Recap

So far in Hebrews, we've read through the comparison between Jesus and the angels, the Torah, Moses, the promised land, the priesthood, and the old covenant. Likely written in the 60s CE to Jewish Christians, the letter demonstrates how everything in the Old Testament pointed to Jesus. The letter opened establishing the supremacy of Jesus in all things. Where previously God spoke to his people through his prophets, he now speaks through Jesus.

The author compared Jesus to angels, emphasising that while angels served as messengers, Jesus, the Son of God, created and sustains all things, ruling as king. Rejecting the Torah, delivered by angels, brought judgment. Rejecting Jesus’ salvation brings far greater consequences.

Unlike the Torah’s focus on law and judgment, Jesus brought freedom and redemption. By taking on humanity, Jesus fulfilled humanity’s role to rule creation. He suffered, died, and rose again to defeat death and the sin. He now leads believers into glory as his brothers and sisters.

The author compared Jesus to Moses, noting that while Moses faithfully served as a prophet and priest, Jesus is greater. Moses was a servant in the tabernacle, but Jesus is the Son over God’s house He is the ultimate temple where believers meet God. Those who trust in Jesus become part of God’s household and share in his greater promise.

The author warned against hardening hearts like the Israelites in the wilderness. Their lack of faith kept them from the promised land’s rest. Believers now have hope in a greater rest through Jesus. One that begins now and will be fully realised in God’s eternal kingdom. They called to remain faithful, encourage one another, and trust in Jesus’ promise of eternal rest.

The author highlighted Jesus as the perfect high priest. Appointed by God, he offers eternal salvation through his obedience and suffering. Unlike human priests who must atone for their own sins, Jesus’ perfection empowers believers to overcome sin.

The readers were rebuked for spiritual immaturity and urged to grow beyond basic teachings like repentance and faith. A warning was given against those who repeatedly reject transformation and risk becoming hardened against the gospel. Despite this, the author expressed hope in their readers' growth. They encouraged trust in God’s promises and holding fast to the hope provided through Jesus, the eternal high priest.

The author explained Jesus as a priest in the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek, a king and priest, blessed Abraham and symbolised an eternal priesthood with no recorded lineage or death. Psalm 110:4 pointed to a future priest-king, fulfilled in Jesus. Unlike the mortal and sinful Levite priests who needed sacrifices, Jesus, perfect and eternal, offered a better hope and required no such offerings.

He brought a new covenant which replaced the old. This covenant transforms hearts and minds, enabling people to know God personally. Unlike the outward laws of the old covenant. As both king and eternal priest, Jesus established a superior priesthood and covenant, fulfilling what the old could not.

Hebrews 9-10

Continuing on with looking at the covenant, the author examines the Old Testament covenant. The tabernacle was set up as a meeting place with God. The normal, everyday people would meet with God outside the tent. The priest were then able to go into the tent, deeper into the presence of God. There, there was the furniture and utilities that had been set apart as holy to be used in God’s presence.

But then inside the tabernacle was another space, the Holy of Holies. There, it had the holiest items dedicated to God. While the priests could enter the tabernacle but only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and once a year. He would need to take the blood of sacrifices to cleanse him of his sin so he could go into God’s presence there.

The author of Hebrews points out that the sanctuary, the very centre of God’s presence, cannot be entered under the old covenant. The Holy of Holies was a shadow, a model, of the centre of God’s presence. And this shadow could only be entered by the High Priest, no one else. And even then, only once a year when he had cleansed himself with blood.

This is the best that the old covenant sacrifices could achieve. It could temporarily purify people to come close to God, and it could show as an example of a better way that was to come.

That better way came with Jesus. He gives access to the very centre of God’s presence, the ‘greater and perfect tent’ (Hebrews 9:11). He now has permanent access, not because of animal blood, but because of his own blood that has cleansed all sin.

While animal blood was useful for temporarily purifying people, the blood of Jesus is good for purifying the conscience so that people are transformed from the inside out, no longer wanting to indulge sin.

This means Jesus is now responsible for a new covenant that gives believers access to God’s presence forever. His death has redeemed believers from any condemnation they would have had under the old covenant.

The author then uses the metaphor of a will, though the Greek word is the same word for covenant, diathekes. Wills set up an agreement that only comes into place when someone dies. Then someone can receive an inheritance. The old covenant relied on the death of animals in order to be legitimised.

So while the ole covenant and tabernacles needed these deaths and sacrifices, the real thing, the sanctuary, needed something greater. Jesus didn’t enter a tabernacle that was a shadow or model. He entered that real thing. Heaven and the presence of God itself.

And he doesn’t need to keep entering in with a fresh supply of his blood. Instead, he entered once and dealt with sin all together. Regular humans they die once and then they face judgement for how they lived their lives. Jesus has already died once and his death covered the judgement of all. So when he returns, he will not need to die or make sacrifice again. Instead, when he comes, he will bring freedom for those who are seeking him.

The old covenant was a shadow of the new ones. It didn’t do the job properly, and never could. Instead, existed to be a reminder to the Israelites that their sin is a problem, and it needs fixing. The blood of animals was never going to fix it.

The author quotes Psalm 40:6-8, showing that there was always an understanding that God wasn’t interested in the sacrifices and offerings themselves. Instead, he wanted obedience and faithfulness. The old covenant was just a pointer to that.

But interestingly, the author puts the words of the psalm into Jesus’ lips. Jesus is the one acknowledging that God was never interested in sacrifices and offerings. And Jesus is the one offering themselves up as one obedient, willing to do God’s will.

Jesus’ new covenant does away with the old sacrifices that God was never interested in, and brings in the obedience and faithfulness, leading by example. We are sanctified through his faithfulness.

And having made this greater sacrifice, Jesus now sits at the right of God, waiting for his enemies to be submitted under his feet. Again we’re looking at that now-and-not-yet. Jesus has made the ultimate, perfect sacrifice, but we’re still looking forward to the day where death and evil will finally be defeated.

Because of this sacrifice, there is now no sin for believers, because their sin has been dealt with. Not only is it covered by Jesus’ sacrifice, but this new covenant involves transformation of the hearts and minds so that believers are no longer shaped by sin.

This brings the author to the peak of the letter. Therefore. In light of everything we’ve learnt. That Jesus is greater than angels, or the Torah, or Moses, or the promised land. That he is now a high priest greater than the old priests, and he brings a covenant that is greater than the old one. That we can enter the very presence of God because of Jesus’ blood.

In light of all that, may believers now approach God with true hearts. May they hold fast to the faith they have in Jesus. May they consider how to encourage one another in doing good and gathering together. That is the response to this great truth.

Because if a believer were to continue in indulging sin after hearing all that, then there is no other sacrifice that can be offered to them. Jesus’ sacrifice is the last, final offering. There’s nothing else coming. Those that rejected the old covenant were punished severely. How much more will those who reject the new covenant and the sacrifice of Jesus be punished?

We know that God is not afraid to enact judgement and punishment. We’ve seen it many times before.

The author recalls when their original readers first got saved. They were willing to go through struggles and public persecution, and stand with others who were doing the same. They had compassion on those in prison and had cheer in the face of the persecution.

The author encourages them to hold on to that confidence they had. They need to not falter in it but persevere, for Jesus will return. They don’t want to be among those who abandon the faith, but among those who remained obedient and faithful.

Psalm 27

This psalm is attributed to king David and falls into the category of lament psalm, where the psalmist brings their struggles before God. While lament psalms normally start with the complaint and work towards declaring trust in God, this psalm opens on a foundation of trust.

It is structured in a chiasm where the passage reflects itself, as though the psalmist lays out all the things they trust about God and then places their requests and struggles within that.

a) Psalm 27:1 - The Lord is my strength

b) Psalm 27:2-3 - My enemies

c) Psalm 27:4 - Let me dwell in the Lord’s presence

d) Psalm 27:5 - The Lord will take me in

e) Psalm 27:6 - Three positive declarations 

f) Psalm 27:7 - Hear me

f) Psalm 27:8 - Let me see you

e) Psalm 27:9 - Three negative requests

d) Psalm 27:10 - The Lord will take me in

c) Psalm 27:11 - Lead me in your ways

b) Psalm 27:12 - My enemies

a) Psalm 27:13-14 - Be strong in the Lord

The psalm opens with the declaration that the Lord is the psalmist’s strength. Because of this strength, it doesn’t matter what their enemies or opponents throw at them. They will not stumble or fear because they have God.

Next, the psalmist stands their ground on something they have been asking God for a while. That they might stand in his presence. They can have confidence in this because the Lord is the one who gathers and protects his people. 

Because of the Lord, there are three things that the psalmist can now do. He can hold his head high, he can make his offering with joy, and he can sing praise to God.

With this foundation laid, the psalmist then asks God to hear his prayer, and this is where the psalm begins to reflect itself. He asks God to hear him and then asks that he might see God.

He had stated three things he can do because of God and now asks God not to do three things; hide his face, turn the psalmist away in his anger, cast the psalmist out of his presence.

He once again states the truth that the Lord is a God who gathers and protects those that are his, and asks the Lord to lead him in his way. Finally, he makes one more request, that he not be handed over to his enemies, and then ends where he began. The Lord is his strength.

Through this psalm, we see how a proper understanding of who God is can lead us to make big asks that he not forsake us. Instead, we can seek him to lead us and protect us in our struggles.