ch.
8
v. 1 - "such a High Priest who is set on on
the right hand of the
Majesty in the
heavens"
v. 2 - "a minister of.....the true tabernacle"
"which the Lord pitched and not man"
vs. 3-5 - Aaron, when he entered the holy of
holies once a year on
the Day of
Atonement, merely
stood for a short
time but Christ
"has sat down" at
the right hand of the
Eternal and
in an attitude of
royal government
makes intercession for
us and awaits
the Father sending Him
to gather us
to Him!
"example and
shadow of
heavenly things"
"See, saith He, that thou make all things
according to the pattern shewed thee in
the mount"
Ex. 25:40
v. 6 - Christ as Mediator of "a better ministry..
..a better
covenant...established on better
promises"
v. 7 - the First Covenant was not faultless..
v. 8 - "finding fault" - not the Old Covenant
itself but the people
for non-observance.
It was imperfect as a means of justification
before God once it was broken!
A temporary dispensation, with a purpose
of its own, (a type of spiritual mirror so
that man could see himself and how far
short he came to God) - intervening between
the promise to Abraham and the fulfillment
of that promise in Christ.
The Law was "our tutor to bring us
unto Christ" - Gal. 3:24
vs. 8-12
The chosen people had not continued in God's
covenant and because they had broken it,
He had "regarded them not" - allowing first
But in His wonderful mercy, God made a
New Covenant encompassing the chosen people
and all Gentiles who would trust Him.
Jer. 31:31-35
Under the New Covenant God's laws are not
imposed as external codes but put into the mind
and written on the heart!
The first laws were put on tables of stone by
"the finger of God" and now that the Church
has come to manhood, the laws are now
inscribed "in tables that are hearts of flesh"
II
Cor. 3:3
They will be more clearly perceived and more
widely diffused!
The Holy Spirit teaches "from the least to
the greatest"
"for they all shall know me from the least of
them unto the greatest"
The poorest and simplest believer may have
spiritual perceptions, inward illumination,
personal communion with God and a peculiar
glory from God all their own, surpassing even
that of his appointed guides,
priests or teachers
who may sometimes become unfaithful - thus
giving the enemies of God reason to blaspheme.
Ps. 119:99 - "I have more understanding than
all my teachers; for
thy testimonies are all
my meditation"
v. 12 - Full forgiveness of sins - sin must be pardoned
and cleansed away
before the Law can be
written on the heart,
or the mind flooded with
spiritual light. None of the Levitical sacrifices
could expiate moral
guilt; but on the basis of
Christ's atonement,
God now imparts that
forgiveness which is
the precedent condition
of moral renewal and a
holy life.
God said in the First Covenant "thou shalt not"
but in the ordering of the New Covenant His words are
"I will"
This change of language really points to the effusion
(pouring out freely) and the diffusion (scattering)
of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost,
my commentary says it is the anniversary of the giving
of the Law from
The Holy Spirit is who makes the New Covenant vastly
superior to the Old.
We should ask ourselves whether
our souls
individually are sharing the blessings of the
gospel dispensation!
The "better promises" also imply on our part
definite duties and great responsibilities!
ch.
9
The Epistle to the Hebrews is the New Testament
Leviticus - Leviticus often is perceived as Jewish
ritual and dry reading.
Looking at a stained glass window from the
outside, seems dull and dingy but when you
enter and gaze at it from within, it is aglow
with beauty and sunlight as a backdrop.
From Hebrews we learn to read Leviticus
with the bright gospel sunlight for a
background and we discover how rich
that ancient Scripture is with instruction
regarding the way of access to God!
In vs. 1-5 - the Hebrew sanctuary in its
innermost symbolism represented the
wondrous scheme of redemption of
God for man!
I do not have the time, nor the ability,
nor you the resolve to listen concerning
these things but God through the Holy
Spirit will reward you with a private
study of these things.
Spin off of I Peter 1:12
The Levitical system delivered to Moses
compared with the work of Jesus Christ,
the Great High Priest of Humanity, the
author of eternal salvation.
What the Great Day of Atonement signified!
It was not the sins done with a high hand
that had to be atoned for on that day, these
were either visited by "cutting off" or
atoned for in ways appointed for the purpose,
it was the less definite and undetected sinfulness,
infecting the whole community, and remaining
after all ceremonial cleansing, so as to debar
them from "coming boldly to the throne of
grace to find help in time of need"
v.7 - today's sins of a high
hand - Where is
God's judgment? He is "not willing
that any should perish
but all come to
repentance"
Matt. 24:39 - "And knew not till the flood
came and took them all
away - so shall
also the coming of the
Son of man be"
Gen. 14:12 - "And they took
The sin was still not taken away, only
"covered" for the time; for the holy of holies
remained closed as before, and the same rites
had to be repeated next year - all that was
expressed was an ever-reoccurring need of
atonement - "the Holy Ghost thus signifying
that the way into the holiest of all was not
yet made manifest"
This debarring intervention meant that
there was no approach for them
as yet
to what the holy of holies symbolized.
To understand this you must be familiar
with all the book of Leviticus - especially ch.
16
The gifts and sacrifices of the Law availed only
ceremonial purification - they did not reach into
the sphere of man's inner consciousness!
v. 8 "not without blood....for the errors of the people"
They could not bring about that sense of
spiritual accord with God spoken of in Jer. 31.
v. 9 - the rites of Judaism cleansed the body from
ceremonial defilement,
but they could not
wash the soul from sin
- they involved rather
a continual
remembrance of sins rather than
a putting away of sins
for ever.
Yet they were a prophecy of such forgiveness
under the new covenant prophesied by Jer. 31:31-34
vs. 11-12
"but by His own blood He entered in ONCE
into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us"
v. 14 - Superiority of the new covenant - ch. 8:6
Christ, as man, also was Divine in nature, personally
and literally God - it is His Deity that give His death
marvelous significance - Holy blood, not brute
blood!
"the power of an endless life" - ch. 7:16
The blood of Christ cleanses the "conscience" -
here and v. 9
It is the God-provided solvent for the stains of
sin! (my new jacket Polly got
me and the
strawberry stain I got on it Friday night)
Under the New Covenant the conscience is
cleansed so thoroughly that the service of God
becomes a constant joy to the believer's soul!
Christ not only makes us safe but makes us holy!
He delivered us not only from God's wrath
but from our own wickedness!
He redeems both soul and body - the benefits
which accrue from Christ, our High Priest's
mediation!
v. 15 - "for this cause He is the mediator of
the new
testament" so that "they which
are called might
receive the promise
of eternal life"!
v. 17 - Such atonement could not be except by
death - the death of
Christ bequeathed
"eternal
salvation" to man!
v. 22 - "without the shedding of blood is no
remission"
Lev. 17:11 - according to Gen. 2:17 the idea of
the life of sinful man
is forfeit to Divine
justice, and so blood,
representing life,
must be offered
instead of his life for the
atonement.
v. 24 - Christ first offered Himself in this
earthly sphere and
then passed into
the heaven of heavens.
No need of repetition - the redemption is
COMPLETE & ETERNAL!
Justification through atonement and
Sanctification through grace.
We can now, through Him, serve the Living God!
v. 25 - Christ offered Himself, once and for all,
needing no repetition
- ever since sin entered
man needed atonement,
signified but not
effected by the
ancient sacrifices.
Christ's one offering of Himself has supplied
this primeval need, availing not only for the present
and future, but also for all past ages!
v. 27
v. 28 - When Christ was on this earth He was
as a Prophet -
ascended He functions as
a Priest and when He
comes again it will
be as King!
the Second Coming - nothing remains for
Him to do but to return
as Judge in glory!
This will not be to all good news - "unto them that
look for Him" - precludes that - there are many
passages in the Bible that express the doom of
those set on His left hand - see especially ch. 10:27