The Old Pattern of Worship

¹Now in the first covenant there were specific rules for worship including a sanctuary on earth to worship in.

²When you entered the tabernacle you would first come into the holy chamber where you would find the lampstand and the bread of his presence on the fellowship table.[#9:2 See Ex. 25:31–40; Lev. 24:1–4.; #9:2 See Ex. 25:23–30; 39:36. This fellowship table had twelve loaves of sacred bread. See also Lev. 24:5–9.]

³Then as you pass through the next curtain you would enter the innermost chamber called, the holiest sanctuary of all.[#9:3 See Ex. 26:31–35.; #9:3 Or “holy of holies,” that is, the holiest place of all.]

⁴It contained the golden altar of incense and the ark of covenant mercy, which was a wooden box covered entirely with gold. And placed inside the ark of covenant mercy was the golden jar with mystery-manna inside, Aaron’s resurrection rod, which had sprouted, and the stone tablets engraved with the covenant laws.[#9:4 The Hebrew word for “manna,” the wilderness bread, means “mystery” or “What is it?”]

⁵On top of the lid of the ark were two cherubim, angels of splendor, with outstretched wings overshadowing the throne of mercy. But now is not the time to discuss further the significant details of these things.[#9:5 Or “the place of atonement.” See Ex. 25:18–22.]

⁶So with this prescribed pattern of worship the priests would routinely go in and out of the first chamber to perform their religious duties.

⁷And the high priest was permitted to enter into the Holiest Sanctuary of All only once a year and he could never enter without first offering sacrificial blood for both his own sins and for the sins of the people.

⁸Now the Holy Spirit uses the symbols of this pattern of worship to reveal that the perfect way of holiness had not yet been unveiled. For as long as the tabernacle stood[#9:8 As translated from the Aramaic. The Greek is “the way into the Holy Place.”]

⁹it was an illustration that pointed to our present time of fulfillment , demonstrating that offerings and animal sacrifices had failed to perfectly cleanse the conscience of the worshiper.[#9:9 The Aramaic can be translated “mystery.”]

¹⁰For this old pattern of worship was a matter of external rules and rituals concerning food and drink and ceremonial washings which was imposed upon us until the appointed time of heart-restoration had arrived.[#9:10 The Greek word diothosis is used only here in the New Testament. It means “to set things right,” or “to snap a broken bone back into place,” by implication restoration .]

The Heavenly Pattern of Worship

¹¹But now the Anointed One has become the King-Priest of every wonderful thing that has come. For he serves in a greater, more perfect heavenly tabernacle not made by men, that is to say, not a part of this creation.[#9:11 The Aramaic can be translated “the good things that he did.” Some Greek manuscripts have “good things that are coming.”]

¹²And he has entered once and forever into the Holiest Sanctuary of All, not with the blood of animal sacrifices, but the sacred blood of his own sacrifice. And he alone has made our salvation secure forever![#9:12 Or “He has paid the ransom [redemption] forever.”]

¹³Under the old covenant the blood of bulls, goats, and the ashes of a heifer were sprinkled on those who were defiled and effectively cleansed them outwardly from their ceremonial impurities.

¹⁴Yet how much more will the sacred blood of the Messiah thoroughly cleanse our consciences! For by the power of the eternal Spirit he has offered himself to God as the perfect Sacrifice that now frees us from our dead works to worship and serve the living God.[#9:14 Or “unblemished.”; #9:14 Or “purifies.”; #9:14 Or “what we did when we were corpses.”]

¹⁵So Jesus is the One who has enacted a new covenant with a new relationship with God so that those who accept the invitation will receive the eternal inheritance he has promised to his heirs. For he died to release us from the guilt of the violations committed under the first covenant.[#9:15 Or “those who are called.”]

^16-17Now a person’s last will and testament can only take effect after one has been proven to have died; otherwise the will cannot be in force while the person who made it is still alive.

¹⁸So this is why not even the first covenant was inaugurated without the blood of animals.

¹⁹For Moses ratified the covenant after he gave the people all the commandments of the law. He took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and a hyssop branch, and sprinkled both the people and the book of the covenant,[#9:19 See Ex. 24:3, 7.]

²⁰saying,

²¹And later Moses also sprinkled the tabernacle with blood and every utensil and item used in their service of worship.

²²Actually, nearly everything under the law was purified with blood, since forgiveness only comes through an outpouring of blood.

²³And so it was necessary for all the earthly symbols of the heavenly realities to be purified with these animal sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves required a superior sacrifice than these.[#9:23 Or “outlines” or “sketches.”]

²⁴For the Messiah did not enter into the earthly tabernacle made by men, which was but an echo of the true sanctuary, but he entered into heaven itself to appear before the face of God in our place.[#9:24 As translated from the Aramaic (Hebrew), which has no word equivalent for “presence,” only “face.” To come into God’s presence meant that you come before his face .]

²⁵Under the old system year after year the high priest entered the most holy sanctuary with blood that was not his own. But the Messiah did not need to repeatedly offer himself year after year,

²⁶for that would mean he must suffer repeatedly ever since the fall of the world. But now he has appeared at the fulfillment of the ages to abolish sin once and for all by the sacrifice of himself![#9:26 Or “from the foundation of the world.” The Greek word katabole can also mean “laying down” or “falling down” (of the world through sin), which by implication means Adam’s sin.; #9:26 The Aramaic can be translated “annihilate sin.”]

²⁷Every human being is appointed to die once, and then to face God’s judgment.[#9:27 The Greek is literally “a court trial.”]

²⁸But when we die we will be face-to-face with Christ , the One who experienced death once for all to bear the sins of many! And now to those who eagerly await him, he will appear a second time; not to deal with sin, but to bring us the fullness of salvation.[#9:28 The Aramaic can be translated “to burn away [obliterate] the sins of many.” See Isa. 53:12.; #9:28 There is a salvation that is yet to be unveiled. See 1 Peter 1:5.]