Daily Meditations

Hebrews 10:17 Remembered no more! In ancient times it was not uncommon for men to join the schools of the prophets, as with King Saul, or to devote oneself to holy service at the feet of a priest, as with Samuel and Eli. Indeed, to be considered as a man or woman of God, as with Deborah, we would have to show exceptional devotion and live lives that were separate from the common people. We would be studious in our attention to the Law and learn from it that we might begin to discern the mind and heart of God. This way of life has overflowed into the journey of the various holy orders, and it is also adopted by Judaism where young men devote their lives to studying the Torah and Mishnah etc. We might even include the various Bible Schools and Theological Colleges which provide the means for men and women to enter church ministries today. In other words, we can be forgiven for thinking that to be used by the Lord in modern ministries we have to be special, to live lives of a higher order...

Hebrews 10:16 The role of prophets In Old Testament times, when the Lord God spoke and wished to make His purposes clear, He chose individuals and gave them His words. Prophets, seers, priests and national leaders all heard that voice and carefully recorded the words they were given so that these precious truths could be passed on. Such men and women were highly venerated and were elevated amongst the people as those who had become God’s mouthpieces. In this way we have the Scriptures, or what we call the Old Testament, and we too respect and admire the men and women who had such a close affinity with the Lord. But, in this verse, quoted from Jeremiah 31:33, the Lord gives prior warning that a day will come when the roles of individual prophets etc will come to an end, instead He will “ put His laws in men’s hearts and write them on their minds.”  This is talking, of course, about the coming of the Holy Spirit when it will not be necessary for individuals to hear and then carefully...

Hebrews 10:15 The Holy Spirit testifies Let us be absolutely clear here, whilst the Holy Spirit was not given to the church until Pentecost, in ancient times He was still a massive influence on God’s people and on individuals, especially those who were called to lead or to speak with the voice of the Lord. The truth is, we either follow the Spirit of truth and righteousness, or we obey the spirit of lies and deceit. It has ever been so. For instance, Peter writes,  “You must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”  2 Peter 1:20-21. Paul’s famous quote to Timothy encompasses the Old Testament, for the New had still not been written, when he writes , “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant ...

Hebrews 10:14 Perfect but being made holy Let’s emphasize straight away the difference between the fact that Christ has made us perfect through His sacrifice, but conversely, we are still being made holy! The first act is completed and stands forever, the second is an ongoing process. The first is what Christ has done for us, the second requires our co-operation with Him and is a journey of faith. Let’s examine each one in more detail. We all know that the death of Jesus Christ was a “once for all” moment in human history. He cannot and will not be crucified a second time, that is not necessary, the offering has been made, the blood that secures our salvation has been shed, the righteous demands of the Law have been met. This incredible event will never be repeated, that is why there is no second chance for men and women, we either believe in Him while we have the opportunity, or we die in our sins and face God’s righteous judgements. His salvation is eternal because its effects are un...

Hebrews 10:13 The footstool of Jesus Christ It could be argued that the author of Hebrews is a bit guilty of repetition, and yes, he certainly makes an attempt to drive his points home. That suggests that they are of considerable significance; if we simply skim over the words and think, “Well, I’ve heard all this before,” we miss the point. When the Lord repeats Himself, it is of the utmost importance. He wants us to understand, this is the Gospel, this is the spiritual significance of all that Christ has done, and it reverberates throughout the heavens and throughout the ages. These are the roots of our faith, they can never be undone, the enemy cannot counterfeit the work of Christ Jesus in the way in which He counterfeits so much through human religions. These vital transactions between the spirit world and the earthly one are established for all time, suddenly the reason and purpose for Israel becomes clear, suddenly the Old Testament of our Bibles becomes completely relevant, sudd...

Hebrews 10:12 It's all done! This verse succinctly summarises all that we have recently learned. Look at the various phrases that are used; - ·        Offered for all time ·        One sacrifice for sins ·        He sat down This is written so that we might put the final seal on all that has been discussed. The sacrifice at Calvary will never be repeated; it covers all time. There will never again be the need for repetitive sacrifices for all sins have been atoned for. The job has been done, the act of salvation is complete, just as God our Father rested from His creative works on 7 th  day, so Yeshua rests from His work of salvation. He now sits at the right hand of God. Unlike all priests who preceded Him, He need no longer stands before the Lord for His work is completed.  We encountered this status of Jesus Christ as early as Chapter 1:13 when God spoke to His son and commanded Him to...

Hebrews 10:11 Standing to perform This verse goes on to expand on what we have already been told. Notice that our attention is deliberately drawn to the fact that the ancient Jewish priests always stood as they performed their duties. The act of sitting down symbolised the fact that a task had been completed, the job had been done, it need not be repeated. As we shall see, this is the case with Yeshua! However, for the priesthood, the same old routines had to be performed day after day, there was never an end to it, it was generally understood that these relentless religious duties could not be terminated until Messiah came. And come He did and the Temple was destroyed and the pointless sacrificial system was ended.  How tragic that some Jews today still long and plan for the revival of the sacrifices, the priesthood and the Temple, for those who think this way show that they still do not accept the status and purpose of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice! Even though He is one of them...

Hebrews 10:10 Made Holy - once for all! There are two phrases in this verse that have mind-blowing consequences for all who believe.    Firstly, “ we have been made holy.”   Secondly, Jesus was sacrificed,   “Once for all.”     Both of these outcomes were impossible under the old sacrificial rituals of the Law but now, through the body of Christ and His willing submission to the Father’s will, our salvation has been made possible. Let’s just think about the implications for a minute. We all know, that when we take a good, hard look at ourselves we are anything but holy because we define it as being pure and righteous and God-like. However, the word correctly means that we are set apart, we now belong to God. God Himself is holy, He is separate from Creation, His holiness does, of course, mean that He is absolutely pure, and is not stained by any evil whatsoever. What Christ has done for us, through His sacrifice, is to fully wash away our sins, to carry the...

Hebrews 10:9 "Here I am, I have come to do Your will." As the heavenly review of mankind’s miserable, fallen state became clear so the ineffectiveness of the animal sacrifices was put into perspective. They could never solve the problem of sin; they could offer temporary absolution but only for unintentional sins. They could not save men from death or offer eternal salvation and hope. The entire system was riddled with inadequacies but put in place by God to show the world that we can do nothing to save ourselves. Therefore, Jesus Christ steps up to the plate and says to His Father, “This arrangement is not working, as we know, it is time to set aside the sacrificial system once and for all.  “Here I am, I have come to do Your will.”  In other words, “Let’s put a stop to this endless procession of pointless rituals, it has served its purpose. Now is the time, the time for me to fulfil the task that we always knew must come to pass. It will cause us both incredible pain and an...

Hebrews 10:8 Animal sacrifices were never enough. Psalm 40 is still being quoted at us, before Yeshua offered Himself to God as was written in the scroll, He announced that He was fully aware that  “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire.” Jesus knew the heart and mind of God His Father, He had observed the endless rituals that took place daily in the Tabernacle / Temple and He knew that this was not the Father’s greatest desire. It may be that the growing frustration in His Father’s heart was the catalyst for Jesus to offer Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for men. God had anguished over the state of His world, the increasing attempts by His enemy to destroy and manipulate mankind. God saw the centuries of arrogance and blatant sin and that even His chosen people, Israel, had failed to carry out His will. The Law was good; the offerings were often well-meant and given in good faith, but they could never fully breach the chasm between God and men. Maybe the long years of pointl...

Hebrews 10:7 "Here I am!" Notice that these verses are a direct quote from Psalm 40 and are attributed to Jesus Christ Himself, as if it were He who wrote the Psalm! It was in fact, King David who wrote Psalm 40 but the beauty of God’s Word is that it is timeless, David could never have understood the full implications of his writings, but as the Holy Spirit guided His pen, so a detailed and unbreakable link was being made with Yeshua and events that would take place 1,000 years later!  One of the inarguable facts of history is that Jesus was born a Jew. His family tree was Jewish, on both parents’ sides. His coming was promised in the Torah, prophesied by the seers, anticipated by the priesthood and lauded in the Psalms. All the history of ancient Israel was a preparation for His coming. The Scriptures, given to men, set the scene and described the events, the entire nation of Israel was on tenterhooks for centuries as the people awaited their Messiah. Jesus had to be born a...

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...

Hebrews 9:28 The bringer of salvation There are two stand – out things that Christ Jesus has done that completely changes the course of history and the lives of everyone who genuinely believes in Him. Firstly, the sin problem that decides our destiny at death, has been resolved, literally, once and for all. the verse before us does not say that He covers our sin or hides them or heals them, it clearly states that he was  “sacrificed once to take away the sins of many.”  They are gone! Our sins have been taken away forever, if we believe. This is not for all, or even a few but for many! There are large numbers of human beings who have lived and died in the past who believed in the sacrificial offering of Yeshua and because of their faith, their sins have been taken away. As Paul points out in Romans 3,  “it’s just as if I never sinned.”   The death problem that we talked about in the previous verse is settled, we may leave this world in the certain knowledge that...

Hebrews 9:27 Death then judgement An awful lot of time and resources are spent today in trying to help us avoid or postpone death! Without wishing to sound ungrateful none of us can really avoid our destiny, for all must die, rich and poor, the great and the good, paupers and kings, famous and unknown. As the daily news reminds us, even the most accomplished and wealthy of earth’s citizens eventually die, that is our destiny and it is impossible to cheat it. Strangely, very few spend any length of time thinking about what happens next, and many who do make up their own versions of life after death or follow religions that promise much but that are unable to deliver.  The Bible is clear that we cannot avoid this terminal appointment, our graveyards are full of those who have passed before us and in truth, our time on earth is very short. The old phrase,  “Eat, drink and be merry”,  has not altered over the centuries and it is understandable that many adopt this attitude to...

Hebrews 9:26 Once for all! Thank God that the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus was once-for-all and need never be repeated. As the writer of Hebrews states,  “Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world.”  These words do not just show us the supremacy of His sacrifice but that it was also part of a divine plan that has always existed. If the sacrificial system is the only means of cleansing and forgiveness of sins, and if Christ’s offering fell short or was not acceptable by heaven’s standards, then He would have had to offer Himself annually just as all other High Priests had made regular sacrifices before Him. Thank God that was not necessary, in fact Yahweh had always known, from the creation of the world, that animal sacrifices would not suffice, and He  always had in mind to offer His Son as the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world, once for all. Some may ask, then why did the Jews have to relentlessly follow the rules an...

Hebrews 9:25 Away with repetition! The author is intent on his readers grasping the superiority of our heavenly High Priest by comparison with the earthly occupants of this role. Firstly, he draws attention to the monotonous rituals of the earthly priests who, year after year, fulfilled their roles in a repetitive series of ceremonies that had no apparent end or long-term solution to the problem of sins. In early autumn every Jewish worshipper marked their calendars and pondered a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to witness the Feast of Trumpets and the days of repentance that terminated in the rituals of Atonement and, if they could, they remained for the Feast of Tabernacles. Everyone knew what would happen on these holy days, for the routines never changed, but never-the-less, they watched, waited and celebrated their traditions and then went away to get on with life. It was, of course, an honour for the man who was High Priest to perform his duties on behalf of the nation, but everyone knew...

Hebrews 9:24 Christ has entered the heavenly sanctuary Copies, metaphors, allegories, substitutes – it seems harsh to reduce the Jewish religion to such levels after they had spent centuries trying to uphold the Law. After all, it was God who selected them, gave them their orders and oversaw their attempts to keep their side of the Covenant promises. Indeed, many of them still believe that their access to the Lord depends on their efforts and their allegiance to the rituals and regulations handed down by their ancestors. Thank God, that one day, their eyes will be opened. (read Romans 9-11).  It would not be fair to point the finger at the Jews when the church has been even more dismissive of God’s truth. How many churches teach the Old Testament; to help believers to understand what Jesus Christ really came to do? How many grasp the significance of the replica Tabernacle and its representation of the heavenly reality? How many believers understand the role of our High Priest and t...

Hebrews 9:23 The copies and the reality In chapter 8:5 the writer of this Epistle states that the Tabernacle and its furnishings and all the ceremonial and ritual practices associated with it, were just a copy – a metaphor! Hundreds of years of sacrifices and offerings were rigorously observed, the Jews thought that they were appeasing their God, that their religious devotion was all that the Lord ever asked from them, only to now be told that it was all just a substitute for something far more real and meaningful than Moses and the Law could ever give them. It must have felt like God was using them, that they had made themselves unpopular with the world – for nothing! That is not true, at their best they had been a shining light to the world, at their worst they had simply shown us all the futility of working for salvation and to appease the Lord God. Even better, they had allowed the world a glimpse behind the curtain that separates men from heaven, they had prepared the way for the ...

Hebrews  9:21-22 The cleansing with blood These verses continue the thought in verse 20, that the sacred Temple rituals were not put in place just to symbolise the cleansing from sin and a guilty conscience, but also to sanctify the people and the implements used to carry out the priestly duties. Even the Book of the Covenant was sprinkled with blood, the people were sprinkled with blood, the Tabernacle and all its sacred objects were sprinkled with blood. The Tent and its furniture had not sinned, they were ceremonially treated this way to show that they were dedicated to God and deemed fit for purpose. We need to understand this, that the blood of Christ does not just cover our past sins, but it also sets us apart for the holy service of God. Interestingly, once the Tabernacle and its artifacts had been ceremonially cleansed by the blood, they were also anointed with oil (See Leviticus 8), as was Aaron and his sons and the garments they wore. Let’s just get this straight, people ...

Hebrews 9:20 The blood of the Covenant Once again, the sprinkling of blood is being emphasized, this symbolic act was the start of a process that would characterise the faith of the Israelites forever. The sprinkling of blood was part of just about every ritual and ceremony that they celebrated, and blood was sprinkled over numerous items, people, buildings and artifacts, because it always spoke of purity, cleansing, dedication to God, and sprinkled items were deemed to be covered and protected from the stain of sin and thus sacred to the Lord. So, even the Covenant itself was covered by blood and thus sanctified and set apart for God and from God. Remember that this was not just some human tradition or religious regulation, this was all done in the name of the Lord and under His authority and instruction.  We turn to ourselves and of course, make a direct link with the blood of the sacrifice that was offered at Calvary. The blood that Yeshua offered when He was whipped and scourge...

Hebrews 9:19 Covered by the blood The events described here are a mirror of Exodus 24 where Moses and his sons were invited to approach the Lord on Mount Sinai, together with 70 elders from the tribes of Israel. This is a continuation of the giving of the sacred laws by the Lord, which are described in Exodus 20-21. The people in the camp were fully aware of what was taking place and had promised that  “Everything the Lord has said we will do.”  (A fragile commitment to the Lord, evidenced by the fact that just hours later, they were worshipping a golden calf!)  It was Moses who was entrusted with writing down the words of the Lord which, of course, included the 10 Commandments, although it was the Lord God who wrote these on the Tablets of Stone. The following day Moses built an altar at the foot of Mount Sinai and set up 12 stone pillars representing the 12 tribes of Israel. Young bulls were sacrificed and half of their blood was splashed on the altar and the rest on th...

Hebrews 9:18 There has to be blood! And here is the evidence that a death has taken place. Blood has been proved to have been shed. The Old Mosaic Covenant relied on the slaughter of endless animal sacrifices. We can only imagine the numbers processing towards the holy site, especially on Feast days when Jerusalem was full of pilgrims. We looked at the various offerings in verse 13 and in every case the creature had to be killed and its blood poured out, if it was to atone for the sins of the offeror.  “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.”  Hebrews 9:22. Countless innocent animals were led to the slaughter over the centuries of Tabernacle / Temple rituals. The pilgrim would lay his hands on the beast and then kill it. The priests would collect the blood and apply it to the sides of the altar, then the animal would be butchered. Hundreds of thousands of animals must have been sacrificed in this way. These poor creatures were seen as substitutes for men and t...