Hebrews 9—Christ's Eternal Priesthood

God made five foundational covenants in the bible:

Adamic Covenant – Immediately after the fall of the human race into sin, God promised Adam that a redeemer will come and rescue him and the human race from the consequences of his sin.

Noahic Covenant – God promises never again to use a flood to destroy all life. After the flood, Noah offered a sacrifice to the Lord, which is a picture of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

Abrahamic Covenant – A great nation would arise from him, and through him and his offspring, the entire world would be blessed. This is God's redemptive plan through Jesus.

Mosaic Covenant – God promised to make Israel "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation", pointing the way towards the coming of Christ.

New Covenant – The everlasting promise to forgive sin and restore fellowship with those whose hearts are turned toward Him.

The covenants progressively build upon one another, forming a complete redemptive story line. When sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, God promised a Redeemer. He preserved the world through Noah, initiated redemption through Abraham, established the nation of Israel through Moses, and then fulfilled all of his covenants through Jesus.

The author refers to the Mosaic Covenant as the first one, not because it was the only covenant God established, but because it is the one that is being replaced. It was the first covenant to establish a priesthood and the Tabernacle service, which is the main subject of the author in this text.

Hebrews 9:1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. A tabernacle was prepared. In its first room were the lampstand, the table, and the consecrated bread. This was called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, containing the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. Inside the ark were the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the ark were the cherubim of glory, overshadowing the mercy seat. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.

The Mosaic Covenant had strict rules for worship in the tabernacle to maintain the holiness of the people and their relationship with God, emphasizing the need for atonement and purification which pointed to deeper spiritual truths and the ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

There were two rooms inside the tabernacle. Priests went regularly into the first section, to trim the lamps on the lampstand and supply them with oil. They were to place two stacks of six loaves of bread each Sabbath on the table that stood for the 12 tribes of Israel, acknowledgment that God was the resource for Israel's life and nourishment. The altar of incense was the staging area for coals used to burn incense specially crafted for use in the tabernacle. While Exodus places the Golden Alter in the Holy Place, this verse uses the Greek term "echousa", which normally refers to ownership, rather than location. A censer of burning incense and the blood of a bull and a goat was taken behind the veil by the high priest yearly as part of the Day of Atonement.

In the Most Holy Place, the Ark of the Covenant, was an ornate box used to hold the stone tablets of the covenant, also known as the Ten Commandments. Also within the ark was gold jar of manna, kept as a reminder of God's provision for the Israelites during their 40 years in the wilderness and Aaron's staff that budded was a sign of God's chosen priesthood. Resting on the top of the ark was the Mercy Seat where the high priest would sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement to atone for the sins of Israel.

Exodus chapters 25-27 and 36-38 give a detailed description of the tabernacle and its furnishings.

Hebrews 9:6 When everything had been prepared in this way, the priests entered regularly into the first room to perform their sacred duties. But only the high priest entered the second room, and then only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.

The earthly tabernacle service of the Levitical priests included daily and weekly ritual duties in the Holy Place. Once a year, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies with a blood sacrifice, to temporarily atone for the unintentional sins of the priesthood and the people.

Hebrews 9:8 By this arrangement the Holy Spirit was showing that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. It is an illustration for the present time, because the gifts and sacrifices being offered were unable to cleanse the conscience of the worshiper. They consist only in food and drink and special washings—external regulations imposed until the time of reform.

The rituals were in effect only until more effective system could be established. Food, drink and various ceremonial washings, symbolized the need for mankind to be cleansed of sin. The fact that the Day of Atonement had to be repeated yearly signals that it wasn't a final solution.

Hebrews 9:11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.

Without a blood sacrifice, the high priest was unable to enter the Holy of Holies in the man made tabernacle. Similarly, without His blood, Jesus was unable to enter the Most Holy Place in Heaven and until He became the eternal High Priest.

Hebrews 9:13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!

Leviticus 15 lists a number of reasons why a person would be ceremonially unclean. Strict cleanliness laws were essential to ensure that the people remained worthy to dwell in God's sacred presence. Purification regulations were designed to provide a solution for restoration.

"Works of death" are sinful actions and the spiritual death that results from them. Jesus' sacrifice has an everlasting power of purifying and cleansing the guilty sinner who repents and comes to saving faith in Christ Jesus. He is no longer condemned and is free to serve God.

Hebrews 9:15 Therefore Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, now that He has died to redeem them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

The Old Covenant was based on adherence to the Law, highlighting humanity's inability to achieve righteousness on their own. The sacrifices only covered sin. They were merely symbolic of what Christ would eventually do. God calls everyone through the gospel. The promise of eternal life is given to all who respond to God's invitation to salvation.

The Jews were waiting for Messiah, expecting a conquering king. They were familiar with the Old Testament laws and sacrificial system. Hebrews was written to the early Christians to prove that Jesus Christ was the promised Savior. God saved the Old Testament saints who were trusting that God would send a mediator on the same basis as he saves everyone, by grace alone, through faith alone, and ultimately in Christ alone.

Hebrews 9:16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to establish the death of the one who made it, because a will does not take effect until the one who made it has died; it cannot be executed while he is still alive.

The term "will" here refers to a legal document that outlines the distribution of a person's estate after their death. This "will" refers to the New Covenant. Jesus' death was necessary to bring the promises of the New Covenant into effect, offering eternal inheritance to believers.

Hebrews 9:18 That is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. For when Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people, saying, "This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep." (Exodus 24:8)

The the Mosaic Covenant involved a series of sacrifices and the sprinkling of blood which is essential for the purification of sins. The use of blood signifies the seriousness of the agreement. God's redemptive plan requires the shedding of blood in order for men and women to be saved.

Hebrews 9:21 In the same way, he sprinkled with blood the tabernacle and all the vessels used in worship. According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

The act of sprinkling blood was a significant ritual in the Old Testament. Blood represented life, and shedding it in sacrifice represented the death penalty for sin, effectively "cleaning" the area through sacrificial atonement. The high priest would sprinkle blood on the altar and other sacred objects to cleanse them from impurity and sin underscoring the sanctification and dedication of objects in worship.

Hebrews 9:23 So it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a man-made copy of the true sanctuary, but He entered heaven itself, now to appear on our behalf in the presence of God.

Just as the earthly tabernacle had to be cleansed with the blood of animals, so was the Tabernacle in Heaven. Jesus never entered the tabernacle on earth since the law prohibited a priest who was not a Levite to enter. However He did enter the Heavenly Tabernacle because He was a Priest according to a higher order. In the Old Covenant, they repeated sacrifices with the blood of animals to cover sin. In the New Covenant, Jesus was sacrificed once, with His own blood, to removed the power and penalty of sin.

Hebrews 9:25 Nor did He enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, Christ would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

Jesus is our permanent representative. His sacrifice was so perfect, He only had to suffer once. He gave his life for all those who accept Him to pay for our sins, so we could be forgiven.

Hebrews 9:27 Just as man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment, so also Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him.

Physical death is the natural order established since the fall of man, then judgment follows. When Jesus comes again, judgment comes to gather the saved in order to bring them into Heaven and those who believe will receive the gift of eternal life.