Hebrews 8:6-7, 13; 9:1-10
May 4, 2025
preached by Ed O’Leary
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Time of Reflection Quotations

“The author considers the tabernacle: its furniture and compartments. What is striking is that the tabernacle does not provide full and free access to God. Only once a year does the high priest actually enter God’s presence. Further, the regulations of the old covenant have to do with external matters like food, drink, and washings. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through these matters. The new covenant rather than the old brings us into God’s presence. Our consciences aren’t cleansed and perfected through the old covenant rituals, for those rituals point to a sacrifice that is better and truly brings us into God’s presence.”

~Thomas R. Schreiner

“That was the ritual of the Day of Atonement, the day designed to cleanse all things and all people from sin… Every year, this ceremony had to be gone through again. Everyone but the high priest was barred from the presence, and even he entered in terror. The cleansing was a purely external one by baths of water. The sacrifice was that of bulls and goats and animal blood. The whole thing failed because such things cannot atone for sin. In it all, the writer to the Hebrews sees a pale copy of the reality, a ghostly pattern of the one true sacrifice—the sacrifice of Christ. It was a noble ritual, a thing of dignity and beauty; but it was only a shadow which could not succeed in its purpose. The only priest and the only sacrifice which can open the way to God for all men and women is Jesus Christ.”

~William Barclay

Sermon Passage

Hebrews 8:6-7, 13; 9:1-10 (NASB)

Hebrews 8

⁶ But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, to the extent that He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.
⁷ For if that first covenant had been free of fault, no circumstances would have been sought for a second.

¹³ When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear.

Hebrews 9

¹ Now even the first covenant had regulations for divine worship and the earthly sanctuary. ² For a tabernacle was equipped, the outer sanctuary, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the sacred bread; this is called the Holy Place. ³ Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Most Holy Place, ⁴ having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, Aaron’s staff which budded, and the tablets of the covenant; ⁵ and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the atoning cover; but about these things we cannot now speak in detail.

⁶ Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle, performing the divine worship, ⁷ but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. ⁸ The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, ⁹ which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, ¹⁰ since they relate only to food, drink, and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.