The Sabbath-School

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Dec 30, 1889

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 50.

The Sabbath-School.

Letter to the Hebrews.

HEBREWS 8:2-6.

(Lesson 15, January 11, 1890.)

In the Mosaic dispensation, did God have a dwelling-place among his people?
Where was it made? and by whom?
What were its two rooms called?
Who were permitted to go into the sanctuary? Num. 18:1-7.
How often did the priests go into the holy place?

"Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God." Heb. 9:6.

6. Who was permitted to go into the most holy? "But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people." Verse 7.

7. In what does our priest minister? "A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man." Heb. 8:2.

8. Where is the sanctuary in which he ministers? "Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens: a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man." Verses 1, 2.

Who made that sanctuary? Verse 2.
Where was the blood of the sin-offerings presented before the Lord?

"And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt-offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation." Lev. 4:7. "And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy-seat eastward; and before the mercy-seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin-offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat." Lev. 16:14, 15.

11. Could Christ have any priesthood on earth? "For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law." Heb. 8:4. See note.

Who were the priests that served according to the law?—Ib. Ex. 28:1.
What was the nature of their service?

"Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle; for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount." Heb. 8:5.

What is meant by the example and shadow? Ans.—They were typical.
How was the pattern or example obtained? Same verse, last part.

16. Of what is Christ the mediator? "But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises." Verse 6.

How does this compare with the old covenant?—Ib.
What was the old covenant? See Ex. 19:5-8; 24:3-8.
What is a covenant? See note.
Upon what was the better covenant established? Heb. 8:6.
What was the condition of the covenant in Ex. 19:5-8? Ans.—It was that which the Lord called his covenant.
What was his covenant which he required them to keep?

"And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire; ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone." Deut. 4:12, 13.

NOTES.

At first glance it might seem that the reasoning is not good which decides that Christ could have no priesthood on earth; for, if the law which confined the priesthood to the family of Aaron were abolished, what would hinder one serving though he were of another tribe? But it must be remembered that the priesthood and the law ordaining the priesthood stood and fell together. The only law for an earthly priesthood was that law which gave the office exclusively to the family of Aaron, and if any would act as priest on earth he must conform to the law of the earthly priesthood. It was impossible for one of another tribe to act as priest on earth. Further, it must be borne in mind that the service in the temple was still kept up by the Jews at the time when this letter was written, so that the words in this verse were conformable to the facts as they existed, as well as to the facts concerning the change of dispensations. For no one could possibly have then officiated as priest unless he were of the family of Aaron.

WEBSTER gives two principal definitions to the word "covenant." The first is, "A mutual agreement of two or more persons or parties, in writing and under seal, to do or to refrain from some act or thing." The second is, "A writing containing the terms of agreement between parties." But neither of these definitions is extensive enough to cover all the uses of the word in the Bible. For instance, in Gen. 9:9-16 the word "covenant" is used with reference to a promise of God, given without any condition expressed or implied. The common idea of a covenant more nearly fits the transaction recorded in Ex. 19:5-8; yet even here we shall find that the thing called a covenant, which God made with the people, does not in every particular correspond to a contract made between two men. It is only another instance of the impossibility of a perfect comparison between divine and human things. In other places in the Bible the word "testament," or "will," is used with reference to the same transaction, although a contract and a will are greatly different. The transaction between God and Israel partakes of the nature of both. But it is of little consequence that a human covenant does not perfectly represent the affair, or that the Bible uses the word "covenant" in so widely varying senses. The main point is to understand just what is meant in each instance, and this the Scriptures themselves enable us readily to do.

STILL another sense in which the word "covenant" is used in the Bible, is found in the text under consideration. Ex. 19:5-8. The condition of the covenant which the Lord made with Israel was that they should keep his covenant. Here was something already existing, which God calls "my covenant," concerning which he was about to make a covenant with the people. What God's covenant is may be found from Deut. 4:12, 13. It is the ten commandments. God's law—called his covenant—was the basis of the covenant between him and Israel. The matter is so plain that there is no necessity for confusion. It makes no difference that the same term is applied to both; it is sufficient to know that God's covenant—the ten commandments—antedated and is entirely distinct from the transaction at Horeb—also called a covenant. That to which the apostle refers as the first covenant was, therefore, simply this: A promise on the part of the people to keep his holy law, and a statement on the part of God of the result to them if they should obey him.