Episode #212. Today we’ll read Hebrews chapter 8 together: The author gives us a beautiful description of a heavenly priesthood and superior covenant.
Transcript
Joy: You’re listening to the Lifting Her Voice podcast, Episode #212. Today we’ll read Hebrews chapter 8 together: The author gives us a beautiful description of a heavenly priesthood and superior covenant.
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
This week marked the 26th anniversary of my first-born’s death. I promised you that I would tell you the story of Jess, it just never seemed like the proper time. But today seems right.
I wanted a baby so badly. It took us two years to get pregnant and for me, it seemed like an eternity. When I was about four weeks along – about the time her rudimentary heart started to beat – I got an inner ear infection. I was so conflicted about taking the Amoxicillin. Many years later after asking the question “Why?” so many times it was practically a mantra, a doc shrugged and said off-handedly, “The heart defect was probably caused by the virus that caused the ear infection.” Who knew?
Although that makes so much sense, a more mature Joy knows that only God knows why Jessica would be born with a coarctation of her aorta that led to her brain. One thing I know for sure, is that Jess was meant to be, her birth was both ordained and blessed by God, and I loved her.
At the well-baby check she had a heart murmur. Then again, most babies do. But that night, four days after she was born, when the ductus between her heart and her lungs shut down as it was supposed to, she suffered a circulatory collapse because of the narrowing of that aorta. Even in the dark I could see her purple, near-lifeless body contrasted against the white bunting. That was the first of many trips to the hospital over her 12 ½ years.
My Life Changed That Night
My life changed that night. The way I defined myself changed that night. I became an advocate that night. Before that night, I didn’t even know what a neo-natal intensive care unit was. Within 24 hours, we were practically living there. Jessica had her first open-heart surgery the next day. That was on a Friday. Her dad and I showed up at a local church on Sunday. I may not have been serving Christ at the time, I may very well have lost my way, but we knew this was bigger than us and we knew we needed Jesus. They loved on us there, they prayed for us even though they didn’t know us, and that church family ultimately helped us raise her.
It quickly became pretty apparent that we would outlive Jess. Over the years, her pediatric cardiologist came to trust us and finally felt safe in answering our questions. “What should we be looking for?” “When will we know?” “When is she going to die?” That’s when I learned that most of us take puberty for granted. But for someone like Jess, the strain on the heart is just too much.
Really Special Kid
She was with her dad when it happened, and I thank God for that frequently. He needed to know that everything that could have been done was done, and God granted him that gift. As they were driving – with Jess riding in the back seat – she went into cardiac arrest. He pulled over at a local restaurant and as he lifted her out of the car, he told me later he felt her spirit leave her. The ambulance came but she was gone.
When I got the call, I picked up my mom and we drove 80 miles per hour to that Modesto hospital. I got to sit with her for a time. My most special memory about that time was the absence of the cerebral palsy in her legs. She was relaxed and at peace and I knew beyond doubt that she was home with the Lord.
Jess was a really special kid. That’s not her mom talking…you can ask anyone who knew her. To this day I still maintain that she taught me so much more than I ever taught her.
Maybe you have a similar story. Or maybe you knew Jess and would like to share a memory. I’m all ears at Lifting Her Voice.com, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Hebrews Chapter 8
A Heavenly Priesthood
Now the main point of what is being said is this: We have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle that was set up by the Lord and not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; therefore, it was necessary for this priest also to have something to offer.
Now if he were on earth, he wouldn’t be a priest, since there are those offering the gifts prescribed by the law. These serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was warned when he was about to complete the tabernacle. For God said, Be careful that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain. But Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been established on better promises.
A Superior Covenant
For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second one. But finding fault with his people, he says:
See, the days are coming, says the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah —
not like the covenant
that I made with their ancestors
on the day I took them by the hand
to lead them out of the land of Egypt.
I showed no concern for them, says the Lord,
because they did not continue in my covenant.
For this is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
And each person will not teach his fellow citizen,
and each his brother or sister, saying, “Know the Lord,”
because they will all know me,
from the least to the greatest of them.
For I will forgive their wrongdoing,
and I will never again remember their sins.
By saying a new covenant, he has declared that the first is obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old is about to pass away.
Closing Thoughts
I absolutely love this description of Jesus as the superior high priest. It’s only by reading this can we look back and truly understand that the Law was imperfect, and God intended it that way.
When we read the Old Testament, particularly the Law, we’re a little horrified, knowing that we can never measure up to that kind of perfection. We don’t realize until we know Jesus that the Law itself is imperfect, paving the way to see and understand what real perfection is – Christ.
Verses 8-12 is a quote from Jeremiah 31:31-34. Long before Jesus was born, God clearly explained that He would make a new convenient, a beautiful promise, that depended on God’s love and mercy and not our rebellion and stubbornness.
Again, if you are like me and love to know the procession of A to B to C, this will make so much more sense after you have read the Old Testament. But for now, you have spent seven months coming to know Christ. You know that God is the creator of all things. He also created us and we rejected His ways but He provided a way for us to be reunited with Him – Jesus. And so that you can have the assurance of being part of this new covenant, you must respond.
You must admit to God you’re a sinner and turn away from that sin. You must believe that Jesus is God’s Son who took the punishment for sin for you and that forgiveness is yours – a free gift of grace from God. Then spend the rest of your life following Him and telling others. Let’s pray.
Prayer
God, I thank You for this new covenant. I thank You for Jesus, our King and High Priest forever. Accepting Your free gift of grace is simple, but it’s not easy. Thank You it is so simple that even a child can understand. But thank You also, that You come alongside to help us daily walk with You. In Jesus’ name, 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.
Show Notes
- Awesome Video of Solomon’s Temple
- These will help! Overview videos of all books of the Bible
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