Daily Meditations

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...

Hebrews 8:12 I will remember their sins no more.  Remember that these verses were written by a Jewish author, to Jewish people who were struggling to marry up the Christian faith with the laws and principles that they had grown up with and that had dominated the Jewish religion and culture for centuries. They needed to be reassured that God was not rejecting the Old Testament Scriptures, and the faith of their ancestors, for the sake of the church. In reality, what He was doing was embellishing the beliefs of the ancient people by embracing the whole world and replacing a broken system with something far better. Was Israel finished and eradicated from the Covenant promises of God? By no means, their faith and their understanding was being enhanced, it turns out that all that had been revealed to them over the centuries was simply the foundations, the roots of an even more elaborate and fuller plan for God’s engagement with the people of the world. The church needs to remember this,...

Hebrews 8:11 They will all know Him! There is a future fulfilment to these verses that we have been addressing. Remember that v8-12 of this chapter of Hebrews are a quotation from Jeremiah 31:31-34 and the old prophet’s pronouncements look into the future when the whole world will be under the rule and reign of Christ, and all men will learn to obey the commands of the Lord. The Israelites were ordered to teach the commandments of the Law to one another and to their children and many have done so, to this very day. In the same way my parents taught me a great deal from the Scriptures, not least what was right and wrong in God’s sight. Parents today would do well to follow this example, but it won’t always be necessary! Will we always need to proclaim the word of the Lord on street corners or in our workplaces or in Sunday Schools? No! There will come a day when men are no longer ignorant about God, for His Son will reign over the earth and His commands will be obvious to all.  Psal...