In our family devotions we are passing through Hebrews Chapter 9, and studying the significance of Christ's power through his blood. He is my High Priest!
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The "Power" is the Blood of Christ!
In view of the
colossal problems around us—drugs, divorce, depression, to name a few—it seems
like a gross oversimplification to say that the blood of Jesus Christ is the
solution. But, in a different context, the Hebrews faced similar problems of
neglect, unbelief and immaturity. They were in danger of dropping out of the
race and turning back to their old ways. Seemingly, they lacked the
power and purpose to advance and press on in their faith-race. What was the
solution given to them? The blood of Jesus. Only a full and
perfect knowledge of what Jesus is and does for us can bring us to a full and
perfect Christian life.
The Old
Covenant was based on MAN's Faithfulness;
The New Covenant was based on GOD's
Faithfulness!
The Tabernacle:
· Tabernacle was 45' x 15' wide and 15' high
· Located inside the "Court of Israel" & divided into two sections; The Holy Place (or "Sanctuary") and the Holy of Holies. The Altar of incense was immediately just inside the entrance. The priest would daily offer the incense unto God by swinging it daily (symbol of the prayers of the saints).
· Altar of Incense where incense
would be swung; Lampstand -the priest would go into this first
part of the temple and trim the wicks on the "menora" (lampstand
with 7 candles); 7 lamps symbolize the Holy Spirit... God wanted this lampstand
to burn continually.
· Also in the first
part (Holy Place) was the "table of shewbread".
Weekly the priest would change the shewbread on the table; there were 12 loaves
each representing the 12 tribes of Israel.
· Sacrifices: -people would
bring offerings to give to the Lord during the day, and the priest would
sacrifice them as they came in.
· The priests would
each serve for about a month at a time.
In the Holy of
Holies you would find:
· Golden censor
· Ark of the Covenant which was overlaid
in gold, containing the tablets of stone (10 Commandments that God
gave them.)
· Golden Pot containing manna
preserved from their forefather's wilderness days.
· Aaron's Rod that
had budded; This budding was God's confirmation that Aaron was
selected to establish the "Aaronic order" priesthood.
· The "Cherubim's
of Glory" overseeing the "Mercy Seat or bema"
(symbolizing a model of heaven, as the throne of God is surrounded by cherubims).
· Daily the priest
would perform his priestly duties; trimming the wicks, refilling the oil,
offering sacrifices for sin that people brought to him.
· The High Priest would enter
the Holy of Holies through "the veil" only
once a year (on "Yom Kippor", which means
"The Day of Atonement", and "not without blood"; since
they haven't had a temple for many years, they currently call this "The
Day of Reflection") ....a sacrifice that he would offer for himself first,
and then for the people. He would go into the Holy of Holies first for
cleansing for himself after he bathed; he would kill an ox and enter with the
blood of the ox and sprinkle it on the "mercy seat". He would
bathe again, and then take two goats aside for consideration for the sins of
the people; ...both goats were used to "pay" for the sins of the
Israelis, but one would be slain, and one would be set free. (Generations
later....Barabbas was set free while Christ was slain). After casting lots over
the two goats, he would slay the goat upon which the lot fell, and set the
other one free somewhere in the wilderness. After slaying the goat, he
would enter into the Holy of Holies again for the sins of the nation with the
blood of the goat. The "puttting away" of
sins was the idea and as the goat was set free signifying that God would
remember their sins no more.
· This could only
happen once per year and that signified the "separation" of man from
GOD! The heavy veil of the temple separated them as the Holy Spirit was not yet
given to man. We read later that when Jesus was crucified, the veil of the temple
was ripped "from the top to the bottom"...God ripped it!; if man had
ripped it, it would have been ripped from the bottom to the top. This
veil-ripping signified that the way into God's presence was available for all
men! We can enter into God's presence by ourselves! Because Christ is
our High Priest!
If you look at the
Old Testament placement of the Israelite camp during their time wandering in
the wilderness, each tribe was situated so that the whole assembly made the
shape of a cross!!! This is a
foreshadowing of things to come in God’s plan.
Remember, this was thousands of years before the New Testament and the
story of Christ and His power to save because of His death on the Cross! The tent of meeting was positioned in the
middle.
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