Hebrews Chapter 9

Service in the First Sanctuary

¹ Now the first covenant had an earthly sanctuary and regulations for service. ² The first tabernacle, “the Holy Place,” had a lampstand and a table with sacred bread on it. ³ Behind the second curtain stood another tabernacle, “the Holy of Holies.” ⁴ It had a gold altar of incense and the Ark of the Covenant that was gold-plated all over. Inside the ark there was a gold pot with manna in it along with Aaron’s rod that budded and the tablets that contained the covenant. ⁵ Above the ark the glorious cherubs hovered over the mercy seat. We can’t speak in detail about these now.          

Heb 9:1-5

⁶ With things arranged that way, the priests regularly go into the first tabernacle to perform rites of divine service. ⁷ But the high priest goes into the second tabernacle by himself once a year and takes blood to offer for himself and the sins people committed in ignorance. ⁸ The Holy Spirit signified by that design that the way into the Holy of Holies wasn’t obvious while the original tabernacle was standing. ⁹ The tabernacle figuratively pictured its own time when gifts and sacrifices couldn’t clear a worshiper’s conscience. ¹⁰ Those gifts and sacrifices only dealt with foods, drinks, various washings—physical regulations in place till the new order would come in.          

Heb 9:6-10

Christ as Priest of What’s Real

¹¹ Christ appeared as a high priest of good things that are here now. He went in by the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. ¹² He didn’t go into the Holy of Holies on the basis of the blood of goats and calves, but on the basis of his own blood once and for all to obtain eternal salvation. ¹³ If the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the defiled, sanctifies to cleanse the flesh, ¹⁴ how much more will the blood of Christ—who offered himself without blemish to God through the eternal Spirit—cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.                                                                        

Heb 9:11-14

Christ’s Mediating the New Covenant

¹⁵ So he’s the mediator of a new covenant. His death redeemed sins that people committed under the first covenant so the heirs of the eternal covenant could receive the promise. ¹⁶ A testamentary covenant involves the death of the one that made it. ¹⁷ It’s never in force while he’s alive. ¹⁸ The first covenant was instituted with blood. ¹⁹ When Moses had spoken every commandment to the people, he took the blood of goats and young bulls—with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop—and sprinkled the scroll itself and the people, ²⁰ saying, “This is the blood of the covenant God commanded you” [Ex. 24:8]. ²¹ He also sprinkled blood on the tabernacle and the vessels used in it. ²² I can almost say, according to the Law, blood cleanses everything; there’s no forgiveness without shedding blood.                              

Heb 9:15-22

²³ These things cleansed the copies of heavenly things, but something better needed to cleanse the heavenly things themselves. ²⁴ Christ didn’t go into a handmade copy of the real sanctuary; he went into heaven itself to appear for us now in God’s presence. ²⁵ And, he didn’t need to offer himself many times like the high priest does in the Holy Place every year with blood that’s not his own. ²⁶ Otherwise, Christ would’ve had to suffer many times since the world began. But now, once and for all at the end of the ages, he has appeared to get rid of sin by sacrificing himself. ²⁷ It’s appointed to men to die once and after that to face judgment. ²⁸ In the same way, Christ offered himself once to bear the sins of many. He’ll appear a second time—apart from sin—to the ones who wait expectantly for him to save us.     

Heb 9:23-28