Hebrews 9:15-22

A timeless, oft-quoted verse: …without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. (v. 22b)

Something new hit me when I read this morning’s passage in my NASB translation: …a death has taken place for the redemption of the violations that were committed under the first covenant… (v. 15b) Jesus is the “death that has taken place”. In doing so, the verse says that He REDEEMED violations that occurred under the first covenant. Does that mean that under the old covenant, sins/violations were not redeemed, never fully forgiven, but only “covered”? Like our parents might have said when meting out justice, “It’s OK for now, I’ll deal with you later.” So those daily sacrifices only “covered” their sins? And even that once-a-year entry by the high priest into the Holy of Holies, the same…? A covering, but not full forgiveness? I commented a few days ago about the contrast between the death of an animal covering sins (animal for man) and Jesus’ death fully redeeming sins (man for man). Wondering…

For where there is a covenant, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. For a covenant is valid only when people are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. (vv. 16-17, NASB) The word “covenant” is translated “will” in the ESV and “testament” in the NKJV. Thinking of this “will” translation and applying it for today, basically beneficiaries have nothing under the will until the death of the one who made the will. And the same was true back then. Unless the father gave something during his lifetime (e.g., the parable of “The Prodigal Son”), the children did not inherit anything until the father died. Only with the death is the will in force. Verse 18 goes on to say, Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. In these three verses (16-18) the writer is drawing a parallel between our physical death and our spiritual death (sin). Only with Jesus’ death could we find full forgiveness of our sins.

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 9:11-14

It’s only a few verses today, but they’re powerful! The “not” words jumped off the page at me, all appearing in one sentence: [Christ] … entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by hands, that is, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves… (vv. 11-12a, NASB) We think so much of who Jesus is and what He has done that it’s nice to consider who He is NOT and what He has NOT done. There’s not much more to say about that, just a small reflection.

In addition, today’s reading does not include a third “not”: Jesus entered that more perfect tabernacle not with daily sacrifices and not with an annual ritual, but ONCE, for all time, …an eternal redemption…!! (v. 12b) DONE!

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 9:1-10

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!!

By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing, which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper… (vv. 8-9) I have to keep reminding myself that the author is writing to Jews who are alive before the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D. With that in mind, the way that I read these two verses is that the phrase, as long as the first section is still standing could be referring to any individual who is still holding on to Jewish customs of the daily sacrifices being offered at the Temple. For those people, that “first section (of the Temple) is still standing” and they have not accepted Jesus as their Messiah. Those gifts and sacrifices being offered therein fall far short of that for which Jesus has sacrificed. It’s so easy to feel sorry for those very serious Jews today who continue to watch and wait for their Messiah. Will God honor their longing?? Sad…

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 8:7-13

Jeremiah’s prophecy (vv. 8-12) was made sometime around 600 BC. Now Jesus comes along some six centuries later, fulfilling a number of Old Testament messianic prophecies. Although Jeremiah’s prophecy was not fully messianic, it was probably something that Jewish leaders were following in conjunction with the coming of their Messiah. So with all the other confusions that Jesus brought to the Jewish leaders, they can now add this “new covenant” idea, wondering when and how that would occur. I feel sorry for them! With all that, the author of Hebrews clarifies it completely in today’s reading. The “old covenant” is discarded; the “new covenant” is here (v. 13)!!

I’ve always been confused by Jeremiah’s prophecy. I can understand verse 10b, I will put My laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts…, if I see these words as the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. But verse 11 confuses me: And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest. When will we all know Him? Now? End times? Confusing…

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 8:1-6

The second “priest” in the following verse is Jesus: For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. (v. 3) It struck me that the writer was distinguishing between gifts and sacrifices – clear distinctions exist in Leviticus. Jesus’ sacrifice (on the cross) was clear to me, so I was asking myself what might have been Jesus’ gift(s) to us. And after thinking about it, I would suggest that His very life on earth was His gift to us. His ministry, His teachings, His example… Through His life He has taught us everything we really need to know. That’s His gift!!

However, I also think the writer is making “gifts and sacrifices” a moot point, in that he goes on to say, But as it is, He has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant He mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. (v. 6) Having accomplished “gifts and sacrifices”, Jesus’ has a new ministry – mediating a new covenant (tomorrow’s reading) – a major portion of which is interceding with the Father on our behalf. At least those are my thoughts.

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 7:23-38

He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for His own sins and then for those of the people, since He did this once for all when He offered up Himself. (v. 27) Credit to my Study Bible for a really simple, totally obvious, but fully meaningful observation: The Jewish high priests offered up animals to cover sins – animal for man; Jesus offered up Himself for all our sins – man for man!! Once again we see how important was Jesus’ incarnation!

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 7:11-22

Early on in 2019 we read the following passage: Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Matthew 5:17) In today’s reading a simple verse puts an exclamation mark on that statement. In the past I have often thought of Jesus’ fulfilling the Law in two activities. First, He was sinless so he fulfilled the requirements of the Law by following those laws. Second, His sacrificial death meant that animal sacrifices were no longer needed to cover our sins; He did it all on the cross.

So here’s today’s verse: For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. (v. 14) Not only has Jesus fulfilled and “set aside” the Law, but in becoming our High Priest He has come out of the tribe of Judah – He has set aside the entire priesthood given to the Levites at Mt. Sinai! The High Priesthood has moved to an entirely different tribe! That is an exclamation mark on Jesus’ fulfilling the Law and the Prophets!

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 7:1-10

Four days ago I made the following comments regarding Melchizedek and his relationship to Jesus: “One might argue that there are four references forward to Jesus. (1) Melchizedek was a king; Jesus is King of Heaven and Earth; (2) Melchizedek was a priest; much of what we are currently reading in Hebrews explains Jesus’ high priesthood; (3) Melchizedek brought bread and wine; Jesus instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion when He offered bread and wine at the Last Supper; and (4) Abraham paid a tithe of his goods to Melchizedek (see also Hebrews 7:4); we pay tithes to Jesus’ church. Even with all that, Melchizedek remains a mystery, researched extensively throughout history.” Today I found a fifth: He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life… (v. 3a) No doubt the Bible reports Melchizedek as an historical figure, a human being. And so was Jesus, for 33 years! Yet the book of Genesis says nothing about Melchizedek’s genealogy. That’s very strange for Genesis!

Another interesting thing about Melchizedek is Abraham’s giving him a tenth part of everything… (v. 2b) We Christians today tithe according to our centuries-old traditions, but we give “within the family” – to the church, the bride of Christ. Even the Jews of old gave “within the family”, to the Levites, for their life and temple support. But Abraham’s tithe to Melchizedek was “outside the family”, Melchizedek having no blood relationship with Abraham or his family. Strange!

Finally, one other item: For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him… (v. 1). My Study Bible pointed out that blessings go from the greater to the lesser – that is, the greater blessing the lesser. In this first verse, Melchizedek was the greater and Abraham the lesser. Even though Abraham is the “father of many nations”, one of the greatest figures in all of Jewish history, yet here he has the position of the lesser relative to Melchizekek. Again, strange…!

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 6:13-20

…so that by two unchangeable things… (v.18a) The two unchangeable things are God’s promise to Abraham (God cannot lie) and the oath that He swore in vv. 13-14, For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater by whom to swear, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.”

So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise … we … might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. (vv. 17-18) Taking apart these two verses together, what we see is that the audience to whom the author was writing (the heirs of the promise) have encouragement (because of the promise and the oath) of the hope set before us (them). That is, Abraham’s Jewish descendants have hope of entering into the Holy of Holies through Jesus who has gone before them and opened the way to them (vv. 19-20), and even though we’re not Jewish, that’s us!! GLORY!!

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 6:9-12

What does God see when He looks down on His children? So many people think that God is out to get them, waiting for them to make a bad move. Others see Him as a loving God, loving His children completely in spite of their many failings. Look at today’s verse 10: For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for His name in serving the saints, as you still do. The author of Hebrews says that God is watching our every action, smiling when He sees our good works. But is He keeping an accounting? Does He chalk up one more in our “good column”? What about our “bad column”? Doesn’t that get wiped clean each time we seek His forgiveness? If that bad column gets wiped clean, does the good one also get wiped clean? Does He start our accounting all over, yet one more time? Or do our good works build up jewels in our heavenly crown, forever immovable?

We’ve heard countless times that we can’t work our way to heaven, that Jesus’ death and resurrection has done it all for us and that we need only accept His forgiveness of our sins, for which He has already paid. So what is the purpose of our “good works”? Though I may be theologically inept, I see three values in our good works. First and foremost, I would maintain that our good works are “for show” for everyone else. Non-believers and marginal believers see our good works and ascribe some merit to Christianity. The short form of this argument is the quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.” Second, I think our doing good works is for our internal well-being. We feel good when we’ve done something good, even though occasionally we may have done that good thing grudgingly. This argument can easily get twisted – we’re not lauding ourselves, but we are, in fact, better people as a result of having done good works. Finally, I do think that God looks down and smiles at our good works. I think there is a “Well done, good and faithful servant” commendation on God’s lips when He sees us serving Him.

My thoughts… I do wish we could be together to better hash these things out!!

Slava Bohu!