Thursday, November 7

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2013

Ezekiel 16:42–17:24

Hebrews 8:1–13

Psalm 106:13–31

Proverbs 27:7–9

 

 

“Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.”

 

“And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too.  If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law.  They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning:  ‘Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.’” (Hebrews 8:1–5)

 

The writer of Hebrews has built steadily on the superiority of Jesus the Christ:  above the angels, above Moses, and above the sacrificial system that both fulfilled the Mosaic law and pointed to the Lamb of God to come.

 

In Chapter 8, the author discusses how Jesus has completed the Second Covenant.  Unlike the high priests of the Old Covenant, He does not need to repetitively offer sacrifices for the sin of God’s people.  Instead, in Himself, He has made fully sufficiently sacrifice through giving His life on the cross.  Instead of serving in the earthly Temple – only “a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven” – Jesus has prepared complete atonement (“the setting aside of wrath by an offering”) through His body and blood,

 

While Moses and other Old Testament believers took these promises on faith, knowing that God would provide full atonement in His timing, we have the evidence of Scripture and history to remind us of these realities.  We have the reliable testimony of the Scriptures and the fact of the Crucifixion and Resurrection.  The entire early church had intimate experience with the Risen Christ, who appeared to more than 500 people at the same time (1 Corinthians 15:3–6).  He later appeared to the Apostle Paul and thousands of others (even to the present day) through visions and dreams, verifying and confirming the realities set forth in the Scriptures.  Our faith is anything but blind; it is rooted instead on rock-solid evidence.

 

 

“But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.  For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.” (Hebrews 8:6,7)

 

The writer of Hebrews continues to explain that this New Covenant “is established on better promises.”  He argues that the mere existence of the second covenant suggests the shortcomings of the first covenant.  As an aside, this logic follows closely after the “ontological” argument for the existence of God:  it is far better to exist than not to exist.

 

This New Covenant would involve a much deeper knowledge of the Holy One.  The promises of God would become more fully realized for His people, and their love-relationship would become more intimate and palpable.  God’s people would not relate to Him at a distance, but He will welcome them as a loving Father:  “I will be their God,/ and they will be my people.”  The cycle of rebellion would give way to intimacy and obedience.

 

We understand from other portions of the New Testament that these revelations of the New Covenant have emerged progressively.  While we treasure that which God has already revealed, we may know more deeply in the full revelation of heaven:  “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

 

Still, we have the great pleasure of interacting daily with the Lord:  hearing His voice through His Word and prayer; speaking with Him through prayer and meditation; and serving Him by encouraging and helping His people and giving our lives to glorify Him in word, thought, and deed.  As we walk with Him, the Holy Spirit will transform us and allow us to become more conformed to the image of Christ and according to His will:  “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

 

Let us rejoice in the revealed and to-be-revealed promises of this New Covenant, even today!

 

Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your sacrifice and for establishing the New Covenant in which we may participate.  Fit our lives for Your service and Your purposes.  We are grateful that all Your promises have come to pass or will become fully realized.  Thank You, Lord, for being fully trustworthy, faithful, and true.  We love You and worship You today.  In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

________________________________________
1) Blog:                  http://bit.ly/rV1Cw1

2) Facebook:        http://on.fb.me/tc6jkS