Daily Meditations

Hebrews 10:6 "Here I am, I have come to do Your will, my God." It is painful to be made aware that all those centuries of burnt offerings and sin offerings that were resolutely presented to the Lord had little effect. They did not completely cleanse those who made the offerings and neither did they bring pleasure to the God who reigns over His people in heaven. This must have been devastating news for young Jewish believers who were effectively being told that the religious devotion of their ancestors had been completely meaningless! All those animals, all the effort and time, the decorative trappings of the Tabernacle and Temple, the fastidious attempts by the priesthood to honour the Law’s demands, it all had little value or purpose. So why did they do it? Was it not the Lord God who initiated all of this and chose the nation who would be responsible for these endeavours? What was the point? The point was to show the world the weaknesses and sinfulness of the human race, th...

Hebrews 10:5 The old has gone, the new has come! Before we look at the next verses in detail, it is worth pointing out that the Greek words used in verse 5-8 actually describe four of the five main offerings made at the Tabernacle / Temple. These are fellowship, grain, burnt and sin offerings. The only one missing is the guilt offering. These are all described in detail in Leviticus 1-7.  The suggestion here is that when Christ came to our world and became fully cognizant of the roles that He must fulfil and His duties as High Priest for all mankind, He recognised the futility of the endless animal sacrifices and He saw that these were not the final solution for men’s sins. He fully understood the purpose of His Father in sending Him to the world and that He would be the ultimate sacrifice made, not by men, but by God. Not only that, but He also had the prophetic words of King David ringing in His ears which is why these words from Psalm 40 are quoted here. It will pay us to read t...

Hebrews 10:4 Animals cannot do it! It’s a strange thing that no one ever seemed to question the futility of animal sacrifices. God gave the Law; in it He designed a system of rituals and regulations that would appease His anger against sin and deliver men and women from the consequences of their iniquities. It was God who described what sin was, He was the One who clearly laid out the details of the way humans should behave towards Him and to one another. These are His standards, the ones by which He has decided we may live peaceful and fulfilled lives as human beings. He is our Creator; He alone knows what is best for us. He has also clearly set out the effects and costs of breaking His rules. That is the Law!  However, within all those rules and regulations God was merciful, He provided ways for sins to be atoned for, for wrongs to be righted. Instead of men paying for their disobedience and rebellion, the penalties could be transferred to other living beings, namely animals. Wha...

Hebrews 10:3 An annual reminder of sins At first sight it seems unlikely that we can add anything to the simple pronouncement contained in this verse. Those endless, daily processions of men queuing to bring their sacrifices before the Lord, the lines of bleating, bellowing animals awaiting their fate, were all pointless and frankly, quite useless. Why? Because no sooner had the sacrifices been made than they needed to be made again, they did not bring an end to sin, and they could never erase future transgressions either. The same could be said of the great Feast Days, particularly the Day of Atonement, no sooner had the High Priest emerged from the Most Holy Place as an end to a year of unintentional sinning, then someone in the camp started to break the Law and the penalty score was renewed! It was all so pointless, such a waste of time, endless in its inability to really make a difference and to solve the chasm between men and God.  The writer here in Hebrews sees another probl...

Hebrews 10:2 The plight of man The author makes a simple and valid point, if the endless rituals and offerings set out in the Law could make men perfect, if the rules and regulations could be obeyed to the letter, then there would be no need for the endless repetition of the daily sacrifices, and the procession of priests and Levites who served at the Tabernacle / Temple. One offering should do it, just once, after that the people could go free and get on with their lives. However, here we read one of the primary reasons for the Law, it awakens guilt and exposes sins. If there was no standard, no measuring stick, if there was no means of judging between right and wrong then none of us would feel guilty! The Law reveals God’s standards and then asks us to measure ourselves and immediately, we see that we fall far short. That is why the Law is so despised and why men prefer to make up their own system of rights and wrongs that waters down God’s original commandments.   All of us carr...

Hebrews 10:1 The shadow of the Law Men can castigate the Jews all they like but there is one tangible thing they had, or have, that no other nation has been given – the Law. For all its complexities and the obstacles it puts between us and God, it is still His Word and His will revealed. It may be  “a shadow of the good things that are coming”  but it is God revealing His heart to men and exposing the destructive power and deceitfulness of sin. No other nation has been given instructions from heaven like the Law, and it may only be a “shadow,” but it is still a glimpse of how the Godhead thinks and works. With the Law came the Levitical priesthood and all the rituals and ceremonies associated with this, every detail of which was, and is, a pointer to a greater heavenly reality. Without the Torah the world would have no clue as to how God thinks or the nature of the heavenly Tabernacle and the glorious work of our great High Priest, Jesus Christ Himself. The Jews can only see t...