1 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
2 a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.
3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer.
4 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;
5 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.”
6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.
8 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
9 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
For they did not continue in My covenant,
And I did not care for them, says the Lord.
10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws into their minds,
And I will write them on their hearts.
And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.
11 “And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen,
And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
For all will know Me,
From the least to the greatest of them.
12 “For I will be merciful to their iniquities,
And I will remember their sins no more.”
13 When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.
“Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.” The preacher here gives us his whole reason for everything that he has said thus far: we have a high priest who sits in heaven at the right hand of God who ministers in the true tabernacle made by God. What could be more inspiring, more freeing to sinful men then to know that they have a mediator for them before a God who hates sin and this mediator is also their Lord. The very one who loves them and died for them is the same one who sits at the right hand and has been given all authority. Now that is comforting.
“For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. 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.” But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.” Thus, Jesus, like all priest, has been appointed for the purpose of offing gifts and sacrifices. Here we see the fullness of the typology of the old covenant. The priest who made offerings according to the Law was pointing toward the greater fulfillment in Christ. Now, if Christ was still on earth He would not be making the offerings, because the Law has already determined that there are priest according to Levi and Aaron to make those offerings and Christ does not go against the Law, but fulfills it. Rather, the priests on earth make offerings and serve a copy of the heavenly things, where as Jesus makes His offering in the heavenly tabernacle.
“For if the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.” If God had designed the first covenant to be an everlasting one with no weaknesses then He would not have called for a second one, but “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, I did not care for them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of
Here the preacher gives us the new covenant found in Jeremiah 31. Days are coming when God will make a new covenant with His people. It will not be like the covenant He made with the fathers who turned away from God and did not trust in His Word. They turned away from Him and He did not care for them. But in the new covenant God will put His laws into the minds of His people and He will write them on their hearts. He will be their God and they shall be His people. No one will teach his fellow citizen or brother to know the Lord, because all of the new covenant people will know the Lord and God will not show any partiality with them. He will be merciful to their iniquities and remember their sins no more. For a people who was struggling with steadfastness, the preacher speaks of something so simple, yet strong and passionate. We no longer have to worry about falling away from God. If we are His then He will keep us. We will know Him, unlike the wilderness generation who, though seeing His works, did not believe His Word. And we have no reason to fear His presence, but we can rejoice in that He has been merciful to us and has no remembrance of our sins. Before Him, but the work of Christ, we are clean and precious. He is our God and we are His people.
What a great God we have. Who can imagine a God more amazing than Him? He has done all of this for us. We did nothing. We have accomplished no work to make this a reality, we have done nothing to deserve it, but God is His joyful splendor chose to do this for our great blessing. And “when He said, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. But what ever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.” God gave us a new covenant to replace the one that was faulty and to do this He did it as the sake of His Son who suffered and died for our sins. Great is our God and in Him should we trust.
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