"THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS" The Earthly Sanctuary (9:1-10) INTRODUCTION 1. The main points in the "The Epistle To The Hebrews" are rather simple... a. The superiority of Christ - He 1:1-7:28 b. The superiority of the New Covenant - He 8:7-10:18 2. In the "transition passage" of He 8:1-6, we find... a. The first point summarized - He 8:1 b. The second point introduced - He 8:2-6 3. In demonstrating the superiority of the New Covenant, three points are made... a. The New Covenant is based upon "better promises" b. The New Covenant pertains to a "better sanctuary" c. The New Covenant provides a "better sacrifice" 4. In He 8:7-13 we read of the "better promises"... a. Foretold through the prophet Jeremiah - cf. Jer 31:31-34 b. In which God promised a closer relationship with His people, made possible by the forgiveness of sin 5. In chapter nine, our attention is now drawn to the matter of the "better sanctuary" provided by the New Covenant... a. To appreciate the author's argument, we must be acquainted with the sanctuary of the first covenant b. Therefore we find a brief discussion concerning "The Earthly Sanctuary" - He 9:1-10 [We could turn back to the books of Exodus and Leviticus to read about the earthly sanctuary, but in our text we find a helpful and concise summary. Beginning with...] I. THE EARTHLY SANCTUARY: ITS DESCRIPTION (1-5) A. THE HOLY PLACE (2) 1. This was the first part of the tabernacle, in which the priests entered daily 2. Inside of it were... a. The lampstand - cf. Exo 25:31-40; 26:35 1) Placed next to the south wall of the tabernacle 2) Made of gold and had seven lamps for burning olive oil 3) It was never allowed to go out b. The table and the showbread - Exo 25:23-30; 26:35; Lev 24: 5-9 1) A table overlaid with gold 2) On which were kept twelve loaves of bread, in two rows of six 3) Fresh loaves were brought in each Sabbath, and the old were eaten by the priests - cf. 1Sa 21:3-6; Mt 12:3,4 B. THE HOLIEST OF ALL (3-5) 1. This was the part of the tabernacle behind the veil, also called "The Most Holy" - Exo 26:31-33 2. This innermost room of the tabernacle, the holiest place in the worship of Israel, had... a. The golden altar of incense (golden censor, KJV) 1) The golden altar of incense was actually in the Holy Place, just on the other side of the veil separating the two rooms - Exo 30:1-10 a) On this altar sweet spices were continually burned with fire taken from the brazen altar (which was outside the tabernacle) b) The morning and evening services were begun by the high priest offering incense on this altar c) Once a year, the High Priest would take a censer of burning coals from this altar along with incense into the The Most Holy Place - Lev 16:12 2) It is appropriate to say the The Most Holy Place "had" the golden altar... a) For the smoke of the daily incense would permeate through the veil, and as such be "a perpetual incense before the LORD" - Exo 30:8 b) The annual ceremony on the Day of Atonement connected in a tangible way the altar of incense with The Most Holy Place - Lev 16:12 b. The ark of the covenant 1) A chest made of acacia wood, about four feet long by two and half feet high and wide - Exo 25:10-16 2) Covered with gold, it was the most sacred thing in the tabernacle 3) In it contained... a) The golden pot that had the manna - Exo 16:32-34 b) Aaron's rod that budded - Num 17:1-11 c) The tablets of the covenant - Deut 10:1-5 4) Covering the ark was the mercy seat - Exo 25:17-22 a) This lid, covered with gold, was topped with two cherubim (with wings stretched upward, and their faces "toward each other and toward the mercy seat.") b) The Lord was said to appear in a cloud above the mercy seat - Lev 16:2; Num 7:89; 2Ki 19:5 [As stated by the author himself, "of these things we cannot now speak in detail". But a little more is now said regarding the ritual of the earthly sanctuary...] II. THE EARTHLY SANCTUARY: ITS RITUAL (6-7) A. THE RITUAL OF THE HOLY PLACE (6) 1. Every morning and evening, the priests would go into The Holy Place "performing the services"... a. They would trim the lamps on the lampstand - Exo 27:20-21 b. They would offer incense on the altar of incense - Exo 30: 7-8 2. On the Sabbath, the priests would replace the Showbread - Lev 25:4-9 -- But none went into The Most Holy Place during these daily services B. THE RITUAL OF THE MOST HOLY PLACE (7) 1. Once a year, only the high priest entered The Most Holy Place - Lev 16:2 a. On the Day of Atonement b. The tenth day of the seventh month - Lev 16:29 2. The high priest would do three things: a. Offer the incense to cloud the mercy seat - Lev 16:12-13 b. Sprinkle the mercy seat with the blood of a bull, as a sin offering for himself and his family - Lev 16:11,14 c. Sprinkle the mercy seat with the blood of a goat, as a sin offering for the people - Lev 16:15 3. In this way he offered blood for his own sins and those of the people committed in ignorance - He 9:7 [With this summary of the ritual of the earthly sanctuary, we are reminded of the sort of services rendered under the first covenant. But what was the true purpose of such service? And did the sacrifices provide complete redemption? These questions are addressed in the next three verses...] III. THE EARTHLY SANCTUARY: ITS SYMBOLISM AND LIMITATION (8-10) A. IT WAS SYMBOLIC... 1. As already stated, the tabernacle and its service was "a copy and shadow of the heavenly things" - He 8:4-5; cf. He 10:1a; Col 2:16-17 2. Thus it was "symbolic for the present time" - He 9:9 a. Symbolizing what eventually would occur when Christ came b. Symbolizing what Christ has now done in reality when He entered heaven - cf. He 9:11-12,24-26 3. The Holy Spirit was thus indicating that "the way into heaven itself was not yet made manifest" - He 9:8 B. THERE WERE LIMITATIONS... 1. The gifts and sacrifices could not make one perfect in regard to the conscience - He 9:9; cf. He 9:14; 10:1-4 2. The ceremonies involved "fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation" - He 9:10 a. Just as the sanctuary was "earthly", the ordinances were "fleshly" 1) In contrast to that which is heavenly, spiritual 2) Indeed, all of the ritual was designed to impact the physical side of man a) I.e., his senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) b) E.g., the burning of incense, the blowing of trumpets, the vestments b. Such ordinances were designed to be temporary 1) Until "the time of reformation", when changes in worship would be made 2) Indeed, now God expects "spiritual" worship - cf. Jn 4: 21-24 a) Worship that is more in keeping with God's true nature (Spirit) b) Worship that focuses on the inner man 1/ E.g., singing, where the emphasis is on melody made in the heart - Ep 5:19; Col 3:16 2/ Even in the Lord's Supper, which has physical elements, the emphasis is on the communion we share in the body of and blood of Jesus as we commemorate His death - 1Co 11:23-26; 10:16-17 -- Therefore we should not be surprised to learn that the early church did not simply institute the fleshly ordinances of the first covenant into their worship CONCLUSION 1. The earthly sanctuary and its fleshly ordinances served God's purpose well... a. It revealed the terrible nature and high price of sin b. It revealed the need for the shedding of blood to provide the remission of sin c. It prepared people for the coming of the ultimate sacrifice and complete redemption 2. But as useful as it was, it was temporary and symbolic... a. A copy and shadow of what was to come b. Designed to vanish away when what it represented came to pass 3. As we shall see more fully in our next study... a. Christ has come and entered into "the greater and more perfect tabernacle" b. He has "obtained eternal redemption" c. He has made it possible to "purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God" Why would one ever wish to go back to the earthly sanctuary and its fleshly ordinances? Why do some people wish to introduce Old Testament practices into the worship of the Lord's church? It can only be a failure to appreciate what we now have in Christ, and the kind of worshippers God now desires. As Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well... "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (Jn 4:23-24) Are we worshipping God the way He desires? Or whatever way that appeals to our fleshly senses and personal desires? Brethren, think on these things...
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