Hebrews 9

A little warning before we dig in. This post is the longest, so far, in this series. So you might want to grab your favorite beverage and get comfy.

Today we are going to discuss Hebrews chapter 9. You can read in your own Bible or click here.

In this chapter the author starts off by describing the earthly tabernacle and the objects within it. God was the one who commanded the Israelites to perform certain duties and to hold certain items within the tabernacle. It did serve a useful purpose for a time. And having something tangible in their faith made it easier for the Israelites to hold onto. The tabernacle was where God’s presence dwelled among His people.

But now Jesus has come and made the earthly tabernacle unnecessary. We no longer need a physical place to worship. Going to church each week is still a blessing that fills our hearts and souls. However, we don’t need to limit our worship to one day a week in one specific place. Thanks to Jesus, we can worship anytime and anywhere.

Also, the tabernacle and the items inside were a foreshadowing of Jesus and the new covenant. In verse 2 the author mentions the lampstand and the bread. The lampstand points to Jesus as the light of the world (John 8:12). The bread points to Jesus as the bread of life (John 6:35).

In verse 3, the author mentions the curtain. Matthew 27:50-51 says, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.” The moment when Jesus died, the curtain in the sanctuary of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The curtain in the temple separated the Most Holy Place and the presence of God from man. The high priest was the only one who could go beyond the curtain, and that was only once a year. Jesus’s death on the cross meant that we could now meet with God at anytime. The door was open to all who would accept the invitation.

Something interesting to point out about verses 3b and 4a which says, “…the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense…” This makes it sound as though the golden altar of incense was within the Most Holy Place. However, in the Old Testament we can see this was outside the Most Holy Place in the Holy Place (see Exodus 30:6). However, scholars agree that the author of Hebrews was pointing to the function or role of the incense. On the day of atonement the high priest would bring the incense into the Most Holy Place.

There are also several other items that the author mentions, and for good reason. “Aaron’s staff served as a reminder of how God kept his people alive in the wilderness and of how God chose Aaron for the priesthood (Num 17:1-13). The tablets reminded the people of God’s covenant with them and of their responsibility to uphold that covenant by obeying the law. The golden urn holding manna served as a constant testimony to God’s sustaining care of Israel for forty years in the wilderness (Exod 16:31-34). And the ark attested to God’s covenant love for Israel and his steadfast faithfulness toward them.” [1]

In verse 5, the author also points out the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. “These two gold statues were believed to support God’s invisible presence.” [2]

In verse 6 the author shifts the focus to the priest’s duties. The priests were in the Holy Place on a daily basis. But only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place. And that was only once a year on the Day of Atonement.

Notice verse 7 points out that the high priest brought blood into the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement for the “unintentional sins” of the people. What the high priest did on the Day of Atonement was for the unintentional sins of the people. The sins they didn’t realize they were doing. We also have sins we do knowingly – doing something we know we shouldn’t do. And we have sins of omission – not doing something we know we should do.

When we walk with Jesus, He helps change our hearts. We will sin less often because we are abiding in Him and He helps us to do what’s right. Yet we will still mess up at times. Praise God that Jesus died for all of our sins – past, present, and future.

In relation to the high priest’s duties, verse 8 says, “By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing.”

“The infrequent nature of the high priest’s offering and the structure of the tabernacle demonstrated that sinful men could not approach a holy God.” [3]

This verse points to the significance of the high priest entering the Most Holy Place only once a year. The Holy Spirit was showing that the way into God’s presence had not yet been opened while the first section of the tabernacle was still standing. This helps us realize how significant it was when the veil was torn in two upon Jesus’s death. Jesus provided access to the Father.

Who remembers when the Berlin Wall came down? On November 9, 1989, the East German government announced new travel regulations, and crowds quickly gathered at the border crossings. The barriers were opened, allowing East Berliners to cross into West Berlin. If you were like me, you were watching on television as people rushed through the border crossings into West Berlin—an area they had been prevented from freely entering for decades. They were eager to cross that barrier and reconnect with loved ones they had been separated from for years.

The veil being torn in two is similar, but of course on a much deeper level. Through Jesus, we now have access to the Most High and Almighty God of the universe—our Heavenly Father who loves us beyond measure. The barrier has been removed, and we can draw near to Him at any time. May we be eager to rush into His presence!

Verse 9 helps us see that the old sacrificial system could not “perfect the conscience of the worshiper.” It couldn’t bring true salvation and couldn’t free the people from guilt. Jesus is everything to us. Not only does His sacrifice truly bring salvation, but it also brings freedom. As Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

In verse 11 the author shifts the focus a bit. The author was writing how the old system couldn’t “perfect the conscience of the worshiper.” But Jesus. But “Christ appeared as high priest of the good things that have come.” He changes everything – for the better. Through Christ’s appearance “God’s plan of salvation has now been made visible in Christ.” [4]

Verse 12 says, “He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”

Verse 12 shows the contrast of the former high priests and of His priesthood. The former high priests were under restriction when entering the holy place. The had to go to the Most Holy Place year after year, to sacrifice for the sins of the people. But Jesus entered “once for all.” And the high priests had to bring the blood of goats and calves. However, Jesus entered “by means of his own blood.” And this verse ends with the best news – “thus securing an eternal redemption.”

Verses 13-14 emphasize the power in Jesus’s blood. If in the old system, the blood of animals was used to sanctify, “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

“The blood of Christ does not just cleanse us outwardly, covering our transgressions ceremonially as the Old Testament sacrifices did. It purifies our very nature—completely freeing us from sin’s grasp and transforming us from within (Ro 6:5–18). When we accept Christ as our Savior, we no longer have to live with unresolved guilt. Jesus wipes our accusing consciences clean with his blood, enabling us to serve him with joy and without the slightest remnant of shame.” [5]

Verse 15 says that Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant. As mediator, Jesus restored peace between God and man. Without Jesus we could never approach our Holy God.

“The author makes a play on words in this passage that is lost in English. The Greek word translated ‘covenant’ in verse 15 can also mean ‘will,’ as in ‘last will and testament.’ A will does not go into effect until the testator has died.” [6]

The author is pointing out that death was necessary for this new covenant to be effective.

Verses 18-20 say:

¹⁸ Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. ¹⁹ For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, ²⁰ saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.”

In these verses the author references Exodus 24:4-8 in order to show the reader how death and the shedding of blood were necessary.

“The shedding of blood—that is, the death of a substitute—inaugurated both the old and the new covenant.” [7]

“There is no greater symbol of life than blood; blood keeps us alive. Jesus shed his blood—gave his life—for our sins so that we wouldn’t have to experience spiritual death, eternal separation from God. Jesus is the source of life, not death. He gave his own life to pay our penalty for us so that we might live. After shedding his blood for us, Christ rose from the grave and proclaimed victory over sin and death.” [8]

Verse 22 affirms, “…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”

Praise Jesus for all He has done for us on the cross. Thanks to His death and bloodshed, we are given so much. We are offered forgiveness and redemption. We have peace with God. We can draw close to our Holy God. We have eternal life to look forward to. And our life here on earth is completely changed.

In verse 23 we see that the things in the earthly sanctuary were mere copies of the true heavenly sanctuary, and they had to be purified. In Leviticus 16 we read how the high priest would purify the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement. However, this verse also says that the heavenly things also had to be purified with better sacrifices. What does this mean? Since the heavenly things are pure, why would they need to be purified. Purification is needed for us to commune with God.

“Through Jesus Christ, we who are sinners can enter into the holy of holies in the heavenly sanctuary (Heb. 10:19–22). Physically, of course, we are on earth; but spiritually, we are communing with God in the heavenly holy of holies. In order for God to receive us into this heavenly fellowship, the blood of Jesus Christ had to be applied. We enter into God’s presence ‘by the blood of Jesus’ (Heb. 10:19).” [9]

Verse 24 says, “For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.”

On the Day of Atonement, the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place which was the earthly dwelling of God’s manifest presence. Now Jesus is in God’s presence on our behalf.

In the next two verses we are reminded that Jesus’s sacrifice does not have to be repeated. Jesus “has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

In verses 27–28, the author shifts the focus. These verses say, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

We will all one day face judgment. But as believers, we can have confidence because Jesus has already offered Himself as the sacrifice for our sins. He bore our sins once for all, and we place our trust in Him and His finished work.

Scripture also teaches that unbelievers will ultimately face the Great White Throne Judgment, which results in eternal separation from God. Believers, however, will give an account of their lives before Christ at the Judgment Seat of Christ, also known as the Bema Seat. Scripture indicates that believers will be rewarded according to their faithfulness and works. This is a good reminder to live each day with our focus on the Lord, following Him faithfully and making our lives count for His kingdom.

What is said in verse 28 also ties back to the Day of Atonement. When the high priest went into the Most Holy Place, the people would wait to make sure he came back out, which meant God accepted their sacrifice. This verse tells us that Jesus will return. We don’t have to wonder if the sacrifice was accepted, as the Israelites did. Jesus will come “to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” What a glorious day that will be!

There was a lot of information packed into Hebrews 9 concerning Jesus’s superiority over the old covenant. This chapter also brings to light how the procedures and sacrifices of the old covenant were necessary for a time. They served a God-given purpose, pointing forward to the greater and more perfect work Jesus would accomplish. The earthly tabernacle and its rituals were a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. But now, thanks to Jesus, the old covenant has been fulfilled and surpassed by the new covenant He established.

Some key takeaways are that Jesus’s sacrifice was the ultimate and final sacrifice. He died once and for all, offering complete forgiveness for our sins. Because of what Jesus accomplished for us, we can draw near to our Heavenly Father with confidence. He is always there for us, interceding on our behalf. And one day, when we stand before Him, as believers we do not have to fear condemnation or eternal separation from God. Jesus has already paid the price for our sins. We will, however, give an account for how we lived and served Him while we were here on earth, and Scripture teaches that believers will be rewarded according to their faithfulness.

Thank you reading! Have a blessed week!

[1] Mohler, R. Albert, Jr. Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017.

[2] Life Application Study Bible. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2007.

[3] Mohler, R. Albert, Jr. Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017.

[4] Mohler, R. Albert, Jr. Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017.

[5] Stanley, Charles F., gen. ed. The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible. New International Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2017.

[6] Jeremiah, David. Hebrews: The Supremacy of Christ. Jeremiah Bible Study Series. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2021.

[7] Mohler, R. Albert, Jr. Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017.

[8] Life Application Study Bible. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2007.

[9] Wiersbe, Warren. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2007).

Unless noted otherwise, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.