Hebrews 9:21-22

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 and objects that are set apart for the service of the Lord firstly needed to be cleansed from their sins by the blood of a substitute sacrificial animal. In this, Christ was our substitute, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the whole world. But those who were chosen for service must be sprinkled with the blood of sanctification and their bodies and garments cleansed by the blood too. We also need to recognise that to serve the living God and His Son, Jesus Christ, requires that we are set apart or ordained for the purpose. However, it does not end there, for these same people were then anointed with oil, surely a foreshadowing of the anointing of the Holy Spirit who was poured out on the Church of Jesus Christ at Pentecost. If all this symbolism was so important to the Jews, should not the reality be even more important to us? No one can stand as a priest or minister of the Lord God who does not know forgiveness of sins through the blood of the Lamb. No one can claim authority from the Lord in His service without the sprinkling of His blood of sanctification and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. These are the primary qualifications of any man or woman who seeks to publicly serve the Lord. Hallelujah!

There is another twist to this, the men who served as priests must also wash and be ritually cleansed by the water in the Laver or “Sea” that stood outside the entrance to the Tent. This is also a symbol of preparation for service, for we must also be baptized in water and washed by the water of the Word. 

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