Exegetica

Entering the Holiest of All
Hebrews 9:1-12

Jim Nance

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hen indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary" (Heb. 9:1). The author of Hebrews hastens to declare here the glory and divine origin of the first covenant, which God made with Israel at Sinai, having just shown that this covenant was "obsolete and growing old, . . . ready to vanish away." He has good reasons for doing so, since he is employing an extended a fortiori argument: if the first covenant was glorious, how much greater is the New Covenant which fulfills it (cf. 2 Cor. 3:9,11). The divine glory of the Old Covenant is revealed in the detailed furnishings of the tabernacle foreshadowing the New Covenant and its Mediator.

"For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, which had the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail" (Heb. 9:2-5). Here we are given a picture of the orderly detail of the tabernacle, which is a "copy and shadow of the heavenly things" (Heb. 8:5). Though the author refrains from speaking in detail about their use or symbolism here, perhaps because of the familiarity of these things to his intended audience, we can get some insight from other parts of scripture.

The tabernacle itself represents the body of the Lord Christ (Heb. 9:11), as it was a reminder to Israel of God's presence (Ex. 25:8-9). Jesus is God With Us , just as John wrote that "the Word became flesh and dwelt [that is tabernacled ] among us" (John 1:14).

The lampstand is used elsewhere as a picture of the church, the light of the world (Rev. 1:20, cf. Matt. 5:14). Even John the Baptist was described this way (John 5:35) and Jesus Himself (John 9:5; 12:46, etc.). What the showbread and its table represent is uncertain (but see Ex. 25:23-30; Lev. 24:5-9).

The veil between the Holy Place and the Holiest of All is a glorious symbol of Jesus' flesh (Heb. 10:19-20, cf. Matt. 27:50-51).

The incense from the golden altar was carried into the Most Holy Place by the high priest on the Day of Atonement, after the sin offering was made, "that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Testimony, lest he die" (Lev. 16:13). Incense is used to represent prayer rising before God (Rev. 5:8), and given its relation to the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement, this incense likely represents Christ's mediatorial prayer, which rises with the prayers of the saints (cf. Rev 8:3-4).

The ark of the covenant is the central furnishing of the tabernacle, for in the cloud above the mercy seat God would appear and speak (Lev. 16:2; Num. 7:89). The cherubim of glory surround and guard this place as the Lord's throne (Ps. 99:1). The lid of the ark is called the mercy seat (literally 'a propitiating thing'), clearly intimating that sinful men may enter into God's presence only as a result of His mercy in the propitiation of Christ.

"Now, when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance" (Heb. 9:6-7). Only the Levitical priests could enter the Holy Place, to carry out their regular duties concerning the lampstand, showbread, and incense. But they could not enter nor even look into the Holiest of All, and when the high priest entered there no other priest could even be in the sanctuary (Lev. 16:17). The warnings and precautions made concerning entrance into the Holiest of All were a regular reminder of the awesome dreadfulness of sinful man entering into the presence of the Holy One.

The veil which separated the priests and the people from God's presence was a reminder to them also, "the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience -- concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation" (Heb. 9:8-10). The condemnation of sin was upon both the one who brought the sacrifice and the priest who offered it, the sacrifice not being effectual in cleansing the conscience. Into the Holiest of All the high priest entered alone, which stood as a perpetual picture that freedom to enter God's presence was not yet granted to the people. The author thus shows how foolish would be the Hebrew who forsook the freedom of the New Covenant for the ineffectual sacrifices and prohibitio ns of the Old.

"But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption" (Heb. 9:11-12). Christ our forerunner ascended into heaven to enter the presence behind the veil, sanctified by His own blood. And having rent that veil by His death on the cross, we have boldness to enter the Holiest of All.