Daily Meditations

Hebrews 9:4 The golden Altar of Incense Having perused the items of the inner Tabernacle furniture and their placement within the tent, this verse seems to throw up an obstacle, for it places the golden altar of incense alongside the Ark of the Covenant and within the Most Holy Place! Scholars accept that there is a problem here, if the altar was used by priests twice daily, to offer prayers to the Lord, how could it be housed within the Most Holy Place which was entered only once a year by the High Priest? The general agreement seems to be that this altar was closely associated with all that took place within the curtain, it was the sole obstacle to entering through into God’s presence and so it was included in the same package as it were! From this altar of incense, the High Priest would use the holy fragrance when He made His annual visit to worship and sacrifice before the Lord. In other words, the altar of incense and the Ark of the Covenant were inextricably linked!  There ha...

Hebrews 9:3b Inside the Tabernacle The Holy Place It’s time to look a bit more closely at the furniture that occupied the inner Tabernacle of the Israelites. This will hopefully help to make sense of the rest of this chapter of Hebrews. As the priest entered the Holy Place, and only priests could enter, they would be illuminated by the light from the menorah, or seven branched lampstand. Light is, of course, at the very heart of God’s dealings with the earth and with mankind. Light was given at the beginning of creation; it dominates every day of our lives in contrast with darkness. Jesus was the light of the world; His Holy Spirit gives us light as does His Word. If you are a true believer in Christ, then you share in His Holy Spirit. He is your light. That was the whole point of Pentecost.       The Table of Shewbread occupied the space opposite the Menorah. On it were 12 loaves of unleavened bread in two stacks of 6. Some incense was placed on the table to anoint the o...

Hebrews 9:3a Inside the Tabernacle The Holy Place was not the final part of this sacred tent, there was another curtain that confronted the priests who daily entered the Tabernacle. It hung as a taunt, for some of these men must have wondered what exactly lay beyond. But it was also a barrier, for no ordinary priest was allowed to pass through this curtain or to see what lay within. It was believed that God’s holy presence dwelt in this inner sanctuary, called the Most Holy Place. Only one man was allowed to pass through the innermost curtain, and he could only do only it but once per year, on the Day of Atonement. We will talk more about this in a few verses time.   Throughout this chapter it will be helpful to have at least an illustration of the Tabernacle and its furniture so that the layout and the nature of the sacred objects can be better visualised. We will provide this next time. If you were a priest and therefore allowed to serve in the sanctuary, it must have been a very...

Hebrews 9:2 The Holy Place There is no room here to look in detail at the regulations for building the Tabernacle. These can be found in Exodus 25 and later chapters. As we know, the instructions for building this “tent” and its furnishings were precise and had to be followed meticulously. For those who study the plans and the symbolism or significance of every detail in its construction, the Tabernacle offers a wealth of understanding about the nature of God and His relationship with His people. Every single piece of this temporary structure points to Christ and to the permanent heavenly Tabernacle where He now serves as our High Priest. The first room of the Tabernacle is often referred to as the Holy Place and in it was the lampstand or seven branched Menorah, the lamps were kept burning night and day. In addition, a Table of consecrated bread was positioned on the north side of the room, this held 12 loaves which were replaced once per week. Positioned near the entrance to the next...

Hebrews 9:1 The first covenant When the writer here talks about the “First Covenant” he is referring to the covenant made with Moses and the Israelites on Mount Sinai. The Covenant made with Abraham, referred to previously, was made years before. Paul calculated it was 430 years. (Galatians 3:16-17.) The Sinai Covenant was a complex and demanding arrangement that the Israelites fastidiously attempted to obey, and they failed miserably. As would we! The full contents of this contract are set out in the Torah and the rules and ramifications of it all occupy most of the texts of Exodus through to Deuteronomy. The verse before us highlights the two main aspects; regulations for worship, and everything associated with an earthly tabernacle.  “Tabernacle” simply means “tent or temporary dwelling.”  It’s a deliberate action on God’s part, the Law and its rituals were only ever meant to be temporary, they were to occupy a period of time until Messiah came. They were given solely ...

Hebrews 8:13 The new covenant It is vital that we remember that God made more than one Covenant with the world through His ancient people, Israel. In fact, I believe there were 7. The two most important are, the contract that He sealed with Abraham, and the Covenant in which Israel was given the Law under Moses on Mount Sinai. Abraham was appointed the father of all who believe, from every nation, forever. The Law, on the other hand, was a temporary arrangement given primarily to Israel and it was put in place to protect and guide them exclusively as a nation, during their occupation of the Promised Land. This Covenant was established to guard the Jews until Christ came! It is now obsolete!  The New Covenant, instigated and initiated by Christ, replaces the contract on Sinai, it removes the need for a Levitical priesthood, a Temple and the rituals and ceremonies of the Jewish religion. However, what Christ has signed and sealed for us is in fulfilment of, and in no way detracts fro...