Quote for the Day
“…he has made the first one obsolete…”
Today's Prayer
This week pray for those that are traveling, asking God to help them understand His sacrifice of Jesus Christ that is His everlasting covenant with us.
Hebrews 8:1-13
Hebrews 8:1-13 (NIV)1 The 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, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man. 3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” 6 But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. 7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said: “The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of and with the house of . 9 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of , because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. 10 This is the covenant I will make with the house of after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” 13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
Message
The last few chapters have helped us see how Christ was like Melchizedek and like the priests of the Old Testament. Now we will see how he is not like them. The Old Testament priests were human and the sacrifices they offered to cover the sins were animal sacrifices. The sacrifices made had to be repeated over and over again. Each new sin required a new sacrifice, as the old blood did not cover the new sin. There was a need for a sacrifice that lasted forever, that covered sin once and for all.We see clearly in chapter eight that, “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 man.” Christ is the perfect completion. The sacrifice in the Old Testament was a shadow or copy of what was to follow: the true and full sacrifice, Jesus Christ. The true tabernacle is not here on earth; it is in heaven with the Father, from where Christ came and returned and now reigns with the Father. Verse 13 is a fitting end to this chapter as it reveals, “By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.” Christ has fulfilled the Old Testament requirements with the only true everlasting sacrifice: His own life, a sacrifice for ours.