Finding Fault With Them

‘For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. For finding fault with them, He says,”Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will effect a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; For they did not continue in My covenant, And I did not care for them, says the Lord.” ’ Hebrews 8:7-9

In Hebrews 3:1, the “holy brethren” (the church) is told to “consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.”  From that point forward in the book to our text for today, the inspired writer has been doing just that. For our consideration, He’s been placing before us the revelation of just who Jesus really is and what He has done for us in those two roles, buttressed by quotes from the Old Testament showing their fulfillment in Christ.

Pattern, Precepts and Blessing; or Perversion and Plagues

Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; 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 8:4-5 (NAS)

Last week we noted that our Old Testament quote found here in chapter eight of the letter to the Hebrews by the divinely directed penman of God, is a continuation of the church’s education and edification in the critical principle of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as our high priest.

Passage and Presence, Patterns and Precepts

Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; 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 8:4-5 (NAS)

Jesus, the Son of God, our great High Priest

The inspired writer of the Hebrew letter introduced Jesus, the Son of God, as our great high priest back in Hebrews 4:14. In the previous two installments we considered Jesus’ superiority to Aaron as our high priest based upon Old Testament quotes found in Hebrews 5:5-6.  If you missed those, they can be found at the congregational website, newcreation.us. From Hebrews 5:6 to our text today, which contains the next citation of an Old Testament passage, the penman has continued working on the principle of Jesus as our high priest.

Not Taken, But Received

And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was. So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, “Thou art My Son, Today I have begotten Thee”; just as He says also in another passage, “Thou art a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrew 5:4-6

Back in Hebrews 3:1 the inspired writer is moved to exhort the church to “consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession”. The church is to consider Jesus in these offices in juxtaposition to Moses, the Old Testament giant of faith. As the apostle of God, involved in the physical delivery of the nation out of slavery, he also functioned in a quasi high priestly position, by his admittance into the presence of Yahweh and intercessor of the nation of Israel. These were roles normally reserved for the high priest.

We Who Believe Enter The Eternal Rest

For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, “As I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest,” although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has thus said somewhere concerning the seventh day, “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this passage, “They shall not enter My rest.”   Hebrews 4:3-5

The inspired writer of the Hebrew letter is still working on the principle of faithfulness, of holding “fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end” (Heb. 3:6) by heeding the voice of the appointed, ascended Son over the house of God, Jesus Christ.

Moses and Jesus, Comparatively Speaking (PT 2)

“Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As in the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, And saw My works for forty years. Therefore I was angry with this generation, And said, “They always go astray in their heart; And they did not know My ways”; As I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest.’ ” Heb 3:7-11

In chapter three, the inspired writer of the Hebrew letter has moved from Jesus’ superiority over the angels to the superiority of Jesus to Moses, and in particular in the context, His superiority over Moses as “the Apostle and High Priest of our confession” (Heb. 3:1b). The Holy Spirit specifically through the writer tells us to “consider Jesus” in those roles.

Moses and Jesus, Comparatively Speaking (Pt 1)

“Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As in the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, And saw My works for forty years. Therefore I was angry with this generation, And said, “They always go astray in their heart; And they did not know My ways”; As I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest.’ ” Heb 3:7-11

Having established Jesus’ superiority to the angels in the first two chapters, here, in chapter three, the Spirit through the writer begins to work on Jesus as superior to Moses. In reference to that, the Holy Spirit calls us to consider Jesus in two ways in comparison to Moses. As The Apostle; and as the High Priest of our confession. It is in this context that the writer is moved to quote from Psalm 95:7b-11. “Today, if you would hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness; when your fathers tested Me, they tried Me, though they had seen My work. For forty years I loathed that generation, and said they are a people who err in their heart, and they do not know My ways. Therefore I swore in My anger, truly they shall not enter into My rest.” NAS

The Given Children Trust In Him

And again,”I will put My trust in Him.” And again,”Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.” Hebrews 2:13

Isaiah’s sign-faithful disciples

In our text for today, the writer of Hebrews continues to build upon the theme of brotherhood and family as the Holy Spirit had moved him to introduce, and we had considered in last week’s quote of the Old Testament passage from Psalm 22 as contained in Hebrews 2:11-12. The penman is now moved to quote from Isaiah eight concerning the faithful disciples who would be a sign to the disobedient houses of Israel and Judah of the LORD’s ability to bring about what has been prophesied, and as a type of the church. In the NASB it reads, “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. And I will wait for the LORD who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for Him. Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.” (Isa. 8:16-18)

Sorrow, Suffering and Satisfied Sanctification

For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, “I will proclaim Thy name to My brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will sing Thy praise.” Hebrews 2:11-12 (NAS)

Having established that Jesus Christ is superior to the Old Testament prophets and to angels, the divinely directed writer of Hebrews moves to speak of the superior benefits derived by the saints through Jesus coming in the flesh for “a little while lower than the angels.” This takes us to our next Old Testament passage cited by the writer of Hebrews for our edification, Psalms 22:22. “I will tell of Thy name to my brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise Thee.” (NAS)