The Old Covenant Sanctuary
The types and shadows of the Old Covenant serve to illustrate the Person and work of Jesus Christ, our great high priest and permanent agent of atonement. The conclusion we draw: Jesus Christ is the antitype, the real/authentic/genuine sacrifice for sins.
In Hebrews 9:1–10, the writer shows us the place of worship and communion with Yahweh, the God of Israel. The inner courts of the tabernacle (tent) are the holy place and the most holy place. The whole tabernacle, and later the temple, were made by human hands (Acts 7:48; 17:25). Every element in the description of the interior furniture points to Jesus Christ, the better place and feature of true worship.
Hebrews 9:1 introduces Hebrews 9:2–10. There are two sections for our consideration: first, there are the regulations for worship (9:6–10) and second, there is the description of the place itself (9:2–5).
The room set up in the holy place was comprised of the lampstand and the showbread table (Heb 9:2). The second room, divided from the first by a heavy curtain (the veil) was called, “the most holy place” or “the holiest of holies” (Heb 9:3). In it were the altar of incense and the ark of the covenant (Heb 9:4). Both of these objects were plated in gold. Inside the ark itself were three objects: the two stone tablets Moses had received on Mount Sinai; Aaron’s staff that budded in the conflict with Korah; and two golden jars containing manna from the wilderness journey (Heb 9:4).
The overall meaning of the tabernacle/temple was that Yahweh required worship from His chosen people. This made sense the more He revealed Himself to the Israelites. As the creator, sustainer, and deliverer of those who were His, Yahweh was worthy of worship and praise. Estrangement from God was the ongoing plight of the rest.
The Israelites were given revelation from God about God. This was a remarkable feature that set them apart from the other nations. Yahweh intended to be Israel’s God; and the people of Israel belonged to God…at least the remnant who believed in Him, and who tried to be obedient to all that He had commanded them at Mount Horeb.
Honest sinners confess how sinful they really are in truth (1 Jn 1:9). The need for constant reconciliation was the message of God’s design for His House. The tabernacle was where Yahweh met with Israel (tent of meeting). The message was clear. Yahweh was holy. Israel was not holy. In order to approach the holy One of Israel, sacrifice was required to atone for the innumerable sins of the people and the nation.
The system of worship under the old covenant was ordained by God; but the Jews had a difficult time imagining that the tabernacle/temple made with human hands, the Aaronic priesthood of the tribe of Levi, and the animal sacrifices were temporary. Christians learn from the book of Hebrews that all these things in the old system were made obsolete by the better temple, the better priesthood, and the better sacrifice for sins at the first advent of Jesus Christ, the Son of God enfleshed (Is 7:14; Jn 1:14).
The holy place (outer room) was entered every day of the year for the priestly duties to be performed. The lampstand was trimmed each day; and the showbread was exchanged each week. Sacrifices were offered to Yahweh in a constant manner (morning and evening) that dated from 1446 B.C. through to the destruction of the Jerusalem temple by Roman general Titus in A.D. 70. We must conclude that many disruptions to sacrifice and worship occurred, as when King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Solomon’s temple in 586 B.C. The first temple became functional in 966 B.C., replacing tabernacle worship that dated back to Moses and Aaron in 1446 B.C.
The second temple was up and running again in 516 B.C. and lasted until the final destruction in A.D. 70. The temporary nature of this sacrifice/worship system was made obsolete in A.D. 33 at the death of Jesus Christ. The time overlap (A.D. 33–70) helps explain some of the language in the book of Hebrews that suggests the old system was still functioning at the time of the book’s publication (Heb 9:9).
The regulations for worship are prescribed in Exodus and Leviticus. The key to atonement is the blood of the sacrificial animals. Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, was the highlight of the year. Still, its annual repetition demonstrated the insufficiency of the sacrifice to permanently appease the wrath of God against Israel. Another sacrifice was needed, again and again.
The people of Israel also did not have access to Yahweh despite the daily sacrifices brought into the temple precincts. They were not holy as Yahweh is holy. The best conception the typical Israelite had was that propitiation was made, but he would have to return again with another sacrifice at a later date. This indicates that the conscious was not cleansed by the act of sacrifice (Heb 9:9).
The sacrifices were the answer to the failure of the Israelites to do the rest of what the Law of God required. Disobedience led to guilt, and guilt led to sacrifice. The problem was that the ritual sacrifice was an outward show of repentance and appeasement, but there was still the matter of the heart and mind (the conscience) harboring shame.
The better place and the better sacrifice belong to Jesus Christ, who has secured what the system of types and shadows could never produce for a permanent, right relationship between Yahweh and Israel. Jesus is the true Israel (Is 49:1–6) and the faithful and true covenant partner with Yahweh (God the Father).
Jesus is the only way to God the Father (Jn 14:6). It is His right standing (merited righteousness), as our permanent high priest that grants us immediate and permanent access to God the Father. The curtain of separation has been torn in two from top to bottom in the earthly temple, symbolic of the open access of heaven. Christians approach the throne of grace (mercy seat on the ark of the covenant) via the precious blood of the cross of Christ (Col 1:20; 1 Pet 1:19).
Jesus’ one-time, once for all His people from around the world and throughout history, sacrifice of Himself as the Lamb of God, on the cross of Calvary, has permanently opened the way into the holiest of holies in heaven. The better sacrifice of the better covenant (new/second) has produced better access, which affords the Christian better promises that warrant a better hope for a better future (eternal life).
The penalty of sin has been paid. The debt of sin has been cancelled (Col 2:14). The stain of sin (guilty conscience) has been removed. The fear of judgment has been alleviated by Christ’s propitiation for His people in all the world. The wrath of God is never directed at God’s forgiven, holy nation of royal priests (Mt 26:28; Eph 1:7; 1 Pet 2:9).
The light of the world (lampstand) has shone in our hearts (Jn 8:12; 2 Cor 4:6). The bread that came down from heaven (showbread), Jesus Christ, has been taken up and ingested (Jn 6). The prayers of God’s chosen people are heard (altar of incense), and answered according to God’s will. The Law of God (stone tablets) has been fulfilled (Mt 5:17). Perfect daily provision (golden jars of manna) for the Israel of God (Christ’s church — Is 49:1–6; Gal 6:16) has produced endless gratitude. The rod of Jesse (scepter of Jesus Christ) remains in the hand of King of kings, our great high priest (Aaron’s budding rod), who is in position to put down all rebellion once He gathers in God’s elect from every nation.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
January 16, 2024
Hebrews 9:1–10
