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Hebrews 9:3-4a, Matthew 3:16-17, Philippians 3:9

Jesus makes me well-pleasing to God

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 21, 2020

In Hebrews 9:3-4a the author talks about the internal structure of the tabernacle and says, “Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense and the Ark of the Covenant covered on all sides with gold.”  This verse has caused no little confusion and is often used to show that the New Testament is mistaken.  According to God’s instructions to Moses in Exodus, the altar of incense was placed in the Holy Place not the Most Holy Place. Kistemaker clarifies this problem for us. He writes, “However, on the Day of Atonement the high priest had ‘to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain’ (Lev. 16:12). On that special day, once a year, the censer became the extension of the altar of incense. The smoke of the incense had to conceal the atonement cover of the ark, so that the high priest would not die (v. 13). The function of the altar could not be obstructed by a curtain separating the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place. Thus, the censer momentarily entered behind the curtain as an extension of the altar of incense.”[1]  Therefore it’s apparent that the function of the altar of incense was related to what lay beyond the second veil in the Holy of Holies and it is appropriate to speak of it as being present there.

The special mixture of fine incense was something that would only be allowed in the tabernacle services. It could not be used in the camp of the Israelites or in the cities after Solomon’s temple was built. It was to be a unique odor that belonged only to God’s service. Like the aroma of all the proper sacrifices in the Old Testament, the odor ascended to God as a “sweet smelling savor.” It was often said to be “well-pleasing to God.” Jesus, the Son of God, is the one person declared by God to be “well-pleasing.” Matthew 3:16-17 “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’”

When the High Priest brought the incense into the presence of God in the Holy of Holies, it filled the place with smoke and blurred the view. It’s often suggested that the High Priest’s vision was blurred by the smoke so that he could not see the mercy seat. But it might be that this “pleasing” offering to God served as a covering that covered the sins of the priest and the people that enabled them to escape the consequences of their sin. God only focused on the “sweet smelling savor” of the incense. It served as a covering or “an atonement” allowing God to ignore the sins of the people. Isn’t this what takes place with us? Our sinfulness must be atoned for, “covered” up, so that God will not hold it against us. That is what the sacrificial system pictured from the very beginning. Paul knew that Christ was his only hope for righteousness and in Philippians 3:9 he writes about acceptance from God that was based on “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ.” The sweet smelling aroma of Christ’s sacrifice makes atonement for our sin so when God looks at us, he sees his only son in whom he is well pleased.

[1] Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, Exposition of Hebrews, vol. 15, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 238.

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Hebrews 9:1-2, John 6:35, John 6:51

No Jesus, No Life!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 21, 2020

The Holy Place in the tabernacle had two items in it that are mentioned by the writer of Hebrews in explaining the superiority of Jesus to the ancient religious rituals of Israel. It contained the lampstand and the table with the twelve loaves of bread. Hebrews 9:1-2 says, “Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place.” The lampstand set up in the Holy Place as the only light by which God’s presence is illuminated in the sanctuary speaks of Jesus being the light of the world. He is the only light by which God can be seen. Being formed like branches of the almond tree with the almond blossoms holding the light represents the unbreakable promise God made to Jeremiah regarding the New Covenant of which Jesus would be the mediator. Jeremiah 1:11-12 says, “And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Jeremiah, what do you see? And I said, ‘I see an almond branch.’ Then the LORD said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.’”

On the table lay twelve loaves of bread. Each loaf represented one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Just as the lampstand represented God’s promises to his people that would be part of the New Covenant that Jeremiah foretold to Israel, the table with the twelve loaves also speaks of the promises of God. Like the manna in the wilderness, it was the faithful provision that God had promised to a wayward people. That bread sustained God’s people while wandering through the wilderness. God proved faithful with his promise. But the table of 12 loaves in the holy place pointed forward to the future Messiah and his fulfillment of the covenant. Remember, the New Covenant is far superior to the Old. Looking back at Hebrews 8:6, were reminded that all this is simply to illustrate the superiority of Jesus’ ministry and his promises over those of the Jewish system. It says, “Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.”

The priests would eat this bread in the Holy Place but would refresh it every seven days. Girdwood writes, “This table was evidently used for nothing but holding these loaves. It came to be called ‘the table for setting out the consecrated bread’ (2 Chr 29:18). It is not difficult to see a connection between this weekly replenishing of bread and the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper in the early church (Luke 22:14–20; 1 Cor 11:23–34; Acts 2:42; 20:7).”[1] We need frequent reminders that God’s promises will never fail. In John 6:35, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Later, in verse 51, he said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Hughes says, “He is the true spiritual sustenance of his people, and apart from him there is no life.”[2]

[1] James Girdwood and Peter Verkruyse, Hebrews, The College Press NIV Commentary (Joplin, MO: College Press, 1997), Heb 9:2.

[2] R. Kent Hughes, Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul, vol. 1, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1993), 224.

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Hebrews 9:1-2, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Jeremiah 1:11-12

Jesus & Almonds promise everlasting life!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 21, 2020

In Chapter 9, the author of Hebrews takes a closer look at the Old Covenant worship system and then compares it to the New Covenant in order to illuminate the superiority of the new one. He begins by pointing out the items that were placed in the tabernacle. He first mentions the two items that were placed behind the first set of curtains that was referred to as “the Holy Place.” Hebrews 9:1-2 says, “Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place.” The tabernacle and all its accouterments were pictures of Christ’s work in the world. The Priests served in the tabernacle but Jesus served the world. Although the author of Hebrews does not mention the specific role each item played in its relationship to Jesus, it’s apparent that he wants to imply such simply by observing the overall theme of the superiority of Jesus to the Jewish religious system. Further, at the end of verse five, he explains that it’s not his intention to discuss the details of each item in his letter. He says, “Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.” There are several obvious connections to Jesus in these places of worship.

The lampstand speaks of Jesus in at least two ways. First, the lampstand provided the only light in the tabernacle. According to Exodus, it had to be tended daily by the sons of Aaron (Exodus 27;20) and refreshed morning and evening and was never allowed to go out. Jesus came into the world as light into darkness.  John tells us that when Jesus came into the world, he was the “light of the world.” He adds in John 1:5 that “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” It will never go out! Just as the lampstand was the only light in the tabernacle by which the presence of God was illuminated, so too is Jesus the only light in the world by which God is illuminated for all mankind. In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul explains that the “good news” about Jesus is the light. He writes about those who do not believe, “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Second, God’s instructions about the design of the lampstand are very specific. It was to be shaped like a tree with six branches along with the central stem. At the end of each branch was a candle holder (fire holder) that was to be of one specific design. Exodus 25:33 says the lights would be placed in what would look like “almond blossoms.” The almond blossom and fruit were the first to bloom in the spring. It was the “first fruits.” Jesus is the first fruits of the resurrection as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:20. Jesus is the guarantee of God’s promise of everlasting life for believers. Jesus promised to prepare a place for us with him in heaven and will take us to himself. This guarantee is illustrated by the almond tree. The almond tree is mentioned several times in the Bible but one of the more significant times is in Jeremiah 1:11-12. “And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Jeremiah, what do you see? And I said, ‘I see an almond branch.’ Then the LORD said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.’” I like the way one writer answers questions about the bible on this website: https://www.gotquestions.org/lampstand-Bible.html. He says, “The most important thing to note about the lampstand is that it points to Christ, as do all the elements of the tabernacle. The Bible is from beginning to end a testimony about Christ and God’s merciful plan of redemption.”

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Hebrews 8:13, Romans 3:20, 7:8-11, 1 Corinthians 1:30-31

Boasting only in Jesus!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 16, 2020

Closing out chapter 8, the author of Hebrews quotes the New Covenant passage from Jeremiah 31:34. The Covenant that Israel had failed to live up to, the conditional Mosaic Covenant, was referred to as the “Old” Covenant even by its own prophets. Hebrews 8:13 says, “In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” Fruchtenbaum explains why the author of Hebrews quotes from Jeremiah. “He quotes this passage only to prove it was already known in the Old Testament that the Mosaic Covenant was temporary. The content of the New Covenant has the promise of the forgiveness of sin causing an internal change and a new relationship with God.”[1] Mankind failed to live up to the standards of the Old Covenant. According to Paul, it has then fulfilled its purpose. He writes in Romans 3:20, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” It is the law that makes sin obvious in our lives. Paul continues this idea in Romans 7:8-11. He writes, “But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment deceived me and through it killed me.”

In the discussion about the dating of the book of Hebrews, one of the key issues is whether it was written before or after the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 AD. There seems to be evidence that it could have been written after but as Stedman rightly observes, “Many commentators have pointed out that historically the phrase in verse 13 what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear may well point to an awareness on the author’s part that the priesthood of Israel, the temple in which they served, and all the rituals and sacrifices of the law which they performed, were about to be ended by the overthrow of Jerusalem as Jesus had predicted.”[2]

The point is clear! Man’s religious efforts: sacrifices, rituals, rules, are of no effect in acquiring a right standing with God. Something new and different was necessary. God was not caught unaware! This had always been His plan. Paul writes about it in 1 Corinthians 1:30-31. He says, according to the Amplified Version of the Bible, “But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God, [revealed to us a knowledge of the divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as] our Righteousness [thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God], and our Consecration [making us pure and holy], and our Redemption [providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin]. So then, as it is written, Let him who boasts and proudly rejoices and glories, boast and proudly rejoice and glory in the Lord.” It assures the only thing we have to boast in, is what Jesus did for us!

[1] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles: Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, Jude, 1st ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2005), 112.

[2] Ray C. Stedman, Hebrews, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Westmont, IL: IVP Academic, 1992), Heb 8:7.

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Hebrews 8:12, Jeremiah 31:34

Jesus and the New Deal

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 16, 2020

According to Hebrews 8:11, under the new covenant there will be no need to teach one another to know God because everyone will know Him. The New Covenant of course is mediated through Jesus Christ. The saying “no Jesus, no God. Know Jesus, know God” is about God’s revelation of Himself to everyone through the Son. As God, Jesus has it all. Matthew 11:27 says, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Jesus also told Phillip who asked Him to show them the Father, “if you’ve seen me, you have seen the Father.” The Son, Jesus, wants to reveal the Father to us all. Seeing God revealed to us through His Son, brings great peace. Know Jesus, Know God. No Jesus, no peace. Know Jesus, know peace! That’s why He follows up in Matthew with verse 28, “Come to me all you who are weary and carry heavy (religious) burdens and I will give you rest for your souls.”

Then in Hebrews 8:12, the author explains the source of that peace and rest. He writes, “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” The author wants everyone to understand that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the promises of God. The whole of Scripture looks forward to the Christ who will redeem the world. That’s why he continually quotes from the Old Testament and applies it to the work of Jesus. This verse is exactly that! It’s a direct quote from Jeremiah’s recitation of the promises of the New Covenant of which Jesus is the High Priest and mediator. Jeremiah 31:34 says, “And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Pfeiffer says, “Under the Old Covenant a remembrance of sin was perpetuated year after year. There were daily offerings, sacrifices for the new moons and sabbaths, and a solemn Day of Atonement when sin was again remembered and ceremonially removed. This, according to Hebrews, is now forever past. Sins are forgotten by the God of all grace. There is no fear of condemnation to the child of God.”[1] Jeremiah, part of the Old Testament, affirms the reality and emphasizes the fact that there is something different coming. Hagner explains, “A new situation is in view within the Scriptures of the old covenant itself, a situation that envisages a new kind of living, a new spiritual possibility, and a new experience of a definitive forgiveness of sins. The law is internalized, and a new intimacy of relationship between God and his people becomes possible. Knowledge of the Lord becomes the possession of all, and the cleansing of sin becomes a reality at the deepest level. It is this that Jeremiah looked for, and it is this that has come to the readers in Christ.” [2]

[1] Charles F. Pfeiffer, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Everyman’s Bible Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1962), 70.

[2] Donald A. Hagner, Hebrews, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 123–124.

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Hebrews 8:11, Matthew 11:27-28

Know Jesus, Know God!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 16, 2020

The writer of Hebrews began his letter by explaining how God speaks to us, not through the prophets or through the law or through angels or through the Levitical priesthood. God now, in these days, “speaks to us through His Son.” And the whole Bible from beginning to end is about the message of His Son! Jesus is the living “Word” of God. He embodies God’s message to all mankind. It’s not a profound theological concept that only philosophers or theologians can understand. It’s the pure message of God’s love for each and every one of us. Receiving God’s love as expressed through Jesus on Calvary brings a rebirth and regeneration to our lives through the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit. This is the simple truth that is to be proclaimed by preachers. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. This is true for rich and poor alike. It’s true for employer and employee alike. It’s true for each and every member of every race on earth. It’s true for male and female alike. It’s true for everyone! There are no standards to be met in order to receive God’s love. He offers it freely to us all and with it the Holy Spirit. This is why the author of Hebrews adds Hebrews 8:11. It says, “And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.”

Again, it’s all about Jesus. You’ve heard the saying: “No Jesus, No God. Know Jesus Know God!” Jesus said to Philip “whoever sees me sees the father” (John 14:9). In Matthew 11:27 Jesus says, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” There is no more miraculous revelation from God or about God. Everything has been revealed in Jesus. Jesus is just what He claimed to be; the ultimate revelation of God to man. Then Jesus goes on in Matthew 11:28 to say, “come to me all you who are weary and burned out on religion and I will give you rest.”

Kent clarifies the idea of everyone will “know” God. “The Holy Spirit residing in each believer provides the basic enlightenment. John did not mean that no teachers are ever needed by believers (John himself was teaching in his epistle), but that the function of human teachers is to clarify and unfold, rather than to convey new revelation from God. That revelation has already come, and the indwelling Spirit provides the intuitive knowledge which in germ at least is possessed equally by all believers.”[1] True rest comes to those who understand Jesus is the ultimate manifestation of God’s love for man. Knowing Jesus is knowing God. No God, no rest. Know God, know rest!

[1] Homer A. Kent Jr., The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary (Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books, 1983), 154.

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Hebrews 8:10, Romans 5:8, John 3:16

Look at Jesus!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 16, 2020

In a lengthy reference to the New Covenant as explained in Jeremiah 31, the writer of Hebrews lays out the difference between the New and the Old Covenants. The Old one was external. It was written on stone and the “flesh” of sinful man could never keep its precepts. The New one was an internal one. Hebrews 8:10 says, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” It would be grounded in their hearts and minds and would bring God and man together in a new relationship of the heart – a relationship of love.

The children of God failed the first covenant. The northern kingdom fell to Assyria in 721 BC. The southern kingdom fell to Babylon in 586 BC. The Temple, their religion, was destroyed! But they were not left hopeless. Pfeiffer says, “They had proved faithless to Israel’s God. Jeremiah complained that they had as many gods as they had cities. He insisted that God would send them into exile, where they would remain for seventy years. Yet, Jeremiah did not end on a note of despair. God would one day write a new covenant, not on tablets of stone, but on the fleshly tablets of the human heart. Man’s inner motivation would be transformed. He would become a new creature.”[1]

Looking at the law shows us God’s standards. We see an employer trying to maximize our performance. We see a policeman hiding behind a billboard trying to catch us doing something wrong. We see a coach trying to exhort his losing team to try harder, be more committed, prepare better and give more. It’s all about what we do! But now stop and look at Jesus. What do we see? Paul explains it in Romans 5:8. He says, “God demonstrated His love for us in this: while we were yet sinners (losers!) Jesus died for us.” Jesus is the unmistakable demonstration of God’s love for us. John 3:16 affirms it. “God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son so that whoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life.” As both the Old Testament and the New Testament affirm, the thing God wants most from us is our love. But only the loved can love. Look at Jesus! His love can make us new creatures.

[1] Charles F. Pfeiffer, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Everyman’s Bible Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1962), 68.

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Hebrews 8:8-9, Jeremiah 31:31-34

I can be sure with Jesus!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 13, 2020

The writer of Hebrews presents the truth of the superiority of Jesus’ ministry to that of the ministry of the Levitical priests. His ministry is far superior because the covenant that establishes it is far superior to that of the Mosaic covenant.  The Mosaic covenant was based on the successful fulfilling of the requirements. The New Covenant is based upon the unconditional promises of God.  The conditional Mosaic Covenant failed because the people failed to hold up their end of the contract. It’s interesting that this was foretold in the Law as well as the prophets. Jeremiah was the one who explained the failure as the nation was taken away as slaves to Babylon. He prophesied concerning a New Covenant that was to come and the author of Hebrews quotes from Jeremiah chapter 31. Hebrews 8:8-9 says, “For he finds fault with them when he says: ‘Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.’”

In the Greek of the Septuagint from which the author of Hebrews draws his quote, Jeremiah makes one thing perfectly clear: it will be a new covenant of a “different” kind. It won’t be like the old one. That difference is in the fact of its unconditional nature. Guzik explains this well. He writes, “There are two ancient Greek words that describe the concept of ‘new.’ Neos described newness in regard to time. Something may be a copy of something old; but if it is recently made, it can be called neos. The ancient Greek word kainos (the word used here) described something that is not only new in reference to time, but is truly new in its quality. It isn’t simply a new reproduction of something old.”[1] The Old Covenant exhortation was an external law of do’s and don’ts, none of which sinful man could keep. The “you will not lie” and the “you will not steal” and all the other commands are “you will or you will not!” In the New Covenant God says, “I will…”

Raymond Brown says God’s promises of the New Covenant are the basis of our eternal security because they are founded on God’s “I wills” not on ours. He writes, “The ‘I wills’ of God rob uncertain, doubting man of his timidity, reticence and fear. God says, ‘I will make this covenant’, ‘I will engrave my laws in their hearts’, ‘I will be their God’, ‘I will manifest myself to them all’, ‘I will make myself known to the least as well as the greatest’, ‘I will be merciful’, ‘I will forget their sins.’ All the tentativeness and hesitancy of the earlier days have gone. Man can now be sure…”[2]

[1] David Guzik, Hebrews, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2013), Heb 8:8–12.

[2] Raymond Brown, The Message of Hebrews: Christ above All, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 151.

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