Tuesday Hebrews: 9:1-14

9:1 Therefore, on the one hand, the first [covenant] had requirements of worship and a sanctuary of this world.
Hebrews 9:1-10 is the "on the one hand" part of a contrast. The "on the other hand" part begins at 9:11. The first part relates to the "cultic" or sacrificial elements of the first covenant, while the second presents the "sacrificial system" of the new covenant.

The author refers to the sanctuary of the first covenant as a "worldly sanctuary," a "sanctuary of this world." This curious way of describing the earthly tabernacle of Moses in the wilderness probably relates to the author's contrast between the true heaven and the created realm.

9:2 For a tent was constructed—the first one—in which [was located] the lampstand and the table and the presentation of breads, which is called, “Holies.
The author now describes the wilderness tent of Moses in even more curious language. In the description of the earthly structure in 9:1-5, he refers to the first room of the tent as the "first tent" and the second room as the "second tent." The reason will become clear when we get to 9:8-9, where the author interprets this two part structure allegorically as two ages.

9:3-4 And after the second veil a tent that was called, “Holies of Holies"—that had the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant, overlaid with gold on all sides, in which [was located] the golden jar that had the manna and the staff of Aaron that budded and the tablets of the covenant,
This description of the Most Holy Place, the inner sanctum of the wilderness tabernacle, brings further curiosities, such as the reference to a second veil. But the most interesting part of the description is the placement of the altar of incense within the Holy of Holies, rather than in the outer room the Holy Place, as in the Pentateuch. We do have evidence of other Jewish writers placing this altar in the Most Holy Place, so perhaps we should not read special meaning into the author's placement.

9:5 … and above it the Cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, about which things now is not [the time] to speak in detail.
It is unclear to us exactly what the author means by his final disclaimer. He could mean that many of these items have not been around for some time and so it is difficult to speak of them. This was probably true at the time of Christ. However, our sense is that the author does not wish at this time to explore the allegorical significance of these items, as Philo does in his Allegorical Commentaries. But the author might do so in a different context.

9:6 Now when these things were constructed, the priests entered into the first tent throughout the year to complete their service…
In 9:6-10, the author shifts from describing the structure and contents of the early sanctuary to describe the priestly operations within it, including their allegorical significance. With the wilderness tabernacle constructed, priests entered regularly into the first room of the two part sanctuary.

9:7 … but into the second [tent] the high priest alone entered once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and the sins of the people committed in ignorance,
By contrast, only once a year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, did the high priest alone enter into the inner sanctum of the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. The author, using his curious language, refers to this second room as the second "tent."

The author has mentioned more than once that the earthly high priests, unlike Christ, had to offer blood for themselves as well as for the people. Since Christ was without sin, he of course did not have to offer sacrifices for his own "weaknesses."

In its context in Numbers, "sins committed in ignorance" refered to the fact that atonement was strictly provided for unintentional sins rather than for "sins with a high hand," sins committed intentionally and with full knowledge of what one was doing. In the context of Hebrews, however, the author does not likely refer to sins committed unintentionally. Rather, he refers to sins before one came to a "knowledge of the truth" (e.g., 10:26) and become enlightened (e.g., 6:2).

The knowledge of the truth is the knowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. It likely implies the whole truth about Christ, including his second coming. By using language of "sins committed in ignorance," the author hints that Christ's atonement was not intended for sins committed after one comes to the truth (cf. 10:26).

9:8-9 … the Holy Spirit making this clear: the way of the Holies has not yet appeared while the first tent still has standing, which is a parable for this present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered that are not able to perfect the worshipper in conscience…
The author now begins to draw his allegorical conclusion based on the structure and workings of the wilderness tabernacle. The earthly sanctuary had two parts. The priests entered the first throughout the year, but only the high priest had access to the Holy of Holies once a year.

So in the current age, never ending sacrifices are offered, just as priests offer sacrifices continually in the "first tent," the outer room of the wilderness sanctuary. This indicates that as long as the first tent has status, the first covenant, the way into God's presence is not yet available. The person that offers the sacrifice cannot have their sins taken away.

The author is pointing to an interpretation of the two part sanctuary as an allegory for the two covenants. The first covenant involved continuous cultic activity. The second is a one time, once and for all sacrifice. When the first covenant is taken away, when the first tent is taken away, then only the second tent will stand, the new covenant with the one time sacrifice of Christ. And perhaps, once the created realm, the outer tent is removed, only the unshakeable heaven will remain.

9:10 … only on the basis of foods and drinks and various washings, requirements of flesh imposed until the time of reformation.
The Levitical system did not truly cleanse sins. The person was left with a consciousness of still having them. One's conscience was thus not "perfected." The cleansing of the first covenant was "superficial" and only extended to the washing of one's flesh. It awaited the time of "reformation" when sins would truly be taken away.

9:11 But Christ, on the other hand, who arose as a high priest of good things that have come into existence,
This statement is parallel to 10:1, which thinks of the Law as a shadow of good things to come. But in Christ the good things have already come to be, namely true atonement.

9:11-12 ...through the greater and more perfect tent, not made with hands, that is, not of this creation nor through the blood of bulls and goats, but through his own blood, he entered into the Holies once and for all having found an eternal service.
The author here structures his thought chiastically. The two middle lines follow a similar pattern, as do the first and last.

a. through the greater and more perfect tent,
b. not made with hands, that is, not of this creation
b'. nor through the blood of bulls and goats
a'. but through his own blood…

The greater and more perfect tent, in our opinion, is heaven itself. The author does not have some literal structure in heaven in view. Christ passed through the skies in his ascension, and the author can think of this passage as the passage through the heavenly sanctuary.

The train of thought "through the greater and more tent ... he entered into the Holies" seems contradictory at first. Are these not the same thing? Two possibilities suggest themselves.

The first is that we should take the first statement to say that "by way of the greater and more perfect tent ... he entered." But it is also possible that the tension arises from the fact that the heavenly tent is, after all, a metaphor for heaven itself. We should not be surprised if tensions arise in the course of argument. After all, these two comments are somewhat removed from each other.

9:13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and sprinkling the ashes of a red heifer sanctified those who had become unclean toward the cleansing of the flesh,
In keeping with the shadowy nature of the Law, chapter 9 amalgamates several diverse types of Old Testament sacrifice. Here he mentions the red heifer cleansing of skin diseases. In a moment he will mention scarlet wool and hyssop for similar cleansings. All of these diverse cultic rites find their singular reality in the single sacrifice of Christ. The sacrifices of the old covenant did not take away sin but only provided a bodily cleansing.

9:14 ... [then] how much more will the blood of Christ—who through an eternal spirit offered himself blameless to God—cleanse our conscience from dead works to worship the living God.
By contrast, the sacrifice of Christ cleanses a person's consciousness of sins, here described as "dead works" or, perhaps, "works that result in death." By contrast, Christ's priesthood enables us to worship the living God. Christ's sacrifice was a "living" work rather than a dead one.

The author's focus on Jesus' blood is perhaps misleading. Indeed, despite the fact that the author says that "without blood there is no forgiveness of sins" (9:22), he makes these comments in order to do away with the physical. No doubt he would agree with Paul that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor. 15:50).

So it is significant to notice that when it comes down to Christ's entrance into heaven, the author does not say that Christ brought his blood into heaven. Indeed, such a view is impossible from the author's understanding of the world. Rather, it is ultimately "through an eternal spirit" that he offers himself to God. This is yet another allusion to Christ's "indestructible life" that was the key characteristic of his high priesthood (7:16).