The Tabernacle and the New Covenant

Hebrews 9:1-10

Main Idea: The old covenant laid the foundation for the new covenant inaugurated by the person and work of Jesus Christ. The external acts of worship in the tabernacle foreshadowed the day Christ would purify the consciences of his people and dwell among them.

1. The New Covenant Worship of God Foreshadowed (9:1-5)
   1. Old regulations for worship
   2. The tabernacle
2. The End of Mediated Access to God (9:6-10)
   1. The ministry of the priests
   2. What the Holy Spirit was indicating
   3. Imperfect offerings

Humans tend to place greater trust in things they can see with their own eyes and touch with their own hands. This was one of the reasons the Israelites held the old covenant in such high regard. Not only did God initiate his plan to redeem his people through the old covenant, but following it also provided the people the chance to get their hands dirty and to see its inner workings with their own eyes. Israel was able to participate in the physical process of offering a sacrifice, thereby reckoning its temporary atonement more certain. When the animals were slaughtered, an external act performed something visible and tangible—the shedding of blood for sin.

The shedding of blood happened most graphically on the Day of Atonement in the earthly tabernacle. Christ, however, entered a heavenly temple to offer his sacrifice for sin. The author is determined throughout Hebrews to show how Jesus’s work in the heavenly temple is fundamentally superior to the work done by priests in the earthly tabernacle. His spiritual work is of far greater value than the work accomplished in the earthly tabernacle because it fully and finally satisfies God’s wrath. In order to continue drawing out this contrast, the author turns his attention to the regulations for worship and for the earthly tabernacle. The imperfections of the earthly tabernacle and our tendency to trust things we can see and touch set the stage for Hebrews 9:1-10. In this passage the author removes the hope Israel puts in their participation in the sacrifices and shows them how they should think about the old covenant practices in light of Christ.

The New Covenant Worship of God Foreshadowed

Hebrews 9:1-5

The author reminds his readers of the tabernacle, which served as God’s temporary dwelling place amidst the Israelites after the exodus. The exacting detail of the commands given in Exodus 25–30 demonstrates that Israel was not to worship like the pagans. While their pagan neighbors devised new ways to portray whatever false deity they honored (as seen in Jer 10), Israel was not to speculate, innovate, or experiment with what kind of house or what kinds of objects for worship God preferred.

Old Regulations for Worship

In verse 1 the author reminds his readers that the old covenant had particular regulations concerning worship. God, through Moses, prescribed specific covenantal duties and a precise place in which to perform them. Unlike the pagans, the Israelites were not to worship God however they wanted. The one true and living God specifically told Israel how and where to worship him. His regulations for worship were expressly authorized by his word. A failure to abide by them led to grave consequences (Lev 10:1).

The tabernacle stood as the epicenter of old covenant worship. This is why the author refers to it with the phrase “earthly sanctuary.” The tabernacle was the place where Israel offered sacrifices and where the priests interceded on behalf of the people. Because the tabernacle was so central to the old covenant, Israel was intensely focused on what happened inside it. The new covenant, however, shifts our focus away from the tabernacle. Under the new covenant, a central location of worship required by God no longer exists. Since the Spirit unites us to Christ by faith, Christians now worship the Father “in Spirit and in truth,” not in a tabernacle (John 4:24). Furthermore, Christ now dwells in the midst of his people (Matt 18:20). John even describes Christ’s incarnation in language similar to that applied to the tabernacle: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14, emphasis added). The epicenter of new covenant worship is not in a place, it’s in a person: Jesus Christ.

The Tabernacle

In verses 2-5 the author outlines God’s specific commands for how Israel’s men of skill were to construct the tabernacle (Exod 25–31, 35–40). The tent reflected the holiness of God. It communicated his transcendence, perfection, and righteousness. It was also a vibrant reminder of the covenant God made with Israel at Sinai. Within the tent were the holy place and the most holy place. Regarding the holy place, the author mentions the lampstand (Exod 25:31-40; 37:17-24), the table (Exod 25:23-29; 37:10-16), and the presentation loaves (the Bread of the Presence; Exod 25:30). From there the author moves on to consider the furniture in the most holy place: the gold altar of incense, the ark of the covenant, a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. All of these items broadly demonstrated God’s great acts of redemption, covenant faithfulness, and holiness. They each communicated specific things as well.

Aaron’s staff served as a reminder of how God kept his people alive in the wilderness and of how God chose Aaron for the priesthood (Num 17:1-13). The tablets reminded the people of God’s covenant with them and of their responsibility to uphold that covenant by obeying the law. The golden urn holding manna served as a constant testimony to God’s sustaining care of Israel for forty years in the wilderness (Exod 16:31-34). And the ark attested to God’s covenant love for Israel and his steadfast faithfulness toward them.

But why does the author mention the altar of incense? Doesn’t Exodus 30:6 say that the altar is in front of the curtain, in the holy place? Given that the author has repeatedly shown his great familiarity with Jewish tradition throughout the letter, such a statement shouldn’t lead us to think the author is confused. Instead, he is deliberately associating the altar of incense with the presence of God in the most holy place. He probably does this because the burning of incense was such a key feature on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:12-13).

The author also notes the presence of the cherubim and the prominence of gold in the most holy place. The cherubim were heavenly creatures to whom God gave specific tasks (Gen 3:24). Verse 5 teaches us the cherubim of glory overshadowed the mercy seat and were tasked with guarding the presence of God. Gold in the ancient world was effectively priceless. It was the most valuable commodity known. The golden composition of these items demonstrates the infinite value of heaven and heavenly worship.

The Jewish Christians to whom the author was writing would have understood the holy place and the most holy place to be inextricably linked to the way God met with his people. They would have been tempted to imagine the sights, sounds, and smells of the tabernacle and think of them as “the real.” The problem with this, of course, is that the new covenant makes the old covenant obsolete (Heb 8:13). Nevertheless, the author doesn’t degrade these representative objects of the old covenant. He dignifies them and shows how their placement in the tabernacle demonstrated deeper realities.

The End of Mediated Access to God

Hebrews 9:6-10

This passage shifts from a focus on the arrangement of the furniture in the tabernacle to the ministry of the priests in the tabernacle. As he makes the switch, the author outlines the stipulations for priests in the holy places and the deficiencies in their work.

The Ministry of the Priests

The priests regularly performed their ritual duties of sacrifice in the first section, the holy place, but only the high priest could go into the second section, the most holy place, to intercede for the people. Even then, entering the most holy place only happened once a year on the Day of Atonement. The high priest carried blood with him into the most holy place because blood was necessary for the atonement of his own sins and for the sins of the people (Lev 16). The priests who served in the holy place, however, regularly performed their duties. They ministered every day within the holy place.

What does the author mean by “the sins the people had committed in ignorance”? Christians tend to think of sin in two categories. First, we think of sin as deliberately wrong acts. We call these “sins of commission.” The Bible certainly teaches that disobedient acts—doing what we ought not to do—are sinful. Second, we think of sin as failing to do what we ought to do. We call these “sins of omission.” Failure to do what God commands us to do is no less sinful than doing what he has commanded us not to do.

Yet the author identifies a third category of sin Christians often miss: sins committed in ignorance or unintentionally. Unintentional sins are those we commit without realizing we are committing them. Due to the pervasive and insidious effects of sin on our entire beings, we can’t even recognize the times we’re unaware we’re sinning. It’s these unintentional sins of the people that precipitated the high priest’s ministry and made it necessary for him to offer a blood sacrifice.

What the Holy Spirit Was Indicating

Notice that the high priest only went in to offer sacrifices once a year for the unintentional sins of the people. Yet the author says the Holy Spirit was speaking through this repetition. When you read the words “the Holy Spirit was making it clear that the way into the most holy place had not yet been disclosed while the first tabernacle was still standing,” remember the distinction between the holy place and the most holy place. In the holy place, the regular offering described in the sacrificial system was presented. The high priest only entered the most holy place, the holy of holies, on the Day of Atonement to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant.

The infrequent nature of the high priest’s offering and the structure of the tabernacle demonstrated that sinful men could not approach a holy God. Even when provision was made for that approach to take place through sacrifice, it was only allowed once a year. Furthermore, the repetitive nature of the Day of Atonement (the fact that it happened every year) highlighted that the priestly work of the sons of Aaron would only come to an end when something final arrived. This is why the author says the Holy Spirit was indicating something through the architecture of the tabernacle: even he was crying out for the day when the final sacrifice would come. As long as there was a curtain between the holy place and the most holy place, the people were not fully in the presence of God. They could not draw near to God with confidence. Thus, the veil between the most holy place and the holy place indicated incompleteness and an inability to approach God.

Under the new covenant, we no longer need to make the distinction between the holy place and the most holy place. When Christ cried, “It is finished,” and the veil separating the most holy place and the holy place tore from top to bottom, God was announcing to the world that people could indeed come into his presence through faith in the finished and final work of Jesus Christ. We don’t need a high priest to meet with God now. We now have direct access to his throne room through Christ.

Imperfect Offerings

The gifts and sacrifices that were offered to the Lord mattered. They were necessary for holding back the wrath of God. We learn from verse 9, though, that they could not perfect the conscience of the worshiper. They could not plumb his depths and change his heart. The external acts of worship that took place in the tabernacle were purely external. They only dealt with external things like food and drink, various washings, and regulations for the body. But Israel needed acts of worship that dealt with the internal issues of the heart.

The author of Hebrews shows that not even the highest of all sacrifices—the sacrifice made by the high priest on the Day of Atonement in the most holy place—could cleanse the conscience of the worshiper. Even it couldn’t bring about newness of life. This is why gifts and sacrifices continued to be offered in Israel. They had to be offered because there was never final purification from sin. As soon as an Israelite finished offering one sacrifice for sin, he needed to offer another.

The contrast could not be clearer. While the old covenant required incessant and imperfect offerings that could not purify the depths of the human heart, Christ accomplished final and full purification. Jesus is the hope of the new covenant. When he appeared as high priest (Heb 9:11), everything changed.

Reflect and Discuss

1. What does it mean for Christians to approach God? How does this passage inform our understanding of worshiping God? Where does Scripture command us to approach and worship God?
2. Why is it significant that a central tabernacle in which God is to be worshiped no longer remains? What does this mean for individual Christians and for the corporate gathering of Christians in the local church?
3. Explain how God’s commands concerning regulations for worship in verse 1 are fatherly and loving. How does God’s kingly reign affect your life, especially as you go about day-to-day business? What are some ways we can joyfully demonstrate God’s loving reign in our lives?
4. Look at verses 2-5 again. To what deeper realities do each of these objects in the tabernacle point? What do they tell us about God, the new covenant, Jesus Christ, and ourselves?
5. What are sins committed in ignorance? How do unintentional sins reveal the pervasive and insidious effects of sin? In what ways do this kind of sin affect your life and your relationships with other people?
6. What does the most holy place communicate about the character of God? What does it mean that Christ’s work on the cross eliminates the division between the most holy place and the holy place? Why does this matter for Christians?
7. Explain how the contents of verse 8 foretold the coming of the new covenant. What did the infrequent nature of the high priest’s work communicate? What role did the Holy Spirit play in this?
8. How did the continuous nature of the gifts and offerings in the old covenant demonstrate their insufficiency? What does this tell us about Christ’s offering in the new covenant? How should this affect our confidence and encourage us to endure?
9. What were the gifts and sacrifices offered under the old covenant good for if they couldn’t perfect the conscience of the worshiper? How does this help draw out the contrast between the covenants?
10. What does the author mean by reference to “the time of the new order” in verse 10? Why does he call it this?