Hebrews 9:1-12 Lesson 426

Hebrews 9:1-12
Lesson 426

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Christ, the better sacrifice.
Worshipping under the Old Covenant (9:1-10).

The Lord's Tabernacle
(Public domain - copyright expired)

What was -

The Tabernacle -
The Tabernacle was a sacred tent and sanctuary (Leviticus 12:4), and a "shadow of heavenly things"(Hebrews 8:5; 9:11; 9:24).  It stood fifteen feet wide by forty-five feet long by fifteen feet high and was a place for Jews to worship and where the High Priest communed with God (Exodus 25:22). The Tabernacle was sometimes called "The house of the Lord" (Exodus 23:19; 34:26; Joshua 6:24); the "house of my God" (Joshua 9:23; Judges 18:31; 20:18), the "tabernacle of the congregation" (Exodus 29:42; 44; Numbers 17:4), the "tabernacle of testimony" (Exodus 38:21), "the Tabernacle of Witness (Numbers 17:7; 18:2), or the "Tent of Meeting." After escaping from Egyptian bondage, the Israelites built the Tabernacle, its altar, utensils, and furnishings based on God's instructions in Exodus 25:1-31:18. They carried it with them as they wandered in the wilderness.  The Tabernacle housed the Ark of the Covenant and its contents (the Ten Commandments written with the finger of God (Exodus 31:18), Aaron's rod, and a golden pot of manna) for four hundred years until King Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem.  Inside, the tent (and later the Temple) was divided by a curtain into two rooms. The outer room was called  "the holy place" and was open to all Jewish worshippers . The inner room was called "the most holy place," and only the High Priest (a descendant of Aaron) could enter. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would enter "the most holy place" and offer a blood sacrifice to God (Exodus 30:10). This would atone for his sins and the sins of the people" as stipulated in Leviticus 16:6 and reinforced in Hebrews 5:2-3.  When Christ died on the cross, the dividing curtain was torn in two (Matthew 27:50-51; Mark 15:37-38) to symbolize that the barrier between God and man had been removed. See Exodus 25:1-28:43 for more information on the Tabernacle and its contents.

Shewbread -
Holy or blessed bread. Every Sabbath, twelve loaves of unleavened bread (one for each tribe of Israel) were ceremoniously placed on the altar in the Holy Place of the Temple. They were an offering of thanks to God and could only be eaten by the priests at the end of the week (Exodus 29:32-33; Leviticus 24:5-9).

The Golden Censer -
The Golden Censer was the altar in the Tabernacle where a priest burned incense. The rising smoke from the burning incense carried prayers to God's ear (Exodus 30:1-10).

The Ark of the Covenant -
Also called the "Chest of the Covenant," the "Ark of the Testimony" (Exodus 26:33; 30:6; 30:26; 31:7), or the "Ark of his testament" (Revelation 11:19). The Ark was a wooden chest 3 3/4 feet long, 2 1/4 feet wide, 2 1/4 feet high made of wood and covered with gold (Exodus 25:10-16).  It represented the presence of God and carried Jewish religious treasures such as the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 31:26), Aaron's wooden rod (Numbers 17:8-10), and a golden pot of manna (Exodus 16:32-34). Atop the chest was the Mercy Seat, made of solid gold.  The Ark was kept in the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle (2 Chronicles 5:7; Hebrews 9:3-4), where only a High Priest descended from Aaron could enter. The Ark disappeared when the Babylonians conquered, looted, and destroyed Jerusalem.

The Tables of the Covenant -
The Tables of the Covenant were the two stone tablets God wrote the Ten Commandments on.

The Mercyseat -
The Mercyseat was the golden lid of the Ark of the Covenant. The lid was God's symbolic throne (1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2) and adorned with "two cherubims of gold" on either end (Exodus 25:18). Annually, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest made an offering to atone for sins by sprinkling sacrificial blood on the Mercyseat. To learn more, see Exodus 25:17-22.

Study Tip:

The more we know about the Old Testament, the more we understand the New Testament.
Always click on the links to Old Testament passages.
They are a vital tool that helps us understand God's plan.

The Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Hebrews

The King James Bible

Hebrews 9:1-12
The tabernacle

1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.

2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.

3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;

4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.

7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:

9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;

10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Margin notes:

"Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service." (9:1) - "Then surely the Old Covenant also laid out the rules for worship."

"A worldly sanctuary." (9:1) - "An earthly Holy Place." Refers to the Holy Place in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:8).

"Candlestick." (9:2) - See Exodus 25:31-40.

"The shewbread." (9:2) - On each Sabbath twelve loaves of unleavened bread (one for each Hebrew tribe) were placed in the Holy Place as an offering of thanks (Leviticus 24:5-8).

"After the second veil." (9:3) - "Behind the second curtain." A small room called The Most Holy Place lay behind the curtain. Only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place, once a year on the Day of Atonement.

"Cherubims." (9:5) - "Angels."

"We cannot now speak particularly." (9:5) - "We won't speak about this in detail now."

"The priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God." (9:6) - "The priests went into the first tabernacle (Holy Place) each day to complete their ceremonial rituals for God."

"Into the second." (9:7) - Refers to the room of the tabernacle behind the curtain, the Most Holy Place.

"He offered for himself, and for the errors of the people." (9:7) - "He offered (a sacrifice) for his sins and for the sins of the people" as stipulated in Leviticus 16:6 and repeated in Hebrews 5:2-3.

"The Holy Ghost this signifying." (9:8) - "The Holy Ghost was revealing."

"The way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest." (9:8) - "The way into the holiest place wasn't revealed yet." The Old Covenant did not tell us how mankind could find God. The New Covenant tells us that it’s through Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Hebrews 10:19-20).

"Which was a figure for the time then present." (9:9) - "Which was symbolic of the day."  The Old Covenant pointed the way to the New Covenant.

"That could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience." (9:9) - The gifts and sacrifices couldn't clear the conscience or wash away sins, only the blood shed by Jesus Christ can do that.

"Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances." (9:10) - "Which only dealt with (the rituals of) food, drink, various washings and rites and ceremonies for the physical body (not the soul)."

"Until the time of reformation." (9:10) -"Until the New Covenant." Generations followed the Jewish rites and ceremonies and made blood sacrifices while they waited for the Messiah. These rites, ceremonies and blood sacrifices could not save them, they were merely meant to teach the importance of the coming Messiah's blood sacrifice.

"A greater and more perfect tabernacle." (9:11) - The earthly tabernacle was modeled on the more perfect one found in heaven.

"Not of this building." (9:11) - "Not of this world."

"The holy place." (9:12) - The ultimate holy place, heaven.

To learn more about the annual rituals performed on the Jewish Day of Atonement, read Leviticus 16.

New Living Translation

Hebrews 9:1-12
Old Rules about Worship

1 That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth.

2 There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place.

3 Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place.

4 In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron's staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant.

5 Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark's cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now.

6 When these things were all in place, the priests regularly entered the first room as they performed their religious duties.

7But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.

8 By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use.

9 This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them.

10 For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies-physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established.

Christ Is the Perfect Sacrifice

11 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. 12 With his own blood-not the blood of goats and calves-he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. Could the blood sacrifices of the Old Covenant save us?

2. What is the greater and more perfect tabernacle? (9:11)

Pray for the strength to resist sin. Ask God for forgiveness when you fall to temptation and give thanks when you don't.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. "The sacrifices of the OT did not remove the offerers' guilty conscience or provide them with full forgiveness for their sins. It was only "symbolic" of something else that would - namely Christ.

(From "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; page 1857).

2. "This is the tabernacle in heaven. The difference between the earthy and the heavenly tabernacle is similar to the difference between a picture of a house and the house itself."

(From the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; page 1733)


Application thought for the day:

We no longer need to follow the rites and ceremonies outlined in the Old Testament.

Instead, to enjoy eternal salvation, we all need to accept the gift of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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