To Print Out The Lesson Click On The Title Below.
Psalms 138:1-8 A Psalm Of David. I will
praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You. I
will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your
lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your
name. In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with
strength in my soul. All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O LORD, When
they hear the words of Your mouth. Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the
LORD, For great is the glory of
the LORD. Though the LORD is on
high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar. Though I walk
in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. The LORD
will perfect that which
concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures
forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
Father God, thank
you for all you do for us and our loved ones. I ask that these lessons touch
the hearts of those who read them and bring them into a closer relationship
with You! I pray and ask for this in Jesus name, Amen!
Book of Hebrews 9:1-10 NKJV
This
lesson is about the Old and New Covenant, the earthly and Heavenly Sanctuary,
old and new ordinances, etc. We have discussed and explained some of these in
earlier chapters of Hebrews, but there are some points I would like to bring out.
The last half of this chapter also has some points that need to be brought out
in more detail.
1 Then
indeed, even the first covenant
had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary.
Then
indeed, even the first covenant; This
references the tabernacle or earthly sanctuary which was the Holy Place (outer
part of the sanctuary) and the Holy of Holies (the inner part of the
sanctuary). This is where the service of God was celebrated under the Old
Covenant. It also was a picture of what was to come in the future.
Had
ordinances of divine service; The
ordinances performed there were of a divine nature since they were all handed
down to the Israelites through Moses from God.
And
the earthly sanctuary; The
earthly/worldly sanctuary, even though was constructed through the instructions
of God and built by man, was far inferior to what is in Heaven that we will see
one day.
2 For a
tabernacle was prepared: the first part,
in which was the lampstand, the
table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary;
For
a tabernacle was prepared; In
reference to what was made in the wilderness under the direction of God through
Moses.
The
first part, in which was the lampstand; This phrase is referring to one of the
very first things God told Moses to construct. The Lampstand is referring to
the golden lampstand. God gave Moses instruction in this order of things to
build for the Sanctuary. The ark, poles to carry the ark, mercy seat to cover
the ark, two cherubim of gold on the ends of the mercy seat, a table overlaid
with pure gold to always display the showbread before God, pure gold dishes,
pans, pitchers, and bowls for pouring, and then the golden lampstand. Exodus Chapter 25 gives all the fine details
that God gave Moses about these things.
The
table, and the showbread; The
table I have already mentioned it sat just before the veil of the Holy of
Holies and the showbread sat on it, but what is the significance of the
showbread? I have found many things this showbread represents pertaining to the
Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The book of Leviticus tells us about this
showbread; Leviticus 24:5-9 "And you shall take fine flour and bake
twelve cakes (twelve tribes) with it.
Two-tenths of an ephah (ephah
= 3.84 quarts of fine flour) shall be in
each cake. 6
You shall set them in two rows, six in a row, on the pure gold table before the LORD. (Some say the loaves were in
rows while others say the loaves were stack one on top of the other. Based on
them representing the 12 tribes and the following verse involving frankincense
for a memorial by each of the tribes, I believe they were in 2 rows, not
stacked. All of this is for a memorial of the everlasting covenant. Therefore
the 2 rows of 6 symbolize the halves of the animals that Abraham cut in halves and
placed opposite each other, and the Lord passed through them when He made His covenant
with Abraham. Genesis 15:9-15 ) 7 And you shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be on the bread
for a memorial, an offering made by fire to the LORD. 8 Every
Sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of
Israel (The
tribes supplied these loaves.) by an
everlasting covenant. (The everlasting covenant goes back to when God made a covenant with
Abraham. Genesis Chapter 15) 9 And it
shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the
offerings of the LORD made by fire, by a perpetual statute."
Which
is called the sanctuary;
This should have been translated, “which is called the Holy Place.” The name
Sanctuary, was commonly known as the whole structure.
3 and
behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest
of All,
The second veil is the
veil across the Holy of Holies, being the doorway. The Holy of Holies contained
the Ark of the Covenant with its covering the Mercy Seat.
4 which had
the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold,
in which were the golden pot
that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant;
Which
had the golden censer; The
censer was a “fire-pan,” made for the purpose of carrying fire, in order to
burn incense in the Holy of Holies once a year during the time of atonement.
Some disagree, with regard to this statement of Paul’s that the “golden censer”
was in the most holy place. There is no facts given by Moses pertaining to the golden
censer being in the most holy place, or in the description of Solomon’s temple,
but the following considerations are food for thought.
(1) Paul was a highly
educated Jew, and very familiar with what pertained to the temple, and gave
such a description of it, that it would be in accordance with what actually
existed in his time. The fact that Moses does not specifically mention it, does
not prove that this golden censer was not in the most holy place.
(2) Aaron and his
successors were explicitly commanded to burn incense in a “censer” in the most holy
place before the mercy-seat. This was to be done on the great day of atonement
once a year. Leviticus 16:12-13
(3)
there is every
probability that the censer used on such an occasion of atonement was made of
gold. All the utensils that were used in the most holy place were made of gold,
or overlaid with gold, and it is very doubtful that the high priest would use
any other on such a solemn occasion. 1Kings 7:50
(4)
as the golden censer was
to be used only once a year, it would naturally be stored in some secure place,
and the most logical place would be in the most holy place. There it would be
perfectly safe because no one was permitted to enter there but the high priest.
Being stored there it would be always ready for his use. Therefore this
statement of Paul’s has the highest probability that this golden censer was in
the most Holy of Holies
And
the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold; The ark was the most sacred to the
Israelites because it contained the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments,
the pot of manna, and the staff of Aaron.
In
which were the golden pot that
had the manna; In Exodus
16:33, it is simply
“a pot,” without specifying the material. In the Septuagint it is rendered
“golden pot,” and since the other utensils of the sanctuary and the ark was of
gold, it can be presumed that this was also.
The manna in the pot was a
perpetual reminder of the food eaten by their ancestors during their long
journey in the wilderness, and of the goodness of God in miraculously supplying
their wants. Since the manna collected daily would not keep, but this manna
did, it was a perpetual miracle of proof of the presence and faithfulness of God.
Exodus 16:20
Aaron's
rod that budded; Aaron’s
rod budded and blossomed as proof that God had chosen him to minister to him as
a priest. The leaders of the other tribes were rebelling, and questioning the
authority of Aaron. To settle the matter, God instructed Moses to take a rod or
staff of office from each tribe with the person’s name on it, and placed them in
the tabernacle. It was found on the next day that the rod marked with the name
of Levi had budded, blossomed, and produced almonds. In perpetual remembrance
of this miracle, the rod was preserved in the ark. Numbers
17:1-13
And
the tablets of the covenant; This
of course is the two stone tablets that contained the Ten Commandments. Their
subsequent history is unknown. It is probable that they shared the fate of the
ark, and were either carried to Babylon, or were destroyed when the city was
taken by Nebuchadnezzar.
5 and above
it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we
cannot now speak in detail.
And
above it were the cherubim of glory, overshadowing the mercy seat; "Cherubim" are mighty
angels. One of the functions of the cherubim is to serve as guardians. These
angels guarded the entrances to both the tree of life (Genesis
3:24) and the Most
Holy Place (Exodus 26:31-33).
With their wings "stretched out over the Ark's cover, the place of
atonement," these two gold statues were believed to support God's
invisible presence (Ezekiel 9:3; 10:4; 10:18). Here they are called "the
cherubim of glory," referring to God's glory which hovered over the Ark of
the Covenant (Exodus 40:34-36; Leviticus 16:2).
Of
these things we cannot now speak in detail; This simply means that Paul had much more to say about
these Cherubim, but did not desire to do so at that time.
6 Now when
these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first
part of the tabernacle, performing the
services.
Now
when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the
first part of the tabernacle; Paul
has described that the tabernacle was, and now he proceeds to show what was
done in it. The priests always went into the first tabernacle, the outer
tabernacle called the holy place. The holy place was entered every day to perform
the morning and evening rituals.
Performing
the services; Performing the acts of worship which
God had appointed; burning incense, etc. Exodus 30;7-8
7 But into
the second part the high priest went
alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance;
The high priest could
enter the Most Holy Place, the innermost room of the Tabernacle, one day each
year to atone for his sins and the nation's sins. On the great day of atonement
Exodus 30:10,
he probably entered the Holy of Holies three or four times, first to burn
incense, Leviticus 16:12;
then to sprinkle the blood of the bullock on the mercy-seat for himself, Leviticus
16:14; then sprinkle the
blood of a goat as the sin-offering for the people, and then, perhaps, he
entered again to bring out the golden censer. The Jewish tradition isn’t, that
he entered the Holy of Holies four times on that day, however, the number of
times is not certain, nor is it material, the only important point being that
he entered it only one day of the year, while the holy place was entered every
day. The Most Holy Place was the most sacred spot on earth for the Jews.
8 the Holy
Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made
manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing.
The
Holy Spirit indicating this; This
phrase is telling us that the Holy Spirit is in control of things of the Old
Covenant (Levitical system of worship, and its Interpreter) and also of the New
Covenant. It is the Holy Spirit that raised Jesus and it is the Holy Spirit
that resides in a believer.
That
the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest; Remember Paul is referring to the
Levitical order and during that time Priest were the intercessors between the
people and God. The Holiest of All is referring to the Heavenly temple where we
go directly to Jesus for our needs. He is the intercessor for us. With His
death on the Cross and He being perfect, He is our High Priest, and we no
longer need the assistance of man (priests) to intercede for us.
While
the first tabernacle was still standing; This is simply stating that while the Old Covenant was in
effect, there was no other way, but Jesus change all that at Calvary. The
curtain was removed from the Holy of Holies allowing us to go directly to Him.
9 It was symbolic for the present time in
which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed
the service perfect in regard to the conscience—
It
was symbolic for the present
time in which both gifts and sacrifices; What Paul is saying is that during the Old Covenant, the
temple and all the gift offerings and sacrifices was a representation of what
was to come, meaning Jesus and what He did on the Cross.
Are
offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect; All the offerings and sacrifices the
Levitical priests performed, the priests could not make themselves perfect
because of their fallen sin nature. Because of this, these rituals could not
take away sin, and remove the stains of guilt on the soul. Hebrews
7:11; 8:7;
7:27; 10:1; 10:11
In
regard to the conscience; These
rituals related mainly to outward and ceremonial rites, and even when offerings
were made for sin, the conscience was not relieved. They could not relieve the guilt; they could not make the soul pure; they
could not impart peace to the soul by reconciling it to God. They could not
fully accomplish what the conscience needed to have done in order to give it
peace. Nothing will do this but the blood of Jesus.
10 concerned
only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed
until the time of reformation.
Concerned
only with foods and drinks; This
pertains to the Jewish laws of what was lawful to eat and drink, what animals
were clean and unclean, etc.
Various
washings; The
Levitical laws also consisted of many types of washings such as washing of
hands, body, utensils, baptism, animals to be sacrificed, etc. Exodus
30:18; Matthew 3:6; Mark
7:4
And
fleshly ordinances; This
is referring to all of the laws of the Old Covenant. They were all of flesh and
not spiritual, this is why the Old Covenant was insufficient to take away sins
where God would remember them no more.
Imposed
until the time of reformation; This
pertains to the ordinances that were only temporary in their nature, and were
designed to endure until a more perfect system being introduced. They pointed to
a better system, the Cross; they were not adapted to purify the conscience and
remove the stains of guilt from the soul, only faith in Jesus and His death and
resurrection can do that.
Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created
that are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible
and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All things were created through Him
and for Him.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Bill Wiesbrock https://www.facebook.com/bill.wiesbrock?ref=tn_tnmn
The Lighthouse Full Gospel Church
Sinners Prayer;
Pray this, and if you believe it with your heart, Jesus will save you!
“Lord
Jesus I know I am a sinner. I confess my
sins to you; I am sorry for my sins; I repent (Meaning, desiring to turn from a
sinful lifestyle.) of all my sins, and I am asking for your forgiveness of all
of my sins. I believe that only you can
forgive sin. I commit my life to you and
ask you to come into my heart, direct, and take charge of my life. I believe that you died to set me free from
my sinful lifestyle and you rose from the dead to give me eternal life, and
right now you are seated at the Right Hand of God Almighty. I believe you are
the Son of God; the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life, and my
Savior.” I believe this and have faith
you will make a new person out of me, by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in my
heart and lead me in a new life. In Jesus name I pray Amen.” (John 3:16,17;
Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-13; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1
John 5:11-14; 1:6-10) (Sin: Rom.
1:22-32; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-7)
No comments:
Post a Comment