Tuesday 24-09-2024 Christ, High Priest in the True Sanctuary, superseding the Levitical Priesthood

Tuesday 24-09-2024
Christ, High Priest in the True Sanctuary, superseding the Levitical Priesthood-The
New renders Obsolete the Old Covenant. (73) Heb. 8: 1-13
“And of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man” continues. God sanctified Israel’s tabernacle as a place to dwell in Ex. 29:44, 45; so in Christ “dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” Col. 2:9. “The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” Ex. 40:34; so of Christ, “we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father” John 1:14. In the tabernacle, sacrifices and incense were offered to God, and all holy services were performed; so Christ in His body offered up His own sacrifice, prayers, and all holy services Heb. 5:7, 10:5. To the tabernacle the people brought all their offerings Lev. 1:3, so must we bring all ours to Christ Heb. 13:15. “The true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man”. This is the virgin-birth, the supernatural character of our Lord’s humanity, “A body hast Thou prepared Me” Heb. 10:5. The erection and establishment of a tabernacle- The preparation of Christ’s humanity, a body which was to be taken down, folded up for a season, and afterwards to be erected again, without the breaking or loss of any part of it. “Which the Lord pitched” shows the Divine origin of Christ’s humanity: Matt. 1:20, “and not man” that is no human father was concerned with His generation: cf. Luke 1:34, 35. “For every high priest ch. 5:1; 7:27 is ordained to offer gifts therefore, Christ, this illustrious Priest should have somewhat also to offer, for the purpose of opening His way into the true sanctuary. “Christ’s being there, in the heavenly sanctuary, is the proof at once that an expiatory sacrifice has been offered, and that that sacrifice has been effectual: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer” v. 3. It was ‘Himself’, ‘holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. ch. 9:14; 10:9-12, Jn. 6:51, Eph. 5:2, Tit. 2:14. Thus, the great High Priest of Christians is enthroned in heaven v. 1; that He is there a “Minister”, serving in the antitypical Sanctuary, and that, in the “true tabernacle”, His own humanity v. 2; and that His right to entrance there was His own perfect sacrifice v. 3. “For if He were on earth, He should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law” v. 4. The earthly system, Judaism, had its own priests who offered gifts “according to the law.” “This mere earthly, typical, inferior priesthood has been already provided for, its rules are fixed, Christ Jesus could not be one of them, not being of the right tribe. His priesthood is in a different sanctuary” F.S. Sampson. “Chapter 8 is the full execution of the whole of Christ’s priesthood: the once oblation of Himself, and His continual intercession which is at God’s right hand in heaven. Aaron had to carry incense, as well as blood, into the holy of holies Lev. 16. The expiatory sacrifice of Christ must be consummated with an Intercessor at God’s right hand, for the benefit of the Church. In Heb. 9:8: the “first tabernacle” was to stand until a Priest went into heaven and executed that office there: so, Christ is our Priest interceding in heaven. “For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest”, there are priests that offer gifts according to the law”, that is, the place is already occupied. Since Christ was above the law, the ideal and perfect Priest, He could not officiate in the temple at Jerusalem, for His fleshly descent from Judah hinder this, and the sanctuary in which He now presents His sacrifice must correspond in dignity to the supreme excellency of His office.” Pink. A. W.