Hebrews 8:10-13

The Better Qualities of the New Covenant

While continuing to refer to the quotation from Jeremiah, the author shows the better qualities of the new covenant. For instance, the law of Moses was written on tables of stone (Exodus 34:1; Exodus 34:23), but this new covenant would be implanted in the mind of man and written on his heart. In 2 Corinthians 3:1-18, the writer explains the advantages of this. No longer will man be just obeying the written letter of the law. Now man will be obeying the spirit of the law which he will know from within himself. Man would no longer need some physical image to worship. Under the new covenant man would have a God, seen through the eye of faith (Hebrews 8:10; Hebrews 11:1-6).

Under a physical covenant, each member of the kingdom had to be taught to know God. This is not true under the new spiritual covenant. To become a part of Christ's kingdom one must already know God's will and be taught of God (Isaiah 54:13; John 6:44-45). Now, one must know God to be a part of the kingdom(John 14:1-6; John 14:15; Hebrews 11:6) and everyone is invited (Matthew 11:28-30; Revelation 22:17). Sin could not be removed under the old covenant (Hebrews 9:9; Hebrews 10:4), but under the new, God cannot remember our sins, as Jesus' blood washes them all away (Hebrews 8:11-12; Hebrews 9:9; Hebrews 10:4; 1 John 1:7-9; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 1:5).

As history, the Old Testament is still valuable and full of lessons concerning God's dealings with man (1 Corinthians 10:12), but as a covenant its usefulness to man is past. Jesus took it out of the way as a religious institution (Colossians 2:14) and, as Milligan would point out, it died as a civil institution at the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

Hebrews 9:1-5

The Earthly Sanctuary Under Moses' Law

The author of Hebrews tells his readers that the first covenant had rules and regulations for the worship of God that were of Divine origin. Also, the holy dwelling place of that covenant (the sanctuary) was a material one made with hands. "Sanctuary" refers to the tabernacle as a whole. For proof, the writer says there was a tabernacle, which would be the sanctuary. The first room the High Priest would pass through on his way to the Holy of Holies would be the Holy Place, which was the east room of the tabernacle. On its south side stood the lampstand covered with gold (Exodus 25:31-40). On the north side was the table of shewbread (Exodus 25:23-30). The shewbread was made of fine flour and baked into twelve cakes, representing the twelve tribes (Leviticus 24:5-9). They were placed in two rows on the table every sabbath and the old loaves were eaten by the priests (Hebrews 9:1-2).

The first veil covered the doorway, while the second divided the Holy Place and Most Holy (Exodus 26:36-37; Exodus 26:31-34). The Most Holy contained the golden censer (Leviticus 16:12) and the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:10-16). Inside the ark was a golden pot containing an omerful of manna (Exodus 16:31-34), Aaron's rod that had budded (Numbers 17:1-11), and the two tables of the covenant (Exodus 25:16; Deuteronomy 10:1-5). Only the tables of stone were left in the time of Solomon (1 Kings 8:9). On the ark was a cover which was called the mercy seat (Hebrews 9:3-5; Numbers 7:89). "The protective wings of the two cherubim provided the place where, symbolically speaking, God dwelled among his people (Psalms 80:1; Psalms 99:1)" (Lightfoot, p. 165).