifices for Himself? What did the breastplate and the ephod symbolize that Isra’el’s high priest were to have? How is Yeshua different from those ancient Levitical high priest’s?

REFLECT: Describe the lifestyle of some who is morally pure. What does it mean to you personally that Jesus Christ is your perfect high priest forever? How can the truths revealed in this study give you more confidence to draw near to God in any and every circumstance? What changes need to take place in your prayer life as a result?

Throughout the letter to the Jewish believers, no point receives as much attention as Messiah’s priesthood. Hebrews is the only New Covenant book that actually calls Him our Great High Priest. More than forty percent of Hebrews deals with some aspect of Yeshua’s intercessory ministry. In this context one figure from Isra’el’s past capture the attention of the inspired writer – Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High (7:1). The name Malki-tzedek combines Malki (king) and tzedek (righteousness). The brief appearance of this person on the stage of Genesis 14:18-20 would seem too insignificant to deserve the kind of extended attention found here. Yet Melchizedek’s name and function provide rich, supportive insights for the believer.

Mankind needed a priest without spot or blemish, and God has provided such a One: This is the kind of Great High Priest (Hebrew: Cohen Rosh Gadol) that meets our need – holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners and raised higher than the heavens (7:26). To prove that Jesus is spotless, the writer says five things.

Yeshua is holy: In the Dispensation of Torah, only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place on the day of Atonement (see the commentary on Exodus Go – The Day of Atonement). But because his holiness was not his own, each would have to offer sacrifices for his own sins and then for the people’s. With this kind of temporary holiness, the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place just long enough to perform his annual duties.

In contrast to human priests, Christ is absolutely holy. He was born holy and not capable of sin. The Greek term for holy is usually hagios, which means different, or separated for the purposes of God. Although this is a very important term in the Bible, it is not the one used here. It’s as if the Ruach HaKodesh wants to emphasize the holiness of Messiah so much that He pulls out a completely different term: hosios. Whereas hagios refers to holiness of service, hosios refers to holiness of character. But, as might be expected, our Lord is both hagios and hosios, that is, holy by virtue of His service, and holy by virtue of His nature, with His nature being emphasized in this particular passage.

Christ is without guile: This is the translation of akakos. Kakos is the Greek word for evil in the abstract sense. The Greek letter alpha prefixed makes the compound word mean, “not evil,” that is, without guile, or free from malice and deception. The best example of someone with much guile in the TaNaKh was Laban (see the commentary on Genesis Hg – Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel), who had much malice and practiced much deception. Hence, the word holy points toward God, while the word without guile points toward mankind. Yeshua injured no one. He lived for others. He went about always doing good for others, including those who had done, or who He knew would do, Him harm. He healed . . . but He never hurt.

The Lord is pure: This word means that He was free from any moral or spiritual blemish. Though Yeshua Messiah lived in the world for thirty-three years, all the while being under siege from the Adversary and mingling with sinners, He never contracted one possible spot of defilement. Just as the rays of the sun can shine on the filthiest things here on earth without losing their radiance and beauty, so Jesus lived His life in the sinful, defiled world without losing the least of His purity. He moved through the world and remained untouched by any of its blemishes. He came into the most direct and personal contact with Satan, yet left as spotless as before they met. There was never a priest who was pure until Jesus.

Jesus is set apart from sinners: He was entirely different than anyone else. Obviously, He was not separated from sinners in the sense of never coming into any contact with them or mingling with them. His parents (yes, even Mary), His brothers and sisters, His apostles – all the people He encountered were all sinful. Yet He ate with them, traveled with them, worked with them, and worshiped with them. But His nature was totally separate, totally different, from theirs – and from ours. For this, of course, we could not be more grateful, for otherwise He could not have been our Savior.

Messiah is raised higher than the heavens: He is exalted because of all the other attributes listed above. Because He is holy, without guile, pure and set apart from sinners, He is raised higher than the heavens.¹⁹⁰

Mankind needed a sufficient sacrifice, not an insufficient one: All the Levitical priests were sinful, and they had to offer sacrifices for themselves before they could offer them for other people. Not so our Great High Priest. Unlike the other high priests (Hebrew: cohanim g’dolim), He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people because He is sinless. He is a priest without spot or blemish, sacrificed for their sins once for when He offered Himself on the cross (7:27). While His own death was a priestly act, He was not a priest at the time of His death for it was God the Father who offered Him up. Yet it was Ha’Shem’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though YHVH makes His life an offering for in, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of God will prosper in His hand (Isaiah 53:10). Jesus did not become the Great High Priest until the Ascension (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Mr – The Ascension of Jesus), and that is why His priesthood is continuous. The Levitical priesthood could only function with many priests, and it was replaced because it was insufficient. However, the sacrifice of Yeshua was once-and-for-all when He offered Himself up. It was a sufficient sacrifice.¹⁹¹

The contrast between the weakness of the Levitical priesthood and the strength of Messiah’s priesthood: The writer concludes with a contrast between weakness and strength. The weakness is the Levitical priesthood. It was officiated by men who were common people. The system existed under the Torah and was therefore temporary. Those earthly priests had both physical and moral weakness, for the Torah appoints as cohanim g’dolim men who have weakness. But, in contrast to the Levitical priests, the priesthood of Messiah was sworn by an oath. God said to Him, “ADONAI has sworn and will not change His mind, ‘You are a cohen forever’ (Hebrews 7:20-21 CJB quoting Psalm 110:4 CJB).” It after the Torah because Psalm 110:4 was written after Torah had already been given. Instead of being based upon the weakness of men, the priesthood of Jesus has been made perfect forever (7:28). The priesthood of Jesus is based on the sinlessness of the Priest, while the Levitical priesthood was carried out through sinful men.

When he officiated, the Levitical high priest wore an ephod (see the commentary on Exodus Fz – Make the Ephod of Gold, Blue, Purple and Scarlet Yarn), an elaborate robe on which were two onyx stones. The names of the twelve sons of Isra’el, in the order of their birth, were engraved on each stone – six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. Attached to the ephod by gold chains was a breastplate (Exodus Ga – Fashion a Breastpiece for Making Decisions), on which were twelve more precious stones representing the twelve tribes. Consequently, whenever he went into the presence of God, he carried with him all the tribes of Isra’el. The Levitical high priest symbolically bore the children of Isra’el to YHVH on his heart (his affections) and on his shoulders (his strength). This represented what the priesthood was meant to be: first, a heart for the people, and secondly, the strength to bring them to ADONAI. Many of these high priests, no doubt, had a heart for the people. But none of them was able to bring the people to God. They could not even bring themselves to Him!

Our High Priest has no such weakness. He carries our names on His heart and on His shoulders. But He needs no ephod or breastplate as symbols, for He has true affection and true salvation. He perfectly loves us and He can perfectly save us. He is able (7:25).¹⁹²

The New Priesthood Lasts Forever
7: 23-25

The new priesthood lasts forever DIG: What was the problem that the Levitical priests were faced with? Why did God make Aaron’s death totally public? Why is there no possibility that Jesus will ever be succeeded? Why does no one have an excuse for rejecting the LORD (Romans 1:20)? What are the three tenses of salvation? Explain what each tense is a deliverance from. Who are the only ones who are saved, according to verse 25?

REFLECT: Describe something in your life that you thought was permanent, only to be taken away? What did that do to your faith? What are some of the old ways in your life that tempt you to turn your back on Jesus and pursue after the world? How is Yeshua superior to those old ways? Describe the security you have in the fact that Christ will never die. In what sense is He the Rock (Psalm 18:2) in your life?

Another proof of the superiority of the new priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek is found in the permanency of Messiah’s priesthood opposed to the temporary priesthood after the Order of Aaron. Christ is able to make intercession for the believer forever; whereas the Levitical priests eventually died and had to be succeeded in order for the priesthood to continue. Moreover, the current priests (Hebrew: cohanim) are many in number, because they are prevented by death from continuing in office (7:23 CJB). So once again the Jewish readers were reminded of the limitations of the First Covenant.

As if to picture that the Levitical priesthood would never be able to bring salvation to them, ADONAI gave Isra’el a dramatic and significant demonstration, recorded in Numbers 20:23-29. When Aaron, brother of Moshe and first high priest, was about to die, YHVH commanded Moses to bring Aaron and his son and successor, Eleazar, to Mount Hor, in view of all the people. God reminded Moshe that Aaron, like Moses himself, would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land. The human giver of the Torah and the human forerunner of the priesthood would both die before Isra’el entered the Land. Aaron’s high priestly garments (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Gk – Aaron’s Sacred Garments Will Belong to His Descendants So They Can Be Ordained) were taken from him and placed on Eleazar. After Aaron died, the people mourned for him for thirty days. During that time the people’s attention was specifically focused on Aaron’s death, as God impressed on them that he represented a dying priesthood.¹⁸⁵

In this brief demonstration, along with Moshe’s own death shortly afterward, two things about the Levitical priesthood became abundantly clear. First, it was not permanent, and second, it could not bring the people into the Promised Land. It was temporary and could not save. Neither the Torah (represented by Moses), nor the Levitical sacrifices (represented by Aaron) could deliver from the wilderness of sin and bring them into the land of salvation.

But because Yeshua continues (Greek: menein) forever, He has a permanent (Greek: aparabaton) priesthood (7:24 CJB). The word continues means that Messiah’s priesthood didn’t stop at His death. If you read the B’rit Chadashah carefully, you will discover that when His body was dead on the cross, His Spirit was still alive. He was maintaining His eternal priesthood. He is still our Great High Priest today and will be so forever. The word permanent conveys the idea that it can never come to an end. It describes something that belongs to one person and can never be transferred to anyone else.¹⁸⁶ The basis of eternal security is that He can save forever because His Priesthood forever. He needs no successor. He is the last High Priest; no other will ever be needed (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer).

Consequently, He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him (7:25a). The word completely has a double meaning. On the one hand it means that Jesus will bring us to full salvation – something the Levitical priests could never do. And on the other hand, it means that He will hold us there forever. His salvation is both perfect and complete. It is able to save completely and forever. He will not die; thus, this intercession is uninterrupted. The security of our salvation is guaranteed simply because salvation is not dependent upon us, but upon Him. He is the One who keeps us saved (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Bw – What God Does For Us at the Moment of Faith).

He lives forever to intercede for them (7:25b). Isaiah 53:12 prophesies that the Servant of ADONAI (see the commentary on Isaiah Im – The Mission of the Servant of the LORD) bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors (53:12e). Romans 8:34 states: Christ Jesus . . . is at the right hand of God . . . interceding for us. First John 2:1 says that the Righteous One is an advocate with the Father on our behalf. Other verses stress the universal necessity of approaching God on through Him are John 14:6; Acts 4:12; First John 2:22-23. Verse 25 is one of the most beautiful verses in the Bible. Like John 3:16, it contains the whole essence of the gospel. Salvation is the main theme of the Scriptures and salvation is what this verse is all about.

Now, you may know that salvation has three tenses: past, present, and future. The past tense has to do with deliverance form sin’s penalty; the present tense, with deliverance from sin’s power; and the future tense, with deliverance from sin’s presence. The first was accomplished at the cross; the second is being done at the throne as Jesus intercedes and continues to cleanse us; and the third will be accomplished when all believers become fully glorified in heaven. In fact Titus 2:11-13 lists all three tenses in the same passage. The Past: For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. The present: It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in his present age. The future: While we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. So, the nature of complete salvation is far-reaching in all its dimensions.¹⁸⁷

This can be hard even for believers to grasp. To suggest that someone’s salvation is guaranteed and they are sure to say, “But then I can sin like crazy and go to heaven!” This kind of thinking shows a basic misunderstanding of the believer’s relationship with the Lord. What keeps us from sinning is not the fear of punishment, but the love for Yeshua.

But we’re still human and no matter what, we still sin. So how do we handle that? Yochanan has the answer for us: If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. However, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and His Word is not in us. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the world (First John 1:8 to 2:2).

It sure sounds like God wants us to stop sinning. But just how does He do that? Punishment? Exile? Shame? Holding a grudge? Withdrawal of love? Solitary confinement? These are the typical responses secular society has for those who break the rules. But ADONAI’s outrageous scheme to get us to stop sinning, however, is to forgive our sin and purify us from all unrighteousness which moved us to act as we did in the first place. YHVH expunges our record of sin as far as the east is from the west, that is how far He has removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12). But just how far is the east from the west? It cannot be measured! So if we confesses our sins (agree with God about the sin and the wrongness of it), God forgives and accepts us without penalty.¹⁸⁸

Thank you, Jesus, for being my Great High Priest. Thank You that You live forever to intercede for me. I place my trust and hope in You, and I believe that You know what I need better than I do myself.¹⁸⁹

The Former Priesthood Was Temporary
7: 15-19

The former priesthood was temporary DIG: What is the significance of the Greek word for another? On what basis were the Levites installed as priests? Was there a single moral or spiritual qualification that a Levite had to meet to become a priest? Rather than a physical one, what kind of claim did Christ have to the priesthood? What happened in 70AD that emphasized the fact that the Levitical system had been done away with? What were the writers of the TaNaKh searching for according to First Peter 1:10-12?

REFLECT: What does it mean to you that Jesus is our High Priest forever? How does that differ from the Levitical priesthood? What are some things that you thought were permanent in your life that turned out to be only temporary? How did you react when you found out? How did you adjust? Why do you think we have a hope of something better through which we are drawing near to God? What is the hope of something better that is introduced?

YHVH never intended for the Levitical priesthood to remain forever. This concept is never taught anywhere in the Scriptures. The TaNaKh, in fact, anticipated (as in Psalm 110:4) that another priesthood was coming. If Ha’Shem predicted another priesthood was coming, it would have been reasonable to assume, even without further revelation, that the new one would be better than the previous one. Isra’el was told that a greater priesthood was to come, which Messiah would be the High Priest. If the priesthood in the Order of Aaron had been perfect, another would have been unnecessary. Or, if YHVH had intended that the priesthood in the Order of Aaron would somehow improve and one day introduce the age of perfect access to Him, why would He have planned for Christ to be a priest in the Order of Melchizedek? It was no accident or mistake that God set aside the Levitical priesthood. He had planned it that way from the beginning. That was obvious because soon after He called Abraham, before He actually made the covenant with him, God introduced him to Malki-Tzedek (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Ed – Melchizedek: King of Salem and a Priest of God Most High), a priest of a higher order than the one who would come from Aaron’s descendants.¹⁸¹

A second reason for the transformation (Greek: metatithemenes) of Torah (see Bh – The Former Priesthood Has Changed) is that the Levitical priesthood set up by the Torah in the form that Moshe received it from YHVH was based on a rule . . . concerning physical descent from Levi through Aaron. While Phinehas, Aaron’s grandson, was given the covenant of everlasting priesthood (Numbers 25:13), but Yeshua has an everlasting priesthood by the power of an indestructible life (as pictured by the life of Malki-Tzedek). This sets aside the need for a system of passing on the priesthood based on physical descent (see Bk – The New Priesthood Lasts Forever).

Like Melchizedek’s priesthood, however, Yeshua’s was first and foremost based on who He was. It had nothing to do with what the physical body, but everything to do with the eternal power, the power of an indestructible life. In the case of the Levitical priesthood, no matter how ill-suited a man may have been, or how reluctant to take the office, the Torah made him a priest because of the family into which he was born and because of certain physical requirements he had to meet. He had no choice. For Jesus Christ, however, the priesthood was a result of who He was. He became, and He continues to become, a priest by eternal power – a power that can do what no Levitical priest could ever do – He gives us access to God.¹⁸²

It becomes even clearer by what the writer spelled out in the preceding verses, that if a another (Greek: heteros meaning another of a different kind) type of priest arises, one like Melchizedek, one who became a cohen not by virtue of a rule in the Torah concerning physical descent, but by virtue of the power of an indestructible life, He would be superior to the previous one (7:15-16 CJB). The writer is saying, in effect, that the Levitical priesthood did not measure up to the purpose for which a priesthood is instituted , namely, to offer a sacrifice that would pay for sin and make a way for sinful people to be saved. The writer says that it is perfectly obvious that a different kind of priest should arise. For it is declared, “You are a cohen forever, in the Order of Malki-Tzedek” (Hebrews 7:17 CJB quoting Psalm 110:4 CJB).

Here is the climax of the text: Aaron is replaced by Christ. Thus, on the one hand, the earlier rule is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Torah made nothing perfect); and, on the other hand, a hope of something better is introduced, through which we are drawing near to God (7:18-19 CJB). ADONAI has set aside (Greek: athetesis) the old imperfect and has replaced it with the new and perfect. Setting aside relates to doing away with something hat has been established. It is used, for example, of annulling a treaty, a promise, a law, a regulation, or of removing someone’s name from a document. The whole sacrificial system was canceled, annulled, done entirely. God assured its end when He allowed the Temple to be destroyed (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Mt – The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple on Tisha B’Av in 70 AD).

The old Levitical system could reveal sin. It could even cover sin temporarily. But it could never remove sin, and so it had to be removed. It brought nothing to conclusion. It gave no security. It gave no peace. People never had clear consciences. But the priesthood of Jesus Christ made all of what Isra’el looked forward to a reality. It brought access to God.

Kefa tells us: Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searching intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories and would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves buy you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things (First Peter 1:10-12). Before the cross, the righteous of the TaNaKh only saw salvation from a distance. They were neither fully certain nor secure until Messiah came. They trusted in hope, looking ahead for a conscience freed from sin. But because the veil has been removed, we can enter the presence of ADONAI, sit down with Him and, with the words of Rabbi Sha’ul say: Abba Father. In other words, we have access to God.

How much better off are we under the Dispensation of Grace (see Bp – The Dispensation of Grace), rather than the Dispensation of Torah (see the commentary on Exodus Da – The Dispensation of Torah)? In Christ we are freed from the debt of all sin, and we can live eternally in the riches of the One we love and who loves us. Here is a good illustration of this from John MacArthur’s commentary on Hebrews.

A young woman had run up a lot of bills and charged far beyond what she was able to pay. She was in debt over her head and saw no way to get out. She was in trouble and the situation looked hopeless. Then a young man came along and fell deeply in love with her. In time, he proposed to her. She also loved him very much, but felt that she should tell him about her debts before she agreed to marry him. When told, he said, “Don’t worry. I’ll pay all your debts. Just leave them to me.” Before the wedding he gave her an engagement ring and reassured her many times that he would take care of her debts. She trusted him implicitly and knew he was a person of his word. She had every reason to be confident and hopeful. But she was not yet actually free of her debts and, consequently, could not be at peace about them. Finally, they were married, and he paid all her debts. Not only that, but he told her that he was wealthy beyond her wildest dreams and gave her a joint checking account with himself. She would never again need to be concerned about debts. From that time on she was secure in the riches of the one she loved and who loved her.¹⁸³

A Better Covenant
8: 1-13

Now we will deal with the New Covenant exclusively. The author will prove the priesthood of Jesus is superior to the Levitical priesthood by the use of five contrasts. The third contrast shows us that the new priesthood is based on a better Covenant. The Torah isn’t bad, but the New Covenant is better; the First Covenant was temporary, while the B’rit Chadashah is eternal. Here we come to the main point, or the primary thrust, of what the author has been saying so far in his letter. It’s as if he was saying, “This is what I have been emphasizing from the beginning: the high priesthood of Jesus Christ.” A great deal of things have been said or explained, but they all relate, directly or indirectly, to Messiah’s high priesthood.

The New Priesthood is Unchangeable
7: 20-22

The new priesthood is unchangeable DIG: What did the Ruach ha-Kodesh never say about Aaron, that He said about Messiah? What type of transaction is in view when God makes an oath? Why did God have to swear an oath by Himself (Hebrews 6:13)? When God takes an oath in relation to a promise, with what is it always connected? Why was the covenant made with Jesus much better than the previous one? For what did Judah serve as surety? What does the Greek word enguos mean? How does Messiah serve as the enguos of the Father?

REFLECT: If you began living your life more aware of the reality that you have Christ on our side, sitting at the right hand of the Father interceding on your behalf (Romans 8:34), what might be some of the ways your life would change? We have seen that when God makes an oath, it has to do with eternal things. Though our promises can’t be eternal, we can still do all in our power to ensure that the promises we have made are fulfilled. How are you doing in that regard (Ecc 5:4-5)? Have you been lax in following through on your promises to friends, to those at work or at home? If you are married, how faithful have you been with regard to your marriage vows? Let us commit ourselves to be men and women of integrity who are known for the reliability of our words, that we may reflect the perfect character of Him who never breaks a promise.

Ha’Shem did not swear to Aaron that his priesthood would last forever. In fact, YHVH never suggested, to Aaron or to anyone else, that the priesthood would be anything but temporary. But that thought never entered the minds of the Jews, for the B’rit Chadashah was a mystery to them (Ephesians 5:32), and they could not imagine it ending. In fact the righteous of the TaNaKh believed that when the Messiah came, the Messianic Kingdom would begin immediately. Moreover, God never made an oath when the priesthood was established (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Fv – The Selection of Aaron and His Sons as Priests). What is more, God swore an oath. For no oath was sworn in connection with those who become priests (Hebrew: cohanim) now; but Yeshua became a priest (Hebrew: cohen) God swore an eternal priesthood. God said to Him, “ADONAI has sworn and will not change His mind, ‘You are a cohen forever’ (Hebrews 7:20-21 CJB quoting Psalm 110:4 CJB, to which the writer refers to here for the fourth time in the letter: 5:6, 6:20, 7:17).” And to make the point more emphatic, David added: and will not change His mind. The fact that God took an oath proves that the new priesthood in the Order of Melchizedek will be eternal, permanent, and unchangeable.

Neither David nor the writer of Hebrews suggests that God’s oath was any more reliable or valid than His mere word. It is rather that, when He makes eternal commitments, He has chosen to do so with an oath. The oath doesn’t represent greater truthfulness, but puts the emphasis on the permanence on what He has said. For example, when God made His covenant with Abraham, He did so with an oath (Genesis 22:16-18; Hebrews 6:13). This promise was unconditional and eternal. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath (6:17). ADONAI wanted Abraham, and eventually all Isra’el, and all the rest of the world, to know that His promise was permanent. It was through Abraham that the Messiah would come, and, as a result, the blessing that every believer will experience for all eternity is a perpetual fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant.

Yeshua’s priesthood is also based on an oath of YHVH, and is thereby shown to be eternal, or unchangeable. Because of this oath Jesus has become the guarantee (Greek: enguos), of a better covenant (7:22). Whenever Ha’Shem takes an oath in relation to a promise, it is always connected with Messiah, who is the eternal fulfillment of all of God’s promises. Why the New Covenant is a better covenant than with Moshe at Sinai is explained in greater detail later in the book (see Bo – Proof of the Superiority of the New Covenant). The New Covenant that ADONAI made with Yeshua is better than the first covenant at Sinai because the covenant in the wilderness was only temporary and the New Covenant is eternal (see the commentary on Jeremiah Eo – The Days are Coming, declares the LORD, When I Will Make a New Covenant with the People of Isra’el).

There should be no confusion; the Torah is still relevant to our lives. The heart of the Sermon on the Mount was when the Lord said: Do not think I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish, but to complete (Matthew 5:17 CJB). These words must be understood in their context. Yeshua is still alive today and the Torah is still in effect, not for salvation – but for godly living. All believers, Jew or Gentile, should love the Torah. How blessed are those who reject the advice of the wicked, don’t stand on the way of sinners or sit where scoffers sit! Their delight is in ADONAI’s Torah (teaching); on His Torah they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams – their bear fruit in season, their leaves never wither, everything they do succeeds (Psalm 1:1-3, 19:8, 40:9 CJB). Some twenty-five years after the start of the Messianic Community at Shavu’ot (see the commentary on Acts Al – The Ruach ha-Kodesh Comes at Shavu’ot) there were tens of thousands of Jewish believers who were zealous for the Torah (Acts 21:20). They had not lost their Jewishness when they came to believe in Yeshua as their Messiah. They were saved by grace but believed, as should we, that the principles of Torah were a blueprint for living.

There is a beautiful illustration of guaranteeing is found in Genesis. Jacob’s sons were preparing to go back to Egypt a second time to get grain for their starving families, when Judah reminded his father that the Egyptian ruler (who, unknown to them, was Joseph) told them they couldn’t expect to get more grain unless they brought their youngest brother, Benjamin, with them to Egypt. But only after Judah offered to be the security for Benjamin did Jacob reluctantly agree. I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him her before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life (Genesis 43:9). After the brothers had obtained their grain from Joseph, they were stopped on their way home by Egyptian soldiers and searched. Joseph had a plan. He wasn’t sure if he could trust his brothers. So he had planted a silver bowl in Benjamin’s sack of grain, for which he could be sent to prison. The test was to see if the brothers would abandon Benjamin as they once had abandoned Joseph. So they were brought back to Joseph in Egypt. Dismayed at what had happened, and grieved at what the loss of Benjamin would do to his father, Judah again offered to become a guarantee for his brother. After a lengthy explanation to Joseph of his concern, Judah said: Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers (Genesis 44:33). Judah was willing to go to any length to fulfill the pledge to his father that Benjamin would return home safely. This pictures the idea of Christ being the guarantee for the New Covenant.¹⁸⁴

Yeshua is the mediator of the B’rit Chadashah (First Timothy 2:5), and in this has provided us with eternal life (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). However, He does more than mediate the New Covenant . . . He guarantees it. For all of God’s promises in the B’rit Chadashah are guaranteed by Jesus Himself and the Ruach ha-Kodesh has been given to us (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Bw – What God Does For Us at the Moment of Faith). God has anointed us and set His seal of ownership on us, and put His promised Holy Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (Second Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:14). Therefore, Yeshua will guarantee the fulfillment of the New Covenant.

The Former Priesthood Has Changed
7: 11-14

The former priesthood has changed DIG: Why could those Jews to whom the author was writing discard all the sacrifices and the priesthood? What was prophesied that showed YHVH never intended for the Levitical priesthood to remain forever? What is the meaning of perfection as used by Rabbi Sha’ul? As used by the writer of Hebrews? Why was new priesthood necessary? What is the significance of the fact that that the former priesthood had changed? How is Messiah’s priesthood superior to the priests descended from Levi and Aaron? In what ways is Yeshua like Melchizedek portrayed here?

REFLECT: Many Jews resisted change to such a degree that they ended up stoning those who spoke the truth (Acts 7:51-60). Are you one who resists change because you are intimidated by the unfamiliar? I think we are always more comfortable in our familiar ruts. But are you possibly missing spiritual growth, progress, or blessing because of an arbitrary decision to “do things the way they’ve always been done?” If you are a member of a committee, a board of elders or some other decision-making group, pray that you would be open to the Spirit’s leading as you consider new issues.

Drawing near to God (7:19b CJB) is the ultimate desire for mankind. And ADONAI’s desire is for believers to draw near to Him and come into His presence. This is the essence of our faith, but sometimes we forget this. Some believers look at Messiah only as a means to their salvation and happiness. If they believe they are saved and are fairly happy with their circumstances, they consider their lives fulfilled. They are looking for security and happiness. They find these in Christ and are satisfied. Others see their lives as a continuous growing relationship with YHVH through study and obedience to His Word. This life is much more mature than the first. But the key is drawing near to God. The fullest expression of faith is to enter into the presence of Ha’Shem in His heavenly Most Holy Place and to fellowship with Him. For all those, except the Levitical high priest once a year, this was impossible for the average Jew to do. The veil was always there.

Only in the B’rit Chadashah can we go behind the veil. Only by the blood of Jesus Christ, only by His priestly intercession at the right hand of God, based on His perfect sacrifice on the cross, was access to ADONAI opened. Aaron’s priests could never bring us inside the veil. The veil could not be removed because sin had not been fully put away. But the fact that Messiah was a priest in the Order of Melchizedek opened the way. He could remove the veil because He had paid for our sins (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Lw – Accompanying Signs of Jesus’ Death). And after the cross and His ascension back to the right hand of the Father, the Levitical priesthood was no longer necessary and God put it aside. You do not need a symbol when you have the real thing. Now that the perfect had come, the imperfect passed away. In Hebrews, perfection means access to God, not the spiritual maturity of believers.¹⁷⁶

If completion, or perfection (Greek: teleiosis) could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (since in connection with it, the people were given the Torah), why was there still need for another kind of priest (Hebrew: cohen) to come, one “after the Order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 7:11 quoting Psalm 110:4 CJB), not to be compared with Aaron? The word perfection implies the act or process of completing. An institution is perfect or complete when it effects the purpose for which it was instituted. The purpose of the priesthood was to remove the obstacle, sin, which kept mankind from YHVH and make a way of access for to ADONAI. The Levitical sacrifices merely covered over sin, they could not remove it. As such, the priesthood and sacrifices were an index finger pointing to Messiah and His permanent substitutionary death on the Cross. If the Jewish readers had truly discovered and learned that Jesus had superseded the Levitical priesthood, then they would see for themselves that the Torah had been done away with.

A portion of Hebrews 7:11 is quoted in Hebrews 10:16-17, where the point is made that where there is true forgiveness of sin, sacrifice is no longer necessary. Once Christ made the final sacrifice on the cross, faith/trust/belief in Him would free us from all sin and guilt. But all through the Dispensation of Torah (see the commentary on Exodus Da – The Dispensation of the Torah) the Israelites were troubled because their sins were never fully forgiven. They were anticipating the perfect sacrifice.

Hebrews 9:8-9 makes the same basic point. Because the high priest was the only one who could enter the Most Holy Place once a year, the Ruach Ha’Kodesh was showing us that the way into it had not yet been disclosed as long as earthly Tabernacle was functioning. This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered there were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. Those sacrifices could not take the Israelite behind the veil into perfect access to God.

Because the Levitical priesthood and sacrifices could not actually provide salvation for sinful mankind, it follows that a new priesthood must be instituted that would. And because salvation needed to be provided, a new priesthood was brought in, and another kind of priest, Messiah, a priest after the Order of Melchizedek. The word another is the translation of the Greek word heteros, meaning of another kind. That is, since the Levitical priesthood brought nothing to perfection, or completion, not merely another priest was needed, but another priest of a different kind. It could not be another priest of the same kind from the Order of Aaron, but one of a different kind after the Order of Melchizedek. There was an inseparable connection between the Levitical priesthood and the Torah. For one to be changed the other had to be changed. It was in conjunction with the Torah that the Order of Aaron had been established.¹⁷⁷ The point of 7:11 is made clear. If the Levitical priesthood could have brought this perfection – which was access to God, or salvation – why would God have provided another priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek?

A change in the priesthood from the Levitical to that of Melchizedek required a change of the Torah. Thus, when the former priesthood was changed (from Levitical to that of Melchizedek), the Torah took on a different function (7:12). So the author of Hebrews reaches the same conclusion as Rabbi Sha’ul. The Torah has become our tutor to lead us to Christ . . . but now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor (Galatians 3:24). The context here, however, makes it very clear that no change or transformation (Greek: metatithemenes) in the Torah is envisioned other than in connection to the priesthood and the sacrificial system. The term changed implies retention of the basic structure of Torah, with some of the elements rearranged. As Yeshua Himself said: Do not think I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish, but to complete (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Dg – The Completion of the Torah).¹⁷⁸

When Yeshua revealed His Sh’khinah glory on the Mount of Transfiguration (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Gb – Jesus took Peter, James and John Up a High Mountain where He was Transfigured), He said: This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. But then God added a sense of urgency when He said: Listen to Him (Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35)! Even though the apostles had heard the Torah (Moses), and the Prophets (Elijah), now they needed listen to Him! Therefore, even before the New Covenant was finalized by the crucifixion and resurrection of Messiah, God illustrated that the First Covenant represented by Moses and Elijah would be changed.

Malki-Tzedek belonged to a different (Greek: heteros) tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the bronze altar for the sacrifice of sins (7:13). Since the Torah required that the priests should come from the tribe of Levi, a new priesthood, not of the Order of Aaron, must be instituted. Christ comes from a different tribe, not set apart for priestly service. Again, the writer reminds his readers that Psalm 110:4 spoke of a priest from David’s line. This inferred that the coming priest would not be from Levi.¹⁷⁹

For everyone knows that our Lord arose from Y’hudah (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ai – The Genealogies of Joseph and Mary), and that Moshe said nothing about this tribe when he spoke about the priests (7:14). Jesus did not come from Levi, which was the only priestly tribe. He was from Judah, which, just as all the other non-Levitical tribes, had nothing to do with priestly service at the bronze altar of sacrifice. If Jesus became a high priest, He was obviously a different order of priesthood. His priestly qualifications were obviously not hereditary. The hereditary Order of Aaron – the shadow, temporary, and imperfect – was changed forever by the Order of Melchizedek – the reality, eternal, and perfect.

But this freedom from the demands of the 365 negative and 248 positive commandments of Torah does not suggest that we, as believers, have the right to sin up a storm. “Free from the yoke of the Torah” does not mean “free to sin.” Rabbi Sha’ul declares: What conclusion should we reach? “Let’s go on sinning because we’re not under legalism but under grace?” Heaven forbid (Romans 6:15 CJB)! Rather, it means that we are free to do the will of God. The indwelling of the Ruach ha-Kodesh enables us to fulfill the just requirement of the Torah as all of His righteousness is transferred to our spiritual account.

Sha’ul continues: Therefore, there is no longer any condemnation awaiting those who are in union with the Messiah Yeshua. Why? Because the Torah of the Spirit, which produces this life in union with Messiah Yeshua, has set me free from the “torah” of sin and death. For what the Torah could not do by itself, because it lacked the power to make the old nature cooperate, God did by sending His own Son as a human being with the nature like our own sinful one [but without sin]. God did this in order to deal with sin, and in so doing He executed the punishment against sin in our human nature so that the requirement of the Torah might be fulfilled in us who do not live according to what our old nature wants but according to what the Spirit wants (Romans 8:1-4 CJB).

Lord Jesus, You are the eternal High Priest who has paid for our sins. Your priesthood did what the Levitical priesthood could never do: It gave us the chance for eternal life. We give you our lives in love to serve You and the congregations of God.¹⁸⁰

The Levitical Priesthood
and the Priesthood of Yeshua
7: 11-25

The third comparison is between the Levitical priesthood and the new priesthood of Yeshua. The writer’s point is to explain why the Levitical priesthood could not mature the worshiper and therefore had to be superseded by something else. In discussing the office of priest, he says two things about the Levitical priesthood (to see link click Bh – The Former Priesthood Has Changed and Bi – The Former Priesthood Was Temporary), and two things about the new priesthood of Yeshua (see Bj – The New Priesthood is Unchangeable and Bk – The New Priesthood Lasts Forever). The emphasis here is on the Psalm 110:4 passage.¹⁷⁴

The priesthood in the B’rit Chadashah is centered on Messiah. This is a revolutionary departure from the Torah, thus calling for a special, detailed explanation by the writer of Hebrews. His readers, steeped in the Torah of Moshe concerning the priesthood, would wonder on what legal grounds Yeshua could possibly be a priest. But priest He is, and such a real and sufficient priest that all the privileges and responsibilities of the Levitical priesthood are completely abolished and swept away by Him. They are now completely unnecessary.¹⁷⁵