Covenant Ministries – Hebrews 9

Joy: You’re listening to the Lifting Her Voice podcast, Episode #213.  Today we’ll read Hebrews chapter 9 together: The author contrasts the differences between the Old and the New Covenant ministries.

Welcome to the Lifting Her Voice podcast.  I’m your host, Joy Miller, and I invite you to grab your Bible and join me as we simply read God’s word together.  Some things require discipline and sometimes that’s just not easy to muster by yourself, no matter how badly you want to do it or how much you know you should.  It’s just easier to do it with a friend.  So refill your coffee or tea, get comfortable in your favorite chair and follow along as I read aloud.  I’m so glad you’re here!

Welcome

I think I’ve said a time or two lately that the author picked up where he left off.  It’s a silly thing to say and I thought I’d better correct myself before leading you astray.  You see, when these letters and sermons were originally written, they were not split up into chapters and verses.  

As a matter of fact, we didn’t get chapters and verses until relatively recently.  According to blueletterbible.org, A man named Stephen Langton divided the Bible into chapters in the year A.D. 1227. The Bible he used was the Latin Vulgate. Langton was a professor at the University of Paris at the time. Later, he became the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Two hundred years later, the chapter divisions were added to the Hebrew Bible, but they don’t line up exactly with the English Bible.

Interestingly, verses came before chapters, at least for the Old Testament and were standardized around 900 AD.  The New Testament, however, was quite a bit later in 1551.  All of the chapter and verse divisions came before the Latin Vulgate in 1555.

Several reasons are given for these divisions, the first being just sheer convenience.  They also make it easier to quote and reference. 

Proper Interpretation

However, there are warnings that these divisions are of human origin.  They can be a distraction, and even interfere in proper interpretation.  In our reading together, there have been several times when a verse continued into the next chapter and probably should have remained in the chapter before.  Even splitting the text into verses can have an adverse effect on our understanding if we’re not careful.  In other words, we can too easily take a statement out of context if we do not discipline ourselves to read the verses before and after.  

It’s an interesting exercise to read without chapters and verses. A quick Google search will give you some options to do just that.  I even put a link in the show notes if you are of a mind.  

As if no chapters and verses isn’t enough of a challenge to our sense of familiarity, let me just add to this that, in Biblical Hebrew, there is no punctuation.  I would feign shock, but we just finished reading Paul’s letters and you all know by now that some of his sentences can rival paragraphs.  

I tell you this for one primary reason.  We need to always be aware of how we are interpreting Scripture.  We want to strive to glean the meaning that the original writer wanted to convey. 

Have you ever tried to read without the divisions of chapters, verses, or punctuation?  Let me know at Lifting Her Voice.com, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Hebrews Chapter 9

Old Covenant Ministry

Now the first covenant also had regulations for ministry and an earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was set up, and in the first room, which is called the holy place, were the lampstand, the table, and the presentation loaves.

Behind the second curtain was a tent called the most holy place. It had the gold altar of incense and the ark of the covenant, covered with gold on all sides, in which was a gold jar containing the manna, Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. The cherubim of glory were above the ark overshadowing the mercy seat. It is not possible to speak about these things in detail right now.

With these things prepared like this, the priests enter the first room repeatedly, performing their ministry. But the high priest alone enters the second room, and he does that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit was making it clear that the way into the most holy place had not yet been disclosed while the first tabernacle was still standing. This is a symbol for the present time, during which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshiper’s conscience. They are physical regulations and only deal with food, drink, and various washings imposed until the time of the new order.

New Covenant Ministry

But Christ has appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation), he entered the most holy place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God?

Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. Where a will exists, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will is valid only when people die, since it is never in effect while the one who made it is living. That is why even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood.

For when every command had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll itself and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you. In the same way, he sprinkled the tabernacle and all the articles of worship with blood. According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Sacrifice of Himself

Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves to be purified with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that he might now appear in the presence of God for us. He did not do this to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another. Otherwise, he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself.

And just as it is appointed for people to die once — and after this, judgment  —  so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Closing Thoughts

I’m so glad you’re reading this chapter before you read the description of the tabernacle and the duties of the Levitical priests found in the Old Testament.  The author here draws such a stark contrast between the old and the new; the earthly and the heavenly; the inferior and the superior.  

The Most Holy Place was where God’s very presence abided with the Israelites…the mercy seat.  Only the high priest could enter and then only once per year.  And only after making atonement for his own sins.  Jesus had no such requirement.  He was without sin.  The curtain that divided the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle was the same curtain that was torn from top to bottom when Jesus died on that cross.  This immediately gives full access to God to those who believe in Christ and who have given their lives to Him. 

Do you see?  We have no righteousness of our own, but we are justified through faith in Christ nonetheless.  Through His sacrifice, Jesus has imputed His righteousness to us.  We are acceptable to God through Christ.  We can indeed come boldly before His throne of grace for all our needs, as Hebrews 4:16 tells us.  We need no other priest.  Let’s pray.

Prayer

Father God, this truly is a superior covenant.  We will repeatedly thank You for this indescribable gift!  Who could ever imagine?!  That You would love us so much that You would meticulously carry out this plan of redemption for us, is truly humbling.  Thank You.  Help us to understand.  Give us an insatiable hunger to know You more.  Amen.

Thank you for joining me here today.  I pray God will grow in you what has been planted and watered here.  In this time of unprecedented struggle worldwide, we can look to God for guidance and comfort.  Be sensitive to those in your circle of influence who need a word of encouragement and invite them to join us.  If you like this show, it would be great if you give it a five-star review.  Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  See you right here tomorrow.  Be well!

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible(r), Copyright (c) 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible(r) and CSB(r) are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.