Slices
Prepare
‘In Christ alone my hope is found, he is my light, my strength, my song…’* Worship the Lord for all he means to you.
*Stuart Townend and Keith Getty, copyright © 2001, Thankyou Music
Bible passage
Worship in the earthly tabernacle
9 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. 9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshipper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings – external regulations applying until the time of the new order.
Explore
The tone in which these verses are written reminds me (somewhat) of a salesperson explaining to a customer about the previous model of their product – before launching into their sales pitch for the vastly superior new model (tomorrow!). The author of Hebrews (about whom scholars speculate but arrive at no definite conclusions) has a thorough knowledge of the old covenant tabernacle: its construction, its contents and its repetitive sacrifices. Its portable design came from the Lord himself, so that in their wanderings the Israelites would have the presence of God with them at all times (see Exodus 25:8).
However, the writer is very clear about the ultimate inadequacy of all that. Jeremiah prophesies about what was to come – a new covenant of mind and heart, with God known by all (Jeremiah 31:33,34). The tabernacle was never intended to be permanent; it was a picture, or a shadow, of what was to come, and only sufficed until then. And perhaps most importantly, it could never accomplish the deeper work that the sacrifice of Christ enables (v 9).
Respond
For some people, faith can be very much God-focused – which is of course not a bad thing! But salvation and forgiveness are found in and through Jesus. Pray for anyone you know whose faith needs to move on to a relationship with him.
Deeper Bible study
‘Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.’1
These verses explain the suggestion in Hebrews 8 that Temple and Tabernacle worship was in some way symbolic of the work of Christ. The first paragraph describes the shape of the wilderness tabernacle and the second describes its ritual. It is important to note the play on the words ‘first’ and ‘new’ (or ‘second’), introduced in 8:7,13 and appearing several times in today’s reading. Sometimes (8:7,13; 9:1,8) they have a temporal sense and sometimes (9:2,3,6,7) they have a spatial sense.2
The tabernacle and its ritual, with things happening daily in the first (outer) tent and annually in the second (inner) tent, symbolically anticipate the time of the new order. Since the second tent was situated within the first, a reader encountering verse 8 for the first time might be tempted to think that the second tent was hidden away from view by the first,3 but the reference to the time of new order in verse 10 shows that the temporal sense is back. The Most Holy Place of verse 8 is the true tent of 8:1,2 and the way into it was not disclosed while the tabernacle was functioning. The (first) tabernacle’s role was symbolic, anticipating the new covenant ministry of Jesus that would ultimately come to pass.
Tabernacle worship was an important part of God’s revelation of himself to his people, as Exodus 25:8 shows (‘make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them’). The reason it was so important was that it anticipated how God would eventually dwell with his people in Christ. Now that he has been exalted to God’s right hand and the new covenant has been inaugurated, the reality has come and the symbols have been abolished. We have open access to God’s presence.
The torn Temple curtain4 symbolises the truth explained here. Thank God for the welcome we now have in his presence through the death of Jesus.
1 Ps 100:4 2 ‘Outer’ and ‘inner’ in vs 6,7 are ‘first’ and ‘second’ in Greek 3 ‘Tabernacle’ (v 8) is the same word in Greek as ‘tent’ 4 Mark 15:38
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Proverbs 5,6; Colossians 1
Pray for Scripture Union
Bible Reading guides Daily Bread and Encounter with God for the April to June 2024 quarter go to press in the middle of this month. Thank God for the writers and editors, and for everyone behind the scenes who works to make these happen every quarter.
