|
| |
INDEX
PREVIOUS
NEXT
|
COLLECTIONS
Commentaries,
Word Studies, Devotionals, Sermons, Illustrations
Old and New Testament |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Hebrews 9:23-24
Commentary |
|
Hebrews
9:23
Therefore
it was
necessary for
the
copies of the
things in the
heavens to be
cleansed with
these, but the
heavenly
things
themselves with
better
sacrifices
than
these.
(NASB:
Lockman) |
|
Greek:
Anagke
oun
ta
men
hupodeigmata
ton
en
tois
ouranois
toutois
katharizesthai,
auta
de
ta
epourania
kreittosin
thusiais
para
tautas.
Amplified: By such means, therefore, it was necessary for
the [earthly] copies of the heavenly things to be purified, but the
actual heavenly things themselves [required far] better and nobler
sacrifices than these.
(Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
Barclay: So, then, if it was necessary that the things which are
copies of the heavenly realities should be cleansed by processes like
these, it is necessary that the heavenly realities themselves should
be cleansed by finer sacrifices than those of which we have been
thinking. (Westminster
Press)
NLT: That is why the earthly tent and everything in
it—which were copies of things in heaven—had to be purified by the
blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified
with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals. (NLT
- Tyndale House)
Phillips: It was necessary for the earthly reproductions of
heavenly realities to be purified by such methods, but the actual
heavenly things could only be made pure in God's sight by higher
sacrifices than these. (Phillips:
Touchstone)
Wuest: It was therefore necessary on the one hand that the
representations of the things in the heavens [the earthly tent] should
be cleansed constantly with these [animal sacrifices], but on the
other hand, the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than
these [the blood of the Lord Jesus]. (Eerdmans)
Young's Literal: It is necessary, therefore, the pattern
indeed of the things in the heavens to be purified with these, and the
heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these |
|
|
|
|
THEREFORE IT WAS NECESSARY FOR THE COPIES OF THE THINGS IN THE HEAVENS TO BE
CLEANSED WITH THESE: Anagke oun ta men hupodeigmata ton en tois ouranois
toutois katharizesthai (PPN): (Heb 9:9,10,24; 8:5; 10:1; Col 2:17)
Therefore
(3767)
(oun)
in context serves to introduce the idea of necessity. The writer
has made it abundantly clear in He 9:22 that blood must be shed in
purification according to the law.
Steven Cole
notes that...
“Therefore” (He 9:23) goes
back to the previous section, which made the point that forgiveness of
sins is possible only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. The
blood sacrifices of the Old Testament all foreshadowed the supreme
sacrifice of the Son of God. “The copies of the things in the heavens”
(He 9:23) refers to the tabernacle and its furnishings. These things
had to be cleansed by the blood of sacrificial animals. But these
things were only earthly types of heavenly realities. The heavenly
things themselves had to be cleansed with better sacrifices than
these, namely, the blood of Christ. He uses the plural to refer to the
one sacrifice of Christ, which gathered up into one all of the Old
Testament sacrifices. Christ’s sacrifice “is so many-sided that it
required a whole range of sacrifices to serve as adequate copies”
(Donald Guthrie, Hebrews: Tyndale New Testament Commentaries
[IVP/Eerdmans], p. 196). (Hebrews 9:23-28 Judgment or
Salvation?)
Wiersbe
explains it this way...
Since God has ordained that
remission of sins is through the shedding of blood, and since
purification comes through the sprinkling of blood, it is necessary
that blood be shed and applied if the New Covenant is to be in force.
The “patterns” (the Old Covenant tabernacle) were purified by the
sprinkling of the blood. But the “originals” were also purified! The
blood of Jesus Christ not only purifies the conscience of the believer
(Heb. 9:14), but also purified the “heavenly things” (Heb. 9:23, nasb).
(Wiersbe,
W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor
or
Logos)
It was
necessary - In other words, there was no other way. There is no
other "escape hatch". No secret/mystical passage. No asterisk or fine
print providing an exception to the need for Christ's blood. He is the
Way, the only Way (Jn 14:6). The Way into the Holy of Holies is by no
other Name under heaven (Acts 4:12).
Necessity
(318)(anagke
[word study]
from ana = up, again, back,
renewal, repetition, intensity, reversal + agkale = arm when bent
or
agcho = to compress, press tight)
refers to any necessity or compulsion, outer or inner, brought on by a
variety of circumstances. It can mean necessity imposed either by external
conditions or by the law of duty.
Anagke - 17x in
17v - Matt 18:7; Luke 14:18; 21:23; Rom 13:5; 1 Cor 7:26, 37; 9:16; 2 Cor
6:4; 9:7; 12:10; 1 Thess 3:7; Philemon 1:14; Heb 7:12, 27; 9:16, 23; Jude
1:3. NAS = compulsion(3), constraint(1), distress(3), distresses(1),
hardships(1), inevitable(1), necessary(2), necessity(3), need(2),
obliged*(1).
Copies of
these things - the Old Covenant rites as in He 9:19
(see note).
Copies (5262)
(hupodeigma
[word study]
from hupo = under + deiknúo/deíknumi = to show,
to point to something, to make known the character or significance of
something) means literally that which is shown below. It means an
example, pattern, illustration. It refers to a sign suggestive of
anything, an outline, a delineation, a suggestion.
Hupodeigma - 6x in 6v - Jn
13:15 Heb 4:11, 8:5, 9:23 Jas 5:10 2Pe 2:6. NAS = copies(1),
copy(1), example(4).
Barclay
writes that hupodeigma means...
a specimen, or, still better, a
sketch-plan
Paul has a similar statement in Colossians...
Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or
in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-- things which
are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to
Christ. (Col 2:16, 17- note)
Heavens (3772)
(ouranos)
describes literally the expanse of space that seems to be over the
earth like a dome. In the NT heaven and earth comprise all of
creation, though the two are distinctive (Mt 6:9-note).
God spoke both into existence and heaven is His realm. In Hebrew
thought heaven was Jehovah's dwelling place and is the believer's true
and eternal home. (see
more detailed discussion)
In the present context this word is a reference to the place where God
dwells.
To be cleansed (2511)
(katharizo
[word study]
from katharos = pure, clean,
without stain or spot; English words - catharsis = emotional or
physical purging, cathartic = substance used to induce a purging,
Cathar = member of a medieval sect which sought the purging of evil
from its members) means to make clean by taking away an undesirable
part. To cleanse from filth or impurity.
Click here
(and
here) for more
background on the important Biblical concept of clean and
cleansing.
Katharizo
- 31x in 30v - Mt 8:2, 3; 10:8; 11:5; 23:25, 26; Mark 1:40, 41, 42,
7:19; Luke 4:27; 5:12, 13; 7:22; 11:39; 17:14, 17; Acts 10:15; 11:9;
15:9; 2Cor 7:1; Eph 5:26; Titus 2:14; Heb 9:14, 22, 23; 10:2; Jas 4:8;
1John 1:7, 9. NAS = clean(3), cleanse(5), cleansed(16),
cleanses(1), cleansing(1), declared...clean(1), make...clean(3),
purify(1).
Figuratively
katharizo referred to cleansing from ritual contamination or
impurity as in (Acts 10:15). In a similar sense katharizo is used of
cleansing lepers from ceremonial uncleanness (Mt 8:2-3, et al)
Another figurative use in 1John 1:9 (cf James 4:8, Hebrews 10:2)
describes the purifying or cleansing from sin and a guilty conscience
thus making one acceptable to God and reestablishing fellowship.
The
present tense of
katharizo indicates that the
cleansing had to be continual activity.
With these - By these
OT rituals or by the different materials of
cleansing depicted in Hebrews 9:19ff. All of these OT pictures pointed to
the better sacrifice of Christ.
BUT THE HEAVENLY THINGS THEMSELVES WITH BETTER SACRIFICES THAN THESE: auta
de ta epourania kreittosin thusiais para tautas: (Heb 9:11,12,14,24;
10:4,10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17; Luke 24:26,46; John 14:3; 1Peter 1:19,
20, 21; Revelation 5:9)
Heavenly
(2032)
(epouranios
- used 5 times in Ephesians - Eph 1:3, 20, 2:6, 3:10, 6:12 see notes
Eph 1:3,
20;
2:6;
3:10;
6:12)
encompass the entire supernatural realm of God, His complete domain,
and the full extent of His divine operation.
Epouranios
- 19x in 17v - Jn 3:12; 1Co 15:40, 48, 49; Ep 1:3, 20; 2:6; 3:10;
6:12; Phil 2:10; 2Ti 4:18; Heb 3:1; 6:4; 8:5; 9:23; 11:16; 12:22.
NAS = heaven(1), heavenly(14), heavenly one(1), heavenly
things(3).
What does it
mean that the "heavenly things themselves" must also be
cleansed with better sacrifices? As Steven Cole asks...
What are the heavenly things and
why do they need cleansing? A number of views have been put forth
(Leon Morris summarizes these in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, ed.
by Frank Gaebelein [Zondervan], 12:91). We need to understand that the
author is speaking spiritually. There is no literal altar or golden
lampstand or table of sacred bread in heaven. But why would the
spiritual counterparts in heaven (whatever they are) require
cleansing? Some say that it is a dedicatory consecration, similar to
the dedication of the tabernacle. Some relate it to the fact that
Satan and the fallen angels have defiled heaven and that in His
atonement, Christ disarmed them and triumphed over them, thus
cleansing heaven.
But in light of He 9:24, which states that Christ entered the true
holy place in heaven to appear in the presence of God for us, the
author is likely referring to the fact that we, God’s people, are now
His spiritual dwelling place (He 3:6). How can we be pure and free
from defilement, so that God may dwell in us, not just individually,
but corporately as His holy temple (Ep 2:21, 22; 1Pe 2:5)? The answer
is that Christ’s blood alone can cleanse our conscience from dead
works to serve the living God (He 9:14). (Hebrews 9:23-28 Judgment or
Salvation?)
Better (2909)
(kreitton/kreisson
from
kratos
= strong, which
denotes power in activity and effect) serves as the comparative degree
of
agathos, “good” (good or fair,
intrinsically). Kreitton/kreisson means more useful, more
profitable more advantageous, greater, superior; greater advantage. In
this case it speaks of the book of Christ, even the use of the plural
(sacrifices) as a description of the single offering of Christ.
Kreitton
- 19x in 18v - 1 Cor 7:9, 38; 11:17; Phil 1:23; Heb 1:4; 6:9; 7:7, 19,
22; 8:6; 9:23; 10:34; 11:16, 35, 40; 12:24; 1 Pet 3:17; 2 Pet 2:21.
NAS = better(17), better things(1), greater(1).
Criswell
adds that...
The use of the plural to describe
the single offering of Christ is a figure of speech known as the
plural of majesty.
(Criswell,
W A. Believer's Study Bible: New King James Version. 1991. Thomas
Nelson)
Jamieson writes
that...
The plural is used in expressing the
general proposition, though strictly referring to the one sacrifice of
Christ once for all. Paul implies that His one sacrifice, by its matchless
excellency, is equivalent to the Levitical many sacrifices. It, though but
one, is manifold in its effects and applicability to many. (Jamieson,
Fausset, Brown)
Better sacrifices - Christ’s
better sacrifice is a major theme in
Hebrews 9:13-10:18. The many sacrifices
of the Levitical system were to be superseded by better sacrifices
that would be represented in the one perfect sacrifice
of Christ.
Philip Hughes
asks what are the "better sacrifices" especially considering
that Christ was sacrificed only once for all time...
there is general agreement among
commentators that the plural better sacrifices is not a precise but a
generic plural, corresponding or accommodated to the plural "these
rites" in the first clause of the verse: the inferior sacrifices of
the Levitical system called, speaking generally, for better
sacrifices. To be specific, however, they were superseded not by
many sacrifices but by one, namely, the unique and fully adequate
self-offering of the incarnate Son on the cross of Calvary (as our
author repeatedly insists—see He 7:27; 9:12, 14; 10:10, 12, 14, so
that he is not open to the charge of imprecision). His is the "one
sacrifice for sins for ever" (He 10:12 KJV). Hence it is described
here as better: it accomplishes once and for all that complete
and eternal redemption which the imperfect sacrifices of the former
system never could accomplish. (A Commentary On The Epistle To The
Hebrews)
Better is
a KEYWORD (see
key words)
in Hebrews. This repetition of "better"
demonstrates beyond all doubt to the Jewish reader that the New
is better than the Old system. Study the uses below. What is
better? You will need to read the surrounding context to answer
this question.
Hebrews - A
"Better" Book
Uses of "Better"
Hebrews 1:4 (note)
having become as much better than the angels, as He has
inherited a more excellent name than they.
Hebrews 6:9 (note)
But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you,
and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this
way.
Hebrews 7:19 (note)
(for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a
bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to
God.
Hebrews 7:22 (note)
so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better
covenant.
Hebrews 8:6 (note)
But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is
also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted
on better promises.
Hebrews 9:23 (note)
Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens
to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with
better sacrifices than these.
Hebrews 10:34 (note)
For you showed sympathy to the prisoners, and accepted joyfully the
seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a
better possession and an abiding one.
Hebrews 11:4 (note)
By faith Abel offered to
God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the
testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and
through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.
Hebrews 11:16 (note)
But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly
one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has
prepared a city for them.
Hebrews 11:35 (note)
Women received back
their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting
their release, in order that they might obtain a better
resurrection;
Hebrews 11:40 (note)
because God had provided something better for us, so that apart
from us they should not be made perfect.
Hebrews 12:24 (note)
and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled
blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.
Sacrifices
(2378)
(thusia from thuo =
to sacrifice or kill
a sacrificial victim)
(See
all 15 uses of thusia in Hebrews)
means that which is offered as a sacrifice. Webster's defines it as
act of offering to a deity something precious! Here thusia
is used metaphorically to describe their volitional offering of their
words.
In the Old
Testament there were two types of sacrifices, the first offered
to deal with sin and the broken fellowship that resulted from the sin.
The sacrificial blood was a picture of the bridging of the gap between
the giver and God (although OT sacrifices for sin only covered over
for a time, whereas Christ's sacrifice effectively and permanently
removed all guilt of sin for those who believe in Him).
The second
type of OT sacrifice was presented to God as an act of worship, the
presenter having had his sins covered over by the blood of the sin
offering, which resulted in his hearts being full of thanksgiving and
praise to God which was reflected in the offering.
Than these - Robertson remarks that
"To us it seems a bit strained to speak of the ritual cleansing or
dedication of heaven itself by the appearance of Christ as
Priest-Victim. But the whole picture is highly mystical."
A
DIFFICULT
PHRASE TO INTERPRET
Steven Cole writes that...
verse 23
raises a question: What are the heavenly things and why do they
need cleansing? A number of views have been put forth (Leon Morris
summarizes these in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, ed. by Frank
Gaebelein [Zondervan], 12:9 1). We need to understand that the author
is speaking spiritually. There is no literal altar or golden lampstand
or table of sacred bread in heaven. But why would the spiritual
counterparts in heaven (whatever they are) require cleansing? Some
say that it is a dedicatory consecration, similar to the dedication of
the tabernacle. Some relate it to the fact that Satan and the fallen
angels have defiled heaven and that in His atonement, Christ disarmed
them and triumphed over them, thus cleansing heaven. But in light of
Hebrews 9:24,
which states that Christ entered the true holy place in heaven to
appear in the presence of God for us, the author is likely referring
to the fact that we, God’s people, are now His spiritual dwelling
place (Hebrews 3:6- note). How can we be pure and free from
defilement, so that God may dwell in us, not just individually, but
corporately as His holy temple (see notes
Ephesians 2:21, 22-note;
1Peter 2:5-note)?
The answer is that Christ’s blood alone can cleanse our conscience
from dead works to serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14-note). (Hebrews 9:23-28 Judgment or
Salvation?)
Leon Morris comments...
There
is a problem in seeing in what sense things in heaven—where God is (He
9:24)—need purification. Some deny outright that they need it,
regarding the expression as a way of referring to God's people. Thus
Bruce (in loc.) reminds us that the author tells us repeatedly that it
is people's consciences that need to be cleansed; and so the author
can speak of God's people as his dwelling, his house (cf. He 3:6).
Others make essentially the same point and hold that it is not
something material but spiritual that is seen as needing cleansing—a
fact meaning that Christ's work is effective in the spiritual life of
men, not in some material sanctuary. The difficulty with such
interpretations is that, while what they say is true, "the heavenly
things themselves" is a strange way of referring to men and women here
on earth. Other commentators see in He 9:23 a reference to Satan's
rebellion and think of that as somehow defiling heaven so that heaven
itself needs cleansing. Still others think of purification in the
sense in which it is used here as meaning not so much the removal of
impurity as a consecratory or inaugural process. This, they feel, is
not out of place with "the heavenly things" any more than with an
earthly sanctuary. Akin to that is the view that the earthly sanctuary
needed cleansing, not so much because it was unclean, as because it
was the place where sinners were restored. So with heaven.
On
the whole, it seems best to recall that in the NT there are references
to "the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph 6:12);
the "rulers of this age" (1Cor 2:8); the "powers" like "height" and
"depth" (Ro 8:38, 39), as well as "angels" and "demons." Such
references seem to indicate wickedness beyond this earth. And when
Christ performed his atoning work, he "disarmed the powers and
authorities, … triumphing over them by the cross" (Col 2:15). It was
God's will "through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether
things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his
blood, shed on the cross" (Col 1:20). This strand of teaching is not
prominent in Hebrews. Nevertheless, the language used here seems to
accord with it better than with other views.
(Gaebelein,
F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament.
Zondervan Publishing or
Pradis = computer version)
Vincent addresses the question...
How can
it be said that the heavenly things needed cleansing? It is not easy
to answer. Various explanations have been proposed, which the student
will find collected in Alford’s note on this passage. The expression
is rhetorical and figurative, and appears to be founded on that
feature of the Levitical ritual according to which the high priest was
required, on the Great Day of Atonement, to make an atonement for the
sanctuary, “because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel.” He
was to do this also for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for
the great altar. See Lev. 16:16 ff. The rite implied that even the
holy of holies had contracted defilement from the people’s sin.
Similarly, the atoning blood of Christ is conceived as purifying the
things of the heavenly sanctuary which had been defiled by the sins of
men. “If the heavenly city of God, with its Holy Place, is,
conformably with the promise, destined for the covenant-people, that
they may there attain to perfect fellowship with God, then their guilt
has defiled these holy things as well as the earthly, and they must be
purified in the same way as the typical law appointed for the latter,
only not by the blood of an imperfect, but of a perfect sacrifice”
(Delitzsch).
Criswell suggests that...
Perhaps a
clue is found in Job 15:15, “the heavens are not pure in His sight.”
Doubtless this is because Satan committed the first act of sin in
heaven (Isa. 14:12-14), and because he still has access to the
presence of God as the accuser of the brethren (see note
Revelation 12:10).
(Criswell,
W A. Believer's Study Bible: New King James Version. 1991. Thomas
Nelson)
Vine
writes...
As to the question why the
heavenly things should require to be cleansed, the subject before us
is not only the remission of our sins, but our access into the
presence of God as His worshipers, through the eternal redemption
obtained for us. The sanctuary of the presence of God required the
savor of redemptive sacrifice. Just as the high priests of old entered
into the Holy of Holies with the blood of sacrifice, on behalf of the
people as worshipers of God, so only by the cleansing blood of Christ
on the cross could the very presence of God become the meeting place
between Him and the believer.
(Vine,
W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
or
Logos)
Philip Hughes offers a lengthy discussion on this thorny
passage...
In what sense are we to understand the affirmation that "the heavenly
things themselves" needed to be "purified"? It is clear from the verse
which follows and from He 8:5 above that the expression "the heavenly
things" designates the sanctuary above which is "heaven itself," the
reality of which the earthly sanctuary was but a shadow. The
interpreter is faced with the problem of explaining how the heavenly
reality, where the pure presence of God dwells, can be conceived as
requiring any kind of purification. The explanation offered by
Delitzsch and others, that heaven needed cleansing in the sense,
first, that it had been darkened as the light of God's love had been
replaced by the cloud of his wrath against sin and, second, that it
had been rendered unapproachable to man because of man's sin, is
unacceptable; for it is a serious misconception to imagine that the
wrath of God is opposed to the love of God, or that these are two
mutually exclusive motions or emotions in the Deity. God's wrath, no
less than his love, is the expression of his holiness and purity, nor
does he set aside wrath in order to display love; indeed, the cross is
the supreme manifestation of the love and the wrath of God meeting
together, for there the love of God absorbed the wrath of God as the
incarnate Son enacted the love of God by taking both the sinner's
place and his punishment. Moreover, the unapproachability of heaven to
sinful man argues the need for the purification, not of heaven, but of
the sinner: to redeemed mankind, cleansed from sin and sanctified by
the Holy Spirit, heaven, previously closed, now lies open (He
10:19ff.).
Also unsatisfactory is the opinion of Héring and others that the
purification in question was effected by the dismissal of Satan from
heaven (cf. Lk. 10:18; Jn. 12:31; Rev. 12:7ff.) and with him the
removal of all defilement. Appeal is made to Ephesians 6:12, which
speaks of the powers of wickedness in heavenly places, and to He
2:14f. above, where Christ is spoken of as overcoming the devil who
has the power of death and delivering those he has held captive; but,
while the victory of Christ is indeed the death-blow for Satan and the
vindication of his own supreme lordship, the judgment and perdition of
the devil were sure even apart from what took place at Calvary. It is
inconceivable, further, that the glorious presence of God should be in
any danger of defilement because of the rebellion of Satan.
Another view, propounded by, among others, Spicq, Lünemann, and Owen,
is that the "purification" of "the heavenly things themselves" means
the "inauguration" or "consecration" of the heavenly sanctuary by
reason of the "better" sacrifice of Christ. Support for this view is
sought from our author's assertion above that the Mosaic covenant was
inaugurated with blood (v. 18) and that under the law almost
everything was purified with blood (v. 22), the conclusion being drawn
that in the present context "to purify" and "to inaugurate" are
equivalent terms. There is much to attract in this proposal, which has
both simplicity and strength. In contrast to verses 19 to 22, however,
which certainly refer to the inauguration of the former covenant,
verse 23 is quite general in its scope, and this would seem to present
a difficulty; but it could well be treated as a parenthetical comment.
Another interpretation, which can claim a long history and includes
among its advocates Chrysostom, Peter Lombard, Herveus, Luther,
Cornelius a Lapide, Estius, Teodorico, F. F. Bruce, and Montefiore,
understands "the heavenly things" mentioned here, or "the heavenly
sanctuary" (as the same expression is translated in He 8:5 above), to
be the people of God who together constitute the church or temple of
God, "a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1Pet. 2:5). Bruce
explains that "in order to be a spiritual house of this kind they must
have experienced regeneration and cleansing by 'sprinkling of the
blood of Jesus Christ' (1Pet. 1:2, 19, 22f.)." This concept, it can be
argued, corresponds as antitype to the action of Moses, recounted in
verse 19 above, when he sprinkled all the people with the blood of the
covenant. True though this is, it is difficult to see how, except in a
subsidiary manner, an interpretation along these lines is suited to
the exegesis of the verse before us, for it requires an identification
between "the heavenly sanctuary," or, as the next verse defines it,
"heaven itself" into which the risen Christ has entered, and the
community of the redeemed. The new temple is indeed being built with
the living stones of Christian believers within whom Christ dwells,
but this concept is not the same as that of the transcendental
sanctuary into which the risen Lord entered at his ascension. Nor is
the situation clarified by the supposition that our author means that
"by the removal of the defilement of sin from the hearts and
consciences of the worshippers the heavenly sphere in which they
approach God to worship him is itself cleansed from this defilement"
(F. F. Bruce, and similarly B. Weiss); for to speak thus is to speak
really of the cleansing of sinners, not of heaven. The heavenly sphere
is in fact inaccessible to uncleansed sinners (cf. Rev. 21:27);
therefore to postulate its cleansing from the defilement it would
otherwise have contracted if access had been possible to uncleansed
sinners is to postulate a situation which is not factual but rests
upon an unfulfilled and unfulfillable condition.
There is no need to seek precise and detailed parallels and
correspondences between the cleansing ritual with its multiplicity of
applications under the old system and the purification which is made
available under the new. The former is complex and repetitious, the
latter simple and comprehensive in its uniqueness. Our author's main
intention is to emphasize the absolute superiority of the blood of the
new covenant over that of the old. The purpose of Christ's coming was
"to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (He 7:26 below); and
now, "holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted
above the heavens" (He 7:26), he has entered the pure sanctuary above.
The blood-shedding and exaltation of him who is our fellow man and our
forerunner (He 2:14; 6:20) have opened the way for mankind into the
shrine of God's presence (He 4:14, 15, 16; 9:8; 10:19ff.); and the
ultimate effect of the shedding of his blood of the new covenant will
be the renewal of the universe, freed at last from sin, and filled
with righteousness (He 12:28; Isa. 65:17; 66:22; 2Pet. 3:13; Rev.
21:1ff.; Acts 3:21; Ro 8:21). Such is the measure by which the former
sacrifices are judged to have been surpassed by that better sacrifice
which was offered once and forever by our great and eternal High
Priest. (A Commentary On The Epistle To The Hebrews)
Andrew Murray in The Holiest of All
writes that...
This is
the great consummation to which all the teaching of the heavenly
priesthood of Christ, and the true sanctuary, and the blood of the
covenant leads up. Heaven itself is now opened up to us. Christ has
entered, not simply on His own behalf, but entirely to appear before
the face of God for us Yes, for us, His entering in has obtained for
us boldness to enter in. His entering in was through the rent veil;
there is no veil now between God and us. We are called to draw nigh in
the fulness of faith. We are taught, Ye are come to the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to God. Before the face of God, in the presence of God,
is now the home of the soul. Heaven is not only a locality, with its
limitations, but a state of life, that condition of spiritual
existence in the full enjoyment of God's love and fellowship, into
which Christ entered. Christ passed through the heavens, was made
higher than the heavens. He ascended far above all the heavens, that
He might fill all things.
Heaven
itself, the Holiest of All, into which He entered, the presence of
God, is now the sphere in which He exercises His heavenly ministry,
into which He brings us in as an actual life and experience, in which
we alone can truly serve the living God.
And what,
we may well ask, what is the reason that so few of God's children can
testify to the joy of entering in and having their abode here in the
very presence of God? There can be but one answer, There is such a
difference between being the heir of a promise and actually inheriting
it. Each of the great words of our Epistle, as God's gift to each one
of His children, has an infinitude of meaning and blessing and power
in it. Christ a Priest for ever; the power of an endless life; He is
able to sympathise, able to succour, able to lave completely; the true
sanctuary, the new covenant, the blood cleansing the heavens,
cleansing the conscience, wall these are divine realities, with a
power and a glory that the heart of man cannot conceive.
It is
only by faith and longsuffering that we inherit the promises. It is as
we give up our whole heart and life to be just one act of faith,
looking up and longing, praising and expecting, believing and
receiving what God gives and works in Christ, that this life in the
Holiest will be ours. It is as our faith sees the divine unity of the
once for an and the for ever, that we shall be bold to believe that
the for ever, the abiding continually, has in Christ been made ours
once for all, and can be made ours in an entering within the veil as
clear as that of Christ's. This faith will prove itself in
longsuffering. First, as we diligently, perseveringly hold fast, and
gaze and draw nigh and wait on God to take us within the veil; and
then, as within the veil, in deepest humility and meekness and
patience and resignation to God, we wait upon Him in service, to
perfect us in the work for which we were admitted into His very
presence.
But
remember where all this begins, and wherein it all consists. Not
without blood! With His own blood! How much more shall the blood of
Christ! These words are the key to this blessed chapter of the opening
of the Holiest to us. As we yield to the Holy Spirit, the Eternal
Spirit, to testify to us how the way into the Holiest has been made
manifest, and what the blood is by which it was done, and what the
cleansing of our conscience in that blood to enter in and serve the
living God, we shall in fulness of faith be bold to draw nigh and
enter in and abide.
1. Think not that it will be too difficult for thee to dwell always
with thy heart up yonder in heaven. When the sun shines on thee, thou
dost not think of its distance; thou rejoicest in its warmth. It is so
near to thee; thou enterest into it, and it enters into thee. Even so
with Jesus and the heavenly life. Heaven comes down. The kingdom of
heaven is come with power; the Holy Spirit gives and maintains it in
thee. The veil is rent and the light and life of heaven is come down
here where we serve in the Holy Place.
2. To
open the way to heaven and to God, Jesus died to sin. He that hates
and loses his life will find the way to the life of God.
3. Just
as the cleansing of the tabernacle was part of the dedicating of the
first covenant, so the sprinkling the heavenly sanctuary, the
cleansing of the heavens with the blood of the new covenant, is our
assurance that the sanctuary is open to us, and that the covenant is
sure and will be fulfilled to us. |
|
|
Hebrews 9:24 For
Christ did not
enter a
holy
place
made with
hands, a
mere
copy of the
true
one, but into
heaven
itself,
now to
appear in the
presence of
God for
us |
|
Greek:
ou
gar
eis
cheiropoieta
eiselthen
agia
Christos,
antitupa
ton
alethinon,
all'
eis
auton
ton
ouranon,
nun
emphanisthenai
to
prosopo
tou
theou
uper
emon;
Amplified: For Christ (the Messiah) has not entered into
a sanctuary made with [human] hands, only a copy and pattern and type
of the true one, but [He has entered] into heaven itself, now to
appear in the [very] presence of God on our behalf.
(Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
Barclay: It is not into a man-made sanctuary that Christ has
entered—that would be a mere symbol of the things which are real. It
is into heaven itself that he entered, now to appear on our behalf
before the presence of God. (Westminster
Press)
NLT: For Christ has entered into heaven itself to appear
now before God as our Advocate. He did not go into the earthly place
of worship, for that was merely a copy of the real Temple in heaven. (NLT
- Tyndale House)
Phillips: Christ did not therefore enter into any holy places
made by human hands (however truly these may represent heavenly
realities), but he entered Heaven itself to make his appearance before
God as High Priest on our behalf. (Phillips:
Touchstone)
Wuest: For not into holy places constructed by human hands did
Messiah enter, which are the types of the genuine [holy places], but
into heaven itself, now to be manifested before the face of God on
behalf of us. (Eerdmans)
Young's Literal: for not into holy places made with hands did
the Christ enter -- figures of the true -- but into the heaven itself,
now to be manifested in the presence of God for us |
|
|
FOR CHRIST DID NOT ENTER A HOLY PLACE MADE WITH HANDS
A
MERE
COPY OF THE TRUE ONE BUT INTO HEAVEN ITSELF: ou gar eis cheiropoieta eiselthen (3SAAI) hagia Christos antitupa ton alethinon
all eis auton ton ouranon: (Heb 9:11; Mark 14:58; John 2:19, 20, 21)
(Heb 9:9,23; 8:2) (Heb 1:3; 6:20; 7:26; 8:2,5; 12:2; Ps 68:18; Mark
16:19; Luke 24:51; John 6:62; John 16:28; Acts 1:9, 10, 11; 3:21;
Ephesians 1:20, 21, 22; 4:8, 9, 10, 11; Colossians 3:2; 1Peter 3:22)
In this last
section of Hebrews 9 (He 9:23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28), all 3 aspects of Christ’s ministry
of salvation/redemption are pictured - (1) His
First Coming to save us from the penalty of sin ("better sacrifices"
He 9:23-note).
(2) His present intercessory
ministry in heaven to save us from the power of sin ("now appear...for us"
He 9:24-note)
(3) His Second Coming (He 9:28-note)
to deliver us from the presence of sin.
Vincent...
Under the old covenant, the
bloodshedding was symbolical: the death of the institutor was by
proxy. In the ratification of the new covenant, Christ himself was the
covenant-victim, and a real cleansing power attaches to his blood as
the offering of his eternal spirit.
For (1063)
(gar) introduces an explanation of the preceding passage.
Wuest
says that...
This verse is in explanation of the
statement in the previous verse to the effect that the heavenly things
had to be purified by blood superior to animal blood, and that Messiah
did not enter the Holy of Holies on earth as High Priest, but the Holy
of Holies of heaven itself.
(Wuest,
K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans
or
Logos)
Leon Morris says that...
"For" introduces an explanation of
what precedes. We have already had the idea that Christ's ministry was
not in a sanctuary that is "man-made" (He 9:11), and here we come back
to it. Not in such sanctuaries can the Atonement be made that really
deals with sin.
(Gaebelein,
F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament.
Zondervan Publishing)
Jamieson
writes that here the writer resumes...
Resumption more fully of the
thought, “He entered in once into the holy place,”
Hebrews 9:12.
Christ (5547)
(Christos from chrio = to anoint, rub with oil,
consecrate to an office)
is the Anointed One, the Messiah, Christos being the Greek equivalent
of the transliterated Hebrew word Messiah. Study the 12 uses of
Christos in Hebrews = Heb 3:6, 14; 5:5; 6:1; 9:11, 14, 24, 28;
10:10; 11:26; 13:8, 21
Not
(3756)
(ou) indicates absolutely not!
Enter (1525)(eiserchomai
from eis = into + erchomai = come) means literally to
come into and thus to enter into. Notice that enter into refers to a
single event, a past completed historical event (after His ascension),
but consequences of this event are now (see "but now" in
Hebrews 8:6)
and on our behalf (He 6:20-note;
He 7:25-note).
Holy place
(39)
(hagios) means a place set apart from the profane or
common and unto God and for the worship of and approach to the Holy
God. Note that in this context the "holy place" stands for the Holy of
Holies (the actual presence of God), even as the Ark of the Covenant
in the earthly Holy of Holies represented the throne of God.
Holy place
- This phrase occurs 60x in Scripture in NAS - Ex 26:33; 28:29, 35,
43; 29:30f; 31:11; 35:19; 39:1, 41; Lev 6:16, 26f, 30; 7:6; 10:13, 17;
16:2f, 16f, 20, 23f, 27; 24:9; Num 28:7; 1 Kgs 6:16; 7:50; 8:6, 8, 10;
1 Chr 6:49; 23:32; 2 Chr 5:11; 29:5, 7; 35:5; Ezra 9:8; Ps 24:3; Eccl
8:10; Isa 57:15; Ezek 41:4; 45:2ff; 48:12; Dan 8:13f; 9:24; Matt
24:15; Acts 6:13; 21:28; Heb 9:2, 8, 12, 24f; 10:19; 13:11
Made with
hands (5499)
(cheiropoietos from cheir = hand + poieo = to
make) means manufactured by man or of human construction. Christ has
not entered into a hand-made sanctuary.
Wiersbe
makes an application warning us all to...
Beware of trusting anything for
your spiritual life that is “made with hands” (Heb. 9:24). It will not
last. The tabernacle was replaced by Solomon’s temple, and that temple
was destroyed by the Babylonians. When the Jews returned to their land
after the Captivity, they rebuilt their temple; and King Herod, in
later years, expanded and embellished it. But the Romans destroyed
that temple, and it has never been rebuilt. Furthermore, since the
genealogical records have been lost or destroyed, the Jews are not
certain who can minister as priests. These things that are “made with
hands” are perishable, but the things “not made with hands” are
eternal.
(Wiersbe,
W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor
or
Logos)
The copy - The
representation.
Copy (499)
(antitupon
[word study]
from anti = against, instead of,
corresponding to +
tupos [word study]
= a type, model, figure, form,
impression, print) is an earthly expression of a spiritual reality.
Thus it represents something which symbolizes some spiritual truth. In
modern Greek antitupon means a copy of a book. In the present
case the earthly tabernacle prefigured the reality of the tabernacle
of God in heaven.
Barnes
explains that antitupon...
properly means that which is formed
after a model, pattern, or type; and then that which corresponds to
something, or answers to, it. The idea here is, that the type or
fashion--the true figure or form--was shown to Moses in the Mount, and
then the tabernacle was made after that model, or corresponded to it.
The true original figure is heaven itself; the tabernacle was an
antitype of that--or was so formed as in some sense to correspond
to it. That is, it corresponded in regard to the matters under
consideration--the most Holy Place denoted heaven; the mercy-seat and
the
Shekinah (see notes) were symbols of the presence of God, and of the fact that
he shows mercy in heaven; the entrance of the high priest was
emblematical of the entrance of the Redeemer into heaven; the
sprinkling of the blood there was a type of what the Redeemer would do
in heaven.
Poole
comments that this section
shows this to be a rational proof
of the transcendence of Christ’s death and sacrifice; and this he
demonstrates from the place of his ministry, far exceeding that of his
type. The gospel High Priest did not, like Aaron, enter with his blood
into the holy of holiest of an earthly tabernacle, frail and movable,
and appear before the mercy-seat on the ark there, Heb 9:9.
But into
heaven itself - "But" introduces a striking contrast between the
heavenly substance and the earthly shadow.
Hebrews 1:3 (note)
And He is the
radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and
upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made
purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on
high;
Hebrews 6:20 (note)
where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high
priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 7:26 (note)
For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy,
innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the
heavens;
Hebrews 8:2 (note)
a minister in the sanctuary, and in the true tabernacle, which the
Lord pitched, not man.
Hebrews 8:5 (note)
who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was
warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, "SEE,"
He says, "THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS
SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN."
Hebrews 12:2 (note)
fixing our
eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set
before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at
the right hand of the throne of God.
Jamieson
says "into heaven itself" refers to...
the immediate presence of the
invisible God beyond all the created heavens, through which latter
Jesus passed (see on Heb 4:14; 1Ti 6:16).
Heaven (3772)
(ouranos) is
the expanse of space that seems to be over the earth like a dome. In
context this refers not just to the atmosphere surrounding the earth
but to Jehovah's dwelling place (see
more detailed discussion).
Barnes
notes that...
The Jewish high priest alone
entered into the most holy place; and the other priests into the holy
place. Jesus, being of the tribe of Judah, and not of Levi, never
entered the temple proper. He had access only to the courts of the
temple, in the same way as any other Jew had. See [Mt 21:12]. He has
entered into the true temple--heaven of which the earthly tabernacle
was the type.
True one
(228)
(alethinos
from alethes = true, one who cannot lie) describes that which
has not only the name and resemblance, but the real nature
corresponding to the name, in every respect corresponding to the idea
signified by the name and thus real, true and genuine not spurious,
fictitious, counterfeit, imaginary, simulated or pretended.
Alethinos - 28x in 26v - Luke
16:11; John 1:9; 4:23, 37; 6:32; 7:28; 8:16; 15:1; 17:3; 19:35; 1
Thess 1:9; Heb 8:2; 9:24; 10:22; 1 John 2:8; 5:20; Rev 3:7, 14; 6:10;
15:3; 16:7; 19:2, 9, 11; 21:5; 22:6. NAS = sincere(1), true(26),
true one(1).
The holy
place is true in the sense
that in its character it is all that is expected of it. In
short, the thing described as true (the holy place) measures up to the specifications which
a holy God would demand. The heavenly Holy of Holies is everything that
could be expected of such a place. What delights await those God now calls
"My beloved in Christ"!
NOW TO APPEAR IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD
FOR US: nun emphanisthenai (APN) to prosopo
tou theou huper hemon: (Heb 7:25; Ex 28:12,29; Zech 3:1; Ro 8:33; 1Jn
2:1,2; Rev 8:3)
1Jn 2:1 My little children,
I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone
sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
2:2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours
only, but also for those of the whole world
Pastor Steven Cole
writes that...
We, who are not used to the
physical rituals and sacrifices of the Jewish temple, may not struggle
with the spirituality of Christian worship. But the first readers of
this epistle were having a hard time letting go of the physicality of
the temple and the sacrifices. So the author emphasizes again (Hebrews
8:1, 2, 3, 4, 5; 9:11) that “Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands,
a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in
the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:24-note).
Under the Jewish system, the high priest would go into the Holy of
Holies once a year to represent the people before God, but Jesus is in
the true holy place permanently on our behalf! Furthermore, the high
priest had to keep returning year after year with the blood of the
sacrificial animals. But Jesus once for all offered His own blood. He
didn’t have to suffer and die over and over again from the foundation
of the world. His one sacrifice at the consummation of the ages put
away our sin (see Hebrews 9:26-note).
“The consummation of the ages” is similar to Paul’s phrase in
Galatians 4:4, “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent
forth His Son….” It implies the preexistence of Christ before His
birth. It also means that the cross represents the apex or
consummation of God’s purpose of the ages, to glorify Himself. (Hebrews 9:23-28 Judgment or
Salvation?)
Now (3568)
(nun) means in the present moment. Even as you read these
words, Jesus is in the presence of His Father and is there on our
behalf. Amazing love.
Poole
adds that the Risen Messiah...
now appears as our advocating
Mediator, pleading His merit for the remission of our sins, and
rendering of God’s face smiling on and favoring His clients, which was
terrifying and affrighting to guilty Adam before: He 7:25-note,
He 10:19-note Ro
8:34-note
Re 5:6-note.
1John 2:1, 2.
Here He represents our persons to God’s face, fitting in the mean
while us beneath for our seeing Him face to face, and being blessed in
the enjoyment of that prospect forever.
To appear
- More literally "to be made to appear". Jamieson adds that...
Mere man may have a vision through
a medium, or veil, as Moses had (Ex 33:18, 20–23). Christ alone
beholds the Father without a veil, and is His perfect image. Through
seeing Him only can we see the Father.
Appear
(1718)
(emphanizo from en = in, into + phaino =
give light, illuminate, shine, shine forth) means to make apparent, to
be manifested, to be shown. The aorist infinitive (infinitive expresses
purpose) indicates
that Christ has been "made to appear", the purpose of His presence there
being to appear openly before God.
Christ is made openly manifest before the face of God. The Levitical priest
had to conceal the Ark of the Covenant and over arching
Shekinah glory cloud (representing the presence of God) with the
smoke of incense. Why? So that he
might not look upon God face to face (see prosopon = towards the eye or face).
Emphanizo
- 10x in 10v - Matt 27:53; John 14:21f; Acts 23:15, 22; 24:1; 25:2,
15; Heb 9:24; 11:14. NAS = appear(1), appeared(1), brought
charges(3), disclose(2), make...clear(1), notified(1), notify(1).
Vine says
that emphanizo
is here used in the middle voice (Ed:
Note that some interpret it as passive voice),
signifying, to present Himself; and indicating His interest in doing
so.
Expositor's
Greek Testament adds that...
the darkness and clouds of incense
in the old sanctuary were meant as much to veil the unworthiness of
the priest from God as the glory of God from the priest. Now Christ
appears before God face to face with no intervening cloud. Perfect
fellowship is attained by His perfect and stainless offering of
Himself. All is clear between God and man. For it is ‘for us’
He enters this presence and fellowship; not that He alone may enjoy
it, but that we may enter into the rest and blessedness that He won
for us.
(Nicoll,
W Robertson, Editor: Expositors Greek Testament: 5 Volumes. Out of
print. See Google Books)
Wuest...
This appearance of Messiah at the
Cross, corresponds to the appearance of the high priest at the Brazen
Altar on the Day of Atonement where the animal for sacrifice was
slain. This is Messiah’s first appearance. He puts away sin. His
second appearance, recorded in verse 24, is in the Holy of Holies of
heaven, His present appearance. There He appears in the presence of
God for us who are saved. His presence there, brings believers into
the presence of God.
This same verb
emphanizo is used in the Greek translation of Exodus 33:13
where Moses says to God...
Now therefore, I pray Thee, if I
have found favor in Thy sight, let me know (Lxx = emphanizo meaning to
reveal) Thy ways, that I may know Thee, so that I may find
favor in Thy sight. Consider too, that this nation is Thy people.
In the
presence of God - To the face of God!
Jamieson...
The saints shall hereafter see
God’s face in Christ (Rev 22:4): the earnest of which is now given
(2Co 3:18). Aaron, the Levitical high priest for the people, stood
before the ark and only saw the cloud, the symbol of God’s glory (Ex
28:30).
Presence
(4383)
(prosopon from pros = towards + ops = eye, the
part around the eye and so the face) means literally toward the eye or
face and is the picture of Christ our Representative now being face to
face with the invisible God our Father. Remember that the writer is
speaking primarily to Jewish believers (and those who are being drawn
to believe in Messiah) and thus the truth that Messiah appears in the
presence of God would be a strong expression of Christ's nearness to
God, something no Jewish high priest could ever hope to achieve. And
again another reason for the struggling, tested Jewish readers not to
doubt but to "Consider Jesus the Apostle and High Priest of our
confession." (He 3:1-note)
Prosopon
- 76x in 71v - Mt 6:16f; 11:10; 16:3; 17:2, 6; 18:10; 22:16; 26:39,
67; Mark 1:2; 12:14; 14:65; Luke 2:31; 5:12; 7:27; 9:29, 51ff; 10:1;
12:56; 17:16; 20:21; 21:35; 24:5; Acts 2:28; 3:13, 20; 5:41; 6:15;
7:45; 13:24; 17:26; 20:25, 38; 25:16; 1 Cor 13:12; 14:25; 2 Cor 1:11;
2:10; 3:7, 13, 18; 4:6; 5:12; 8:24; 10:1, 7; 11:20; Gal 1:22; 2:6, 11;
Col 2:1; 1 Thess 2:17; 3:10; 2 Thess 1:9; Heb 9:24; Jas 1:11, 23; 1
Pet 3:12; Jude 1:16; Rev 4:7; 6:16; 7:11; 9:7; 10:1; 11:16; 12:14;
20:11; 22:4. NAS = ahead*(2), appearance(5), before*(2),
coming*(1), face(37), faces(5), openly(1), outwardly*(1), partial*(3),
partiality(1), people(1), person(1), persons(1), presence(11),
sight(1).
Barnes
adds...
As the Jewish high priest appeared
before the
Shekinah, the symbol of the Divine Presence in the tabernacle, so
Christ appears before God himself in our behalf in heaven. He has gone
to plead for our salvation; to present the merits of his blood as a
permanent reason why we should be saved
David J.
MacLeod writes that...
At His ascension Christ was
formally installed as High Priest and began His present high priestly
work. In the heavenly tabernacle today He represents His people (i.e.,
He secures their acceptance with God) (1Ti 2:5, Ep 1:6KJV); obtains free access for them
into God’s presence (Ro 5:2); intercedes in prayer for them (Ro 8:34,
He 7:25) and grants them
help (He 2:18); mediates their prayers to God and God’s strength to them
(2Ti 2:1);
anticipates His return to earth to reign; and, at the end of the
present session, will bless His people by bringing them deliverance
into the kingdom.
(David
J. MacLeod, “The Present Work of Christ in Hebrews,” Bibliotheca Sacra
148:590 April-June 1991)
(Theological
Journal Subscription info) (List
of 22 journals - 500 yrs of articles searchable by topic or verse!
Incredible Online Resource!)
Of God -
Literally the Greek reads "of the God", the definite article (the)
emphasizing the exclusivity of God. He is not one among a pantheon of
gods but is alone the true and living God.
I agree with
MacDonald who remarks that...
It is difficult to understand why
anyone would want to leave the reality and go back to the copy, why
anyone would leave the great High Priest serving in the heavenly
sanctuary to return to the priests of Israel serving in a symbolic
tent.
(MacDonald,
W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson or
Logos)
G Campbell Morgan
writes that...
This is the fact which made possible the
covenant. This was the supreme act of His priesthood, and it is continuous.
In a former note we considered the statement that our great High Priest has
"passed through the heavens" (Heb 4.14). Here it is said that He has entered
into heaven. This is not a contradiction, but an interpretation. The
heavens through which He passed are the created heavens. The Heaven which He
entered is the uncreated abode of God Himself, the very Holiest of all.
Thither He went "to appear before the face of God." The statement is
apprehended in all its fulness of meaning when we put it into contrast with
the greatest hour in the life and ministry of Moses. In an hour of supreme
need and highest communion Moses asked to see the glory of God; that is, to
behold His face. The answer was, "Thou canst not see My face"; but in grace
he was given to see the back of God. The Son of God, in His glorified
manhood entered into Heaven to be manifested before the face of God! There,
as man, God beheld Him, and He beheld God. And this was for us. In His
humanity ours was represented, our sin covered by His completed atonement,
our imperfections can-celled in His perfection, our weakness ended in His
strength. Henceforth we are accepted in the Beloved, and all the wisdom and
might and love of God are given to us through Him in the covenant which God
makes with us. (Morgan, G. C. Life Applications from Every Chapter of the
Bible)
For (5228)
(huper) in this context means in our place, as our substitute.
For us - While
these are only 2 words in the Greek and English, what precious words they are to our sinful ears, for the Greek
word "huper" means "on behalf of" or "in our place" (cp
He 6:20-note
- where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having
become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.) Just as
the high priest appeared for a few moments before God in the incense filled Holy of Holies for (in the place of,
on behalf of - as the representative of) the entire
congregation of Israel on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:32, 33), our High
Priest is now continually before the Father (at His right hand) on our
behalf, and in that exalted position "He always lives to
make intercession for" us (He 7:25-note).
For us - other
uses of this glorious phrase with a similar sense of Christ "as our
substitute" - Ro 5:8; 8:26, 34; Gal 3:13; Eph 5:2; 1Th 5:10; Titus 2:14;
Heb 6:20;9:24; 10:20; 1John 3:16
As Guzik
says...
It’s not hard to believe that Jesus does
appear in the presence of God. But to believe that He appears there
for us is glorious!
Matthew Poole...
“Now to appear in the presence of God
for us;” where He now appears as our advocating Mediator, pleading His
merit for the remission of our sins, and rendering of God’s face smiling on
and favoring His clients, which was terrifying and affrighting to guilty
Adam before: see Heb 7:25, 10:19 Ro 8:34 1John 2:1, 2 Rev 5:6.
Here He represents our persons to God’s face, fitting in the mean while us
beneath for our seeing Him face to face, and being blessed in the enjoyment
of that prospect for ever.
Delitzsch
writes that...
It is enough that Jesus should show
Himself for us to the Father: the sight of Jesus satisfied God in our
behalf. He brings before the face of God no offering which has exhausted
itself, and, as only sufficing for a time, needs renewal; but He himself is
in person, by virtue of the eternal Spirit, that is, the imperishable life
of His person, now and for ever freed from death, our eternally present
offering before God (Ed: And one which is indelibly irrevocably validated by
His scars, the covenant marks in His hands and feet and side, the marks of
His everlasting covenant - He 13:20-note)
Hallelujah! What A Savior
(Play
hymn as you praise Him)
Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood;
Hallelujah! What a Saviour!
—Philip P. Bliss
|
|
|
DOWNLOAD
InstaVerse
for free. It is an easy to
install and simple to use Bible Verse pop up tool that allows you to read
cross references
in context and in the Version you prefer. Only the KJV is free with
this download but you can also download a free copy of
Bible Explorer
which in turn offers
free Bibles
that work with
InstaVerse,
including the excellent, literal translation, the English Standard Version
(ESV). Other popular versions are available for purchase. When you
hold the mouse pointer over a Scripture reference anywhere on the Web (as
well as offline in Word for Windows, email, etc) the passage pops up
immediately.
InstaVerse
can be disabled if the
popups become distractive. This utility really does work and makes it easy
to read the actual passage in context and not just the chapter and verse
reference. |
|
