Hebrews 8:1,2 - We have such a high priest

8:1

“Now the point of what we are saying is ...” The writer now brings us to the point that he has been building up to, and part of this is a proper understanding of the place that the Law has in God’s plans. The Law was only a shadow of the things to come, a precursor to the true covenant. The promises in the new covenant are better, and Jesus is the true Great High Priest. Jesus is seated at the “right hand of the throne of the Majesty in Heaven”. Jesus is seated because His sacrificial work is complete. The Levitical priests were continually offering sacrifices, but Jesus offered Himself once for all.

8:2

Jesus also serves in a better “tent” or “tabernacle”. The earthly tabernacle, be it the tent in the wilderness, or the temple, was only a copy of the true tent. Jesus is in heaven itself, He is directly with the Father. His “tent” was set up by God Himself, not by man.

Deuteronomy 19:14,15 - One witness is not enough

19:14

This command could be linked to the commandment “do not covet”. The land was being given to the Israelites by God, they had not earned it. The boundary lines were to be set up at the outset as the Lord commanded, and not moved. We are stewards of our possessions, not owners. We are to be content with what we have, and to use it for the benefit of others. Then we will receive enjoyment out of our possessions. If we are always seeking to have more, then we will never be satisfied, and will never actually enjoy what we already have.

19:15

The latter part of the chapter focuses on witnesses. This was an important matter at the trial of Jesus. One witness was not enough to convict anyone. There had to be the testimony of two or three witnesses. In today’s world requiring corroborating evidence amounts to the same thing, and is a very important principle. There can be understandable frustration that with this system there will be a times when a guilty person is not convicted, but the dangers associated with requiring only one witness are far greater.

Hebrews 7:27,28 - Made perfect forever

7:27

The Levitical priests had to offer sacrifices daily. They had to do this first for their own sins, and then for the sins of the people. The fact that they had to do it for their own sins was the first key difference between them and Christ. Jesus was without sin, so had no sins of His own to atone for. The second key difference was the repeated nature of the offerings. The sacrifices of the Old Testament did not in themselves really cleanse anyone, rather they pointed the way forward to the one true sacrifice. Jesus, in contrast, offered Himself, and this was a one for all sacrifice. Jesus was (and is) the Son of God, He lived a life of perfect obedience to, trust in and love for God. His sacrifice truly atoned for our sins, and no further sacrifice is needed. Indeed, to offer a further sacrifice would be to deny the effectiveness of the sacrifice of Christ. 

7:28

The priests appointed by the Law were appointed in their weakness, i.e. in full acknowledgement of their failings and sins. Conversely, the Great High Priest was appointed as a Son, a Son who “has been made perfect forever”. This does not imply that once He was not perfect, but is using perfect in the sense of completeness. Jesus was not complete as a sacrifice until He had lived His life of obedience, trust and love.

Deuteronomy 19:7-13 - If the Lord enlarges your territory

19:7-10

The Lord was intent on their being justice in the land. This consisted of the guilty being punished, but not the innocent. “If the Lord enlarges your territory ...” This was conditional on the people living by the Law. If they did this then three further cities were to be added. The shedding of innocent blood was considered a most serious crime. Concern for this goes right back to Genesis 4 with Cain and Abel.

19:11-13

So there was provision for the case of accidental killing. However, God was fully aware that some people may try to take advantage of the provision, claiming a killing was accidental when it was not. In all cases of law attention needs to be paid to both sides. All laws can have good and bad consequences. So if someone who hated his neighbour killed him but ran to a city of refuge, such a man was to be handed over to the “avenger of blood” by the city elders. The guilt of innocent blood needed to be dealt with by ensuring that the guilty were punished.

Hebrews 7:23-26 - He is able to save to the uttermost

7:23,24

The writer now expands on the weakness of the old covenant, in particular the Levitical priesthood. There were numerous Levitical priests, for the simple reason that they kept on dying! They could not continue forever. Jesus, died for our sins, but was then raised from the dead, never to die again. So Jesus Christ is a priest forever.

7:25

“He is able to save to the uttermost” (ESV), or “able to save completely” (NIV). The Levitical priests could not save at all, they were just a stopgap. Jesus completely saves those who draw near to God through faith in Him. And He can do this for He “always lives to make intercession for them”. Jesus is our perfect saviour.

7:26

Earlier the writer has expressed the ability of Jesus to sympathise with us in temptation, for He was tempted like us, yet was without sin. So He can identify with us, but He is also very different. He is both God and Man. He is holy in Himself, we are holy only because of Him. He is innocent and unstained, completely without sin. He is highly exalted and is separated from sinners. Jesus is the perfect saviour.

Deuteronomy 19:1-6 - Cities of refuge

19:1-3

There are earlier instructions on cities of refuge in Numbers 35. The chapter starts off by assuming that the nations currently occupying the Promised Land will be “cut off” and dispossessed, and dwelt in by the Israelites. When God promises to do something it can be assumed that it will happen. In Numbers 35:6 it refers to six of the Levites towns being set aside as cities of refuge, but then later refers to three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan (Num 35:14). The land was to be measured off, so that wherever one lived in the land there was a city of refuge not too far away.

19:4-6

The cities were for the “manslayer”, i.e. someone who accidentally killed a person. To be eligible for this refuge a person had to have no record of having hated the dead person, otherwise the claim that the death was unintentional lacked credibility. A specific example is given of the sort of situation that the cities of refuge were designed for. The reason for them is that the relatives of a dead person may well not act rationally, and be intent on avenging the blood of their relative, even if the person did not deserve it.

Hebrews 7:20-22 - The guarantor of a better covenant

7:20,21

No oath was given for the Levitical priesthood. I.e. there was no explicit oath given by God, This silence is taken as significant, indicating that the Levitical priesthood was not intended to last forever. Conversely, in Ps 110 there was an oath explicitly given by God, “The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind”. The writer is making the point that God is more committed to the priesthood of His Son, than He was to the Levitical priesthood.

7:22

“This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant”. There are two key points in this statement. One is that the new covenant is better than the old one. The old one led only to judgement, because of the inevitable failure of the people to live up to it. The new covenant leads to eternal life, and also changed lives. The second point is that Jesus is the guarantor of this new covenant. The old covenant depended upon the people keeping the covenant, living by the law, in order to reap its benefits. The new covenant is dependent upon Jesus, and He is far more reliable than we are! Now its being dependent upon Jesus, rather than us, does not mean that it doesn’t matter how we live, but that is not a point that we will dwell on just now.