Saturday, March 14, 2015

Hebrews 8:1-13


Christ’s Superior Ministry

What it says:

Heb 8:1  Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
Heb 8:2  A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
Heb 8:3  For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
Heb 8:4  For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:
Heb 8:5  Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
Heb 8:6  But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
Heb 8:7  For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
Heb 8:8  For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
Heb 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Heb 8:11  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
Heb 8:12  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Heb 8:13  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

What it means:

We are continuing to look at a comparison between Jesus Christ, the High Priest of Heaven, and the Levitical high priests who served in the temple in Jerusalem. Our author is speaking to the Hebrews who were very familiar with the temple made by men and consecrated to God. He is explaining the ministry of Jesus in terms they understand. By comparison, he is teaching them about the superiority of Jesus, the Son of God.

Heb 8:1  Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum:

BBC: Now the writer has come to the main point of his argument. He is not summarizing what has been said but stating the main thesis to which he has been leading in the Epistle.

We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;

Who is the “we?” -- The believing Christians

Which high priest is he speaking of? Jesus Christ

Where is our high priest seated? On the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.

Who is “the Majesty?”  God, the Father.

Where is the throne located?  In the heavens.

Heb 8:2  A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle,

Define: Minister – G3011, λειτουργός, leitourgos, li-toorg-os', a public servant, that is, a functionary in the Temple or Gospel, or (generally) a worshipper (of God) or benefactor (of man): - minister (-ed).

Define:  Sanctuary -- G39, ἅγιον, hagion, hag'-ee-on, a sacred thing (that is, spot): - holiest (of all), holy place

Define: Tabernacle – tent; of that well known movable temple of God after the pattern of which the temple at Jerusalem was built

Jesus Christ is the author of eternal life and he ministers or serves in the sanctuary or holiest of all in the true tabernacle located in heaven. 

which the Lord pitched, and not man.

Define: Pitched – erected, set up, put up, placed (Antonym: dismantle)

Who pitched the heavenly tabernacle?  The Lord, and not man.

BBC: He (Jesus) serves the people in the sanctuary of heaven. This is the true tent, of which the earthly tabernacle was a mere copy or representation.

Jesus serves in a much higher, more holy, and separated sanctuary… the real one in heaven where God resides.

Heb 8:3  For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.

What is every high priest ordained to do? Offer gifts and sacrifices.

BBC: Since one of the principal functions of a high priest is to offer both gifts and sacrifices, it follows that our High Priest must do this also. Gifts is a general term covering all types of offerings presented to God. Sacrifices were gifts in which an animal was slain.

To whom are these gifts and sacrifices offered?  To God.

From whom do these gifts and sacrifices come? From man.

Let’s think about this a little. Under the old covenant, the high priests offered sacrifices and gifts to God for the forgiveness or atonement of man. So the gifts were to God and from man. What God actually wanted was not sacrifices piling up, but obedience from the heart. God instituted the system of sacrifices to allow men to get their hearts back in tune with God’s heart. Our high priest, Jesus Christ, has already offered the one true complete and holy eternal sacrifice from His obedient heart which removes our sins, so no more sacrifices of this kind are offered or needed. Jesus satisfied the requirements of God who gave spiritual renewal to any man who desires it.

What about the gifts? What gifts can man offer to God in Jesus Christ? What is it that God wants from us?  He has told us over and over that He wants us to believe Him, to trust and obey Him, and to love Him. He also wants us to love our fellow man, as He loves them. God wants our love!

The kinds of gifts that are listed in the NT are actually gifts from God – the Gift of the Holy Spirit being the main gift that God gives us. He foretold that in the new covenant He would write his laws on our hearts and minds. It is by the Holy Spirit, living in us, that we have God’s laws written in our inward parts – in our minds and hearts.

Jer 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people

The Pulpit Commentary: THE INSCRIPTION OF THE LAW OR GOD IN THE HEART. It is a remark of Ewald’s that in Egyptian temples there were arks, or sacred chests, into which the priests put everything they deemed of the highest value. Jehovah had nothing more precious than his Law, which, being the expression of his righteous will, and for the good of Israel, was placed in the ark of the covenant. While the Law was in the sacred place the people forgot its claims, worshipped false gods, and were guilty of many transgressions. The new covenant places the Law in the heart, and thus life becomes a scene of obedience, a cause of sincerity in worship, and by its constant presence preserves believers from offending God, and produces the fruits of righteousness. Paul said, "With the mind I serve the Law of God; and the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."

God’s desire and will is that we be His. He desires to be our God and that we be His people. Jesus Christ has made it possible for us to be God’s own children.

Luk_12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Eph 1:3-6  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Eph_1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

Php_2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Under the old covenant man gave gifts and sacrifices to God…. And under the new covenant God gave us His Son to be the one eternal sacrifice which brings us close to Him – which means that God made the sacrifice, and it is God who gives us His Eternal Holy Spirit to dwell in each one of us. The only gift we can give God is our true love and gratitude, which is the only thing He wants from us!! The only gift we can give to a fellow human is also our true love!

Luk_10:27  And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

1Jn 4:4-8  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 

Joh_14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Joh_15:10  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.


Heb 8:4  For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:

If Christ had not been crucified and still lived on the earth, what would he not be? He would not be a Levitical priest.

He would not be serving in the temple as a priest because, according to the law, that office is set aside for the tribe of Levi – of which, Jesus was not descended.

Heb 8:5  Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things,

Define: Serve – wait on, provide, supply, function, act, perform, assist, help, aid, work for, attend

Define: Example – model, pattern, replica, mock-up, representation, copy, reproduction, prototype

Define: Shadow – silhouette, outline, darkness, hint, trace, suggestion

The shadow of what? The shadow of heavenly things.

The Levitical priests served the “suggestion” of heavenly things. A shadow is a silhouette with some recognizable details around the outside edges but it does not have substance or true form. An example is reminiscent of the real thing, it is not actually the real thing. The Tabernacle was an “example” made after a pattern. The point being that the Levitical priests served the replica of heavenly things, but, Jesus serves in the real tabernacle in heaven, and not the shadow of one on the earth.

as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

Define: Admonished – cautioned, alerted, warned about, reproved, advised, counseled, informed, notified, forewarned

Who warned Moses?  God.

The tabernacle that God instructed Moses to assemble in the wilderness was a dwelling place for God -- His own tent that the Levitical priests tore down and carried with them every time they moved. They also pitched it once again whenever they reached their next destination. God had given Moses very strict instructions on how the earthly tabernacle of God should be built, carried, and treated because it was a shadow or pattern of the real one in Heaven.

Exo 25:8-9  And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

Why did God let them make Him a sanctuary? God’s great desire is to dwell with us and among us. He is the God of love and His desire is to be with us! God is so amazing! God provided all that was needed in order for us to dwell with His Holy Highness – because that is His will.

Do you also see that God actually made a place for Himself to sit and commune with man here on the Earth? He came to us. But man's heart was not right and he disregarded God. 

BBC: The tabernacle was never intended to be the ultimate sanctuary. It was only a copy and shadow. When God called Moses up to Mount Sinai and told him to build the tabernacle, He gave him a definite blueprint to follow. This pattern was a type of a higher, heavenly, spiritual reality.

Why does the writer emphasize this so forcefully? Simply to impress on the minds of any who might be tempted to go back to Judaism that they were leaving the substance for the shadows when they should be going on from shadow to substance.

Heb 8:6  But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

Who is this verse talking about?  Jesus Christ.

What has he obtained? A more excellent ministry.

The word “more” indicates a comparison. He is pointing out that Christ’s ministry is more excellent than the Levitical priests.

He was the mediator of what?  A better covenant.

The better covenant was the new one that replaced the old one which was vanishing away.

What was the better covenant established upon?  Better promises.

Jer 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Jesus has:
1.    obtained a more excellent ministry
2.    become the mediator of a better covenant
3.    delivered on better promises

BBC: Christ's ministry is infinitely better. He offered Himself, not an animal. He presented the value of His own blood, not the blood of bulls and goats. He put away sins, not merely covered them. He gave believers a perfect conscience, not an annual reminder of sins. He opened the way for us to enter into the presence of God, not to stand outside at a distance.

He is also Mediator of a better covenant. As Mediator He stands between God and man to bridge the gap of estrangement. Griffith Thomas compares the covenants succinctly:

“The covenant is “better” because it is absolute not conditional, spiritual not carnal, universal not local, eternal not temporal, individual not national, internal not external.”

Let's take a closer look at these comparisons:

The covenant is “better” because it is:

⦁    absolute not conditional,

Define:  Absolute – total, complete, utter, unconditional, unlimited, supreme, fixed, unmodified, pure, perfect, unquestionable (Antonym: relative, provisional)

Define: Conditional – dependent on something else being done, having conditions or limitations, provisional, restricted, restrictive, qualified, uncertain, unconfirmed (Antonym: unrestricted)

Why is an absolute covenant better than a conditional one?  Because it is unconditional.  It is fixed so it will not change, it is pure so it cannot be defiled, it is perfect and cannot fall apart.

⦁    spiritual not carnal,

Define: Spiritual – sacred, divine, coming from God, being of God

Define:  Carnal – physical, of the flesh, not spiritual, not intellectual, sensual, relating to or consisting of the body

Why is an spiritual covenant better than a carnal one?  Because the source of the spiritual is God, and the source of the carnal is the body which is destined to die.

⦁    universal not local,

Define: Universal – worldwide, widespread, general, common to all, collective, entire, unanimous

Define:  Local – confined to a particular group or location, restricted, limited, confined, narrow

Why is a universal covenant better than a local one? Because it is not limited to a certain group of people. It is available to anyone who chooses to believe.

⦁    eternal not temporal,

Define: Eternal – everlasting, undying, unending, perpetual, endless, ceaseless, timeless, incorruptible, (Antonym: temporary)

Define: Temporal – worldly, earthly, mundane, mortal, corruptible, destined to die

Why is an eternal covenant better than a temporal one? Because it is everlasting and is not destined to die. We can fearlessly put our trust in it.

⦁    individual not national,

Define: Individual – personal, specific, particular, private, unique (Antonym: common)

Define:  National – nationwide, state, general, public, state-run, non-specific

Why is an individual covenant better than a national one? Each man or woman will answer for their own transgressions and not for the sins of the whole nation.

⦁    internal not external.

Define: Internal – inner, inside, interior, within the inner man, concerns the heart, the center, the core

Define: External – outside, outer, exterior, peripheral, marginal, secondary

Why is an internal covenant better than an external one? The heart that has the covenant written within the inner man will direct the man to God. God will be first in this heart. But a covenant that is outside the heart does not bring a man or woman closer to God. They remain at a distance or are marginal and secondary.

“The covenant is “better” because it is

1.    absolute not conditional (its implementation depends on God, and not man),
2.    spiritual not carnal (based on God’s Holy Spirit and not our weakness),
3.    universal not local (available to anyone, not just one particular group),
4.    eternal not temporal (it never ends or changes, we can depend on it and dwell within it continually),
5.    individual not national (specific to our personal needs not just the general one-size-fits-all population, our personal relationship with the Father cannot be affected by unbelievers),
6.    internal not external (it deeply touches the heart and is not about “appearances”).”

It is a better covenant because it is founded on better promises. The covenant of law promised blessing for obedience but threatened death for disobedience. It required righteousness but did not give the ability to produce it.

The New Covenant is an unconditional covenant of grace:

⦁    It imputes righteousness where there is none.
⦁    It teaches men to live righteously,
⦁    empowers them to do so, and
⦁    rewards them when they do.

Heb 8:7  For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

We see the if/then contingency:

What is the “if?” -- If that first covenant had been faultless.

What is the “then?” -- Then no place would have been sought for a second. Or there would have been no need for God to foretell of a better one. The first covenant was made “faulty” by man, not by God. They continued to disobey and disrespect Him.

Heb 8:8  For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

With whom did God find fault?  The house of Israel and with the house of Judah.

What was God going to make? A new covenant.

With whom? The same people.

When did He plan on doing this? He says, "Behold, the days come" meaning at some time in the future, or more accurately, the future is on its way.

Heb 8:9  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers

Would the new covenant be like the old one? No.

Who had the old one been made with? The fathers of the Israelites (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, including Moses, Aaron, and the prophets.)

in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt;

What had God done for the fathers? He took them by the hand and lead them out of Egypt. He liberated them from their slavery. He redeemed them.

because they continued not in my covenant,

What had the fathers done? They “continued not” – they “unbelieved,” they did not keep God’s covenant.

Gen_17:7  And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

When the Israelites went a whoring after other gods, they disregarded God. They committed adultery against Him.

Jer_5:7  How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.

and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

The Living God was long suffering and patient. He called them back to Him many times. Sent them into captivity to show them what it was like to live without Him and then brought them home to Him. But they just kept wandering off to the whore houses of other gods – the ones of gold, silver, wood and stone – with painted eyes, and ears of stone.

Define: Regard – respect, value, esteem, admiration, good opinion, appreciate, prize, cherish, hold dear, affection, honor, repute (standing)

What are the antonyms to regard? (Antonym: disregard, disrespect, contempt, insolence, impertinence, ignore, close the eyes to)

But when they continually were headstrong and preferred to disregard Him…. He finally disregarded them. He closed His eyes to them. He no longer esteemed them, as before, and told them He was making a new covenant because they refused to obey the old one.

Heb 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

Where will God put His laws?  Into their mind.

Where will God write His laws?  In their hearts.

What will God be to them? A God.

What shall they be to Him?  His people.

He will put His laws into their minds so they will remember them. He will write them in their hearts so they will regard them. The people will know who their God really is and will remember Him, regard Him, and love Him. God will have the people He desires to have. He will love and regard them and bless them forever. He is the God of love.

BBC: 8:10   Notice the repetition of the words I will. The Old Covenant tells what man must do; the New Covenant tells what God will do. After those days of Israel's disobedience are past, He will put His laws in their mind so that they will know them, and on their hearts so that they will love them. They will want to obey, not through fear of punishment but through love for Him. The laws will no longer be written in stone but on the fleshly tablets of the heart.

I will be their God, and they shall be My people. This speaks of nearness. The OT told man to stand at a distance; grace tells him to come near. It also speaks of an unbroken relationship and unconditional security. Nothing will ever interrupt this blood-bought tie

Heb 8:11  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

God will be known among His people. He will be allowed to love and bless them, even more! God will be fulfilled!

BBC:  The New Covenant also includes universal knowledge of the Lord. During Christ's Glorious Reign, it will not be necessary for a man to teach his neighbor or his brother to know the Lord. Everyone will have an inward consciousness of Him, from the least ... to the greatest: “The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isa_11:9).

Heb 8:12  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

God will be merciful to what? To their unrighteousness.

What will God forget? Their sins and their iniquities.

BBC: 8:12   Best of all, the New Covenant promises mercy for an unrighteous people and eternal forgetfulness of their sins. The law was inflexible and unbending: “Every transgression and disobedience received a just reward” (Heb_2:2).

Furthermore, the law could not deal effectively with sins. It provided for the atonement of sins but not for their removal. (The Hebrew word for atonement comes from the verb meaning “cover.”) The sacrifices prescribed in the law made a man ceremonially clean, that is, they qualified him to engage in the religious life of the nation. But this ritual cleansing was external; it did not touch a man's inward life. It did not provide moral cleansing or give him a clear conscience.

Heb 8:13  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

When God made a new covenant, what happened to the old one? It decayed, grew old, and vanished away.

We know that God’s mercy is new every morning, because He, Himself, never changes. This means that He is also always new, lively and fresh. God does not grow old. So if the former covenant grows “old,” “decayed,” and “vanishes away” that means it has died. Jesus the mediator of the new covenant makes everything new!!

2Co_5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

2Co_3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Mar_2:21  No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.


BBC: 8:13   The fact that God introduces a New Covenant means that the first is obsolete. Since this is so, there should be no thought of going back to the law. Yet that is exactly what some of the professing believers were tempted to do. The author warns them that the legal covenant is outmoded; a better covenant has been introduced. They should get in step with God.

Read our verses again:

Heb 8:1  Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
Heb 8:2  A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
Heb 8:3  For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
Heb 8:4  For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:
Heb 8:5  Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
Heb 8:6  But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
Heb 8:7  For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
Heb 8:8  For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
Heb 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Heb 8:11  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
Heb 8:12  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Heb 8:13  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.


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