Hebrews It! (Legal Study, Chapter 5) Pt. 16

[Grip Docility]

Link to Table of Contents​

Continued from To My Brother in Jesus - Hebrews It! (Legal Study, Chapter 4) Pt. 15​

We left Hebrews 4 exactly as it is. To the Sabbatarian, Hebrews 4 is a reinforcement of the idea that observing the Sabbath honors Jesus. To the non-Sabbatarian Hebrews 4 is a revelation that Jesus is the substance of the shadow known as the day of rest. The non-Sabbatarian sees Hebrews 4 as a rest from all works of the flesh and and rest in Jesus Christ. What scriptural reasoning would allow this?

Romans 4:15 One person considers one day to be above another day. Someone else considers every day to be the same. Each one must be fully convinced in his own mind.​

This is a verse from Paul that allows peace to exist among the brethren. And... it's a fun chapter to exegete. If anyone desires to exegete it, they are always welcome to do so.​

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The closing dialogue of Hebrews 4 shifts to Jesus Christ being our High Priest.

Hebrews 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to the confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.

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Hebrews 5:1 For every high priest taken from men is appointed in service to God for the people, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.

We have arrived at the High Priest Dialogue. Remember, Hebrews is to the Jews. The Jews understood the Old Testament implications of every word written in the book of Hebrews. This means that to establish proper understanding of Hebrews, one has to understand the origin of these terms. This means that we will launch into an Old Testament study of what a High Priest is and what they do.​

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Genesis 14:18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 19 And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

This is the first picture of a High Priest that we read about in scripture. He precedes the giving of the Law. Paul affirms that the Law wasn't in place at this time.​

Galatians 3:17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.​

Paul makes it clear that Abraham is the context of this statement.​

Galatians 3:16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.​

The first verse this is referencing is Genesis 3:15. It is rarely translated in a correct way that backs Paul up.​

It all boils down to this key Hebrew word, within the verse. 2233. zera it does root correctly. (a sowing, seed, offspring)​

This verse is one of the key components in restoring correct doctrine. Jesus is the CHOSEN SEED. Jesus is the ELECTED seed. Through sincere repentance we become grafted in to Jesus Christ, the one true Elect of God. This returns that concept of Christ's intention of His blood to it's scriptural intention. Jesus desired that All should come to Repentance and none should be lost. (2 Peter 3:9 / Ezekiel 33:11)​

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Exodus 28:1 Have your brother Aaron, with his sons, come to you from the Israelites to serve Me as priest—Aaron, his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2 Make holy garments for your brother Aaron, for glory and beauty.“

The Covenant of Stone, which was a passing glory, was first served by Aaron, the brother of Moses as the High Priest. His sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar were his serving Priests.​

3 You are to instruct all the skilled craftsmen, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make Aaron’s garments for consecrating him to serve Me as priest.

4 These are the garments that they must make:

1- a breastpiece,
2- an ephod,
3- a robe,
4- a specially woven tunic,
5- a turban,
6- and a sash.

They are to make holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons so that they may serve Me as priests.

5 They should use gold; blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; and fine linen.

Jesus is the very centrality of all scripture. Each chapter of Hebrews reveals more and more about God's relationship with us and His very being. We could gloss right over all of this, but imagine that you are a Jew who knows every detail about these things and you are now being revealed that every word of this book of the Bible, written by an unknown author, is showing Jesus Christ to be the Substance of every shadow that you once knew.​

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.​

Hebrews 10:1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves.​

Type and Anti-Type. The Law of Moses was the Type. Jesus is the Anti-Type.​

Shadow and Substance. The Law of Moses was the Shadow. Jesus is the Substance.​

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This entire idea permeates all of the book of Hebrews. Let's do something interesting and just list all verse ones from the entire book of Hebrews.​

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1:1 Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways.
2:1 We must, therefore, pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away.
3:1 Therefore, holy brothers and companions in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession;
4:1 Therefore, while the promise to enter His rest remains, let us fear that none of you should miss it.
5:1 For every high priest taken from men is appointed in service to God for the people, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.
6:1 Therefore, leaving the elementary message about the Messiah, let us go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God,
7:1 For this Melchizedek— King of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham and blessed him as he returned from defeating the kings,
8:1 Now the main point of what is being said is this: We have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
9:1 Now the first covenant also had regulations for ministry and an earthly sanctuary.
10:1 Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the actual form of those realities, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year.
11:1 Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.
12:1 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us,
13:1 Let brotherly love continue.

This means that we are going to be dividing up each aspect of the High Priest's and Priest's garments to see what it is saying about Jesus Christ. We will cover each aspect that has been noted and we will get to the bottom of how it reveals Jesus.​

The Ephod​

6 “They are to make the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. 7 It must have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges so that it can be joined together. 8 The artistically woven waistband that is on the ephod must be of one piece, according to the same workmanship of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen.

9 “Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of Israel’s sons: 10 six of their names on the first stone and the remaining six names on the second stone, in the order of their birth. 11 Engrave the two stones with the names of Israel’s sons as a gem cutter engraves a seal. Mount them, surrounded with gold filigree settings. 12 Fasten both stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the Israelites. Aaron will carry their names on his two shoulders before the Lord as a reminder. 13 Fashion gold filigree settings 14 and two chains of pure gold; you will make them of braided cord work, and attach the cord chains to the settings.

The Breastpiece​

15 “You are to make an embroidered breastpiece for making decisions. Make it with the same workmanship as the ephod; make it of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen. 16 It must be square and folded double, nine inches long and nine inches wide. 17 Place a setting of gemstones on it, four rows of stones:

The first row should be
a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald;
18 the second row,
a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;
19 the third row,
a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
20 and the fourth row,
a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper.
They should be adorned with gold filigree in their settings. 21 The 12 stones are to correspond to the names of Israel’s sons. Each stone must be engraved like a seal, with one of the names of the 12 tribes.

22 “You are to make braided chains of pure gold cord work for the breastpiece. 23 Fashion two gold rings for the breastpiece and attach them to its two corners. 24 Then attach the two gold cords to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece. 25 Attach the other ends of the two cords to the two filigree settings, and in this way attach them to the ephod’s shoulder pieces in the front. 26 Make two other gold rings and put them at the two other corners of the breastpiece on the edge that is next to the inner border of the ephod. 27 Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the ephod’s two shoulder pieces on its front, close to its seam, and above the ephod’s woven waistband. 28 The craftsmen are to tie the breastpiece from its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece is above the ephod’s waistband and does not come loose from the ephod.

29 “Whenever he enters the sanctuary, Aaron is to carry the names of Israel’s sons over his heart on the breastpiece for decisions, as a continual reminder before the Lord. 30 Place the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece for decisions, so that they will also be over Aaron’s heart whenever he comes before the Lord. Aaron will continually carry the means of decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.

The Robe​

31 “You are to make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue yarn. 32 There should be an opening at its top in the center of it. Around the opening, there should be a woven collar with an opening like that of body armor so that it does not tear. 33 Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn on its lower hem and all around it. Put gold bells between them all the way around, 34 so that gold bells and pomegranates alternate around the lower hem of the robe. 35 The robe must be worn by Aaron whenever he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he enters the sanctuary before the Lord and when he exits, so that he does not die.

The Turban​

36 “You are to make a pure gold medallion and engrave it, like the engraving of a seal:

HOLY TO THE LORD.
37 Fasten it to a cord of blue yarn so it can be placed on the turban; the medallion is to be on the front of the turban. 38 It will be on Aaron’s forehead so that Aaron may bear the guilt connected with the holy offerings that the Israelites consecrate as all their holy gifts. It is always to be on his forehead, so that they may find acceptance with the Lord.

Other Priestly Garments​

39 “You are to weave the tunic from fine linen, make a turban of fine linen, and make an embroidered sash. 40 Make tunics, sashes, and headbands for Aaron’s sons to give them glory and beauty. 41 Put these on your brother Aaron and his sons; then anoint, ordain, and consecrate them, so that they may serve Me as priests. 42 Make them linen undergarments to cover their naked bodies; they must extend from the waist to the thighs. 43 These must be worn by Aaron and his sons whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister in the sanctuary area, so that they do not incur guilt and die. This is to be a permanent statute for Aaron and for his future descendants.

Pt. 16a to begin soon! Part 16 is complete. We will be diving in to the High Priest's aspects and evaluating them per the Shadow specification, then we will see what they have to do with the TRUE Substance.

 

[Grip Docility]

(HCSB)​

The Messiah, a High Priest​

5:1 For every high priest taken from men is appointed in service to God for the people, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he is also subject to weakness. 3 Because of this, he must make a sin offering for himself as well as for the people. 4 No one takes this honor on himself; instead, a person is called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 In the same way, the Messiah did not exalt Himself to become a high priest, but the One who said to Him, You are My Son; today I have become Your Father, 6 also said in another passage, You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

7 During His earthly life, He offered prayers and appeals with loud cries and tears to the One who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence. 8 Though He was God’s Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. 9 After He was perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him, 10 and He was declared by God a high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

The Problem of Immaturity​

11 We have a great deal to say about this, and it’s difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. 13 Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.

 

[Grip Docility]

(CJB)

5:1 For every cohen gadol taken from among men is appointed to act on people’s behalf with regard to things concerning God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and with those who go astray, since he too is subject to weakness. 3 Also, because of this weakness, he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as those of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor upon himself, rather, he is called by God, just as Aharon was.

5 So neither did the Messiah glorify himself to become cohen gadol; rather, it was the One who said to him,

“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.”
6 Also, as he says in another place,

“You are a cohen forever,
to be compared with Malki-Tzedek.”
7 During Yeshua’s life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions, crying aloud and shedding tears, to the One who had the power to deliver him from death; and he was heard because of his godliness. 8 Even though he was the Son, he learned obedience through his sufferings. 9 And after he had been brought to the goal, he became the source of eternal deliverance to all who obey him, 10 since he had been proclaimed by God as a cohen gadol to be compared with Malki-Tzedek.

11 We have much to say about this subject, but it is hard to explain, because you have become sluggish in understanding. 12 For although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the very first principles of God’s Word all over again! You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who has to drink milk is still a baby, without experience in applying the Word about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by continuous exercise to distinguish good from evil.

 

[Grip Docility]

(NLT)

5 Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. 2 And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses. 3 That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as theirs.

4 And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was. 5 That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him,

“You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father.”
6 And in another passage God said to him,

“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
7 While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. 8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. 9 In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. 10 And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

A Call to Spiritual Growth​

11 There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. 12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. 13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. 14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

 

[Grip Docility]

(MSG)

1-3 Every high priest selected to represent men and women before God and offer sacrifices for their sins should be able to deal gently with their failings, since he knows what it’s like from his own experience. But that also means that he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as the peoples’.

4-6 No one elects himself to this honored position. He’s called to it by God, as Aaron was. Neither did Christ presume to set himself up as high priest, but was set apart by the One who said to him, “You’re my Son; today I celebrate you!” In another place God declares, “You’re a priest forever in the royal order of Melchizedek.”

7-10 While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God. Because he honored God, God answered him. Though he was God’s Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do. Then, having arrived at the full stature of his maturity and having been announced by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who believingly obey him.

Re-Crucifying Jesus​

11-14 I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get it across to you since you’ve picked up this bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby’s milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God’s ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong.

 

[BobRyan]

It is easy for all to see in Heb 5,6,7,8 etc that the teaching is not just to Hebrew Christians - but to all the church.

Heb 5 points out that there is entry-level "milk" and there is also the more substantive heavy "meat" of the gospel that is not necessarily for new beginners. Paul expects his audience to man-up as they say - and be the adults.

Heb 6:1-3 makes it clear that Paul is going to zoom out from the "basics" and get into some pretty heavy "meat" of the Gospel

 

[BobRyan]

(NLT)

5 Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. 2 And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses. 3 That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as theirs.

Heb 5
For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of people in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; 2 he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided,

Heb 7:
26 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens; 27 who has no daily need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because He did this once for all time when He offered up Himself

The book of Hebrews presents the teaching that High Priests have a daily work - not just an end-of-year work.

 

[Grip Docility]

It is easy to for all to see in Heb 5,6,7,8 etc that the teaching is not just to Hebrew Christians - but to all the church.

Heb 5 points out that there is entry-level "milk" and there is also the more substantive heavy "meat" of the gospel that is not necessarily for new beginners. Paul expects his audience to man-up as they say - and be the adults.

Heb 6:1-3 makes it clear that Paul is going to zoom out from the "basics" and get into some pretty heavy "meat" of the Gospel

I Love how you said that! Hebrews is most definitely meaty! It’s hard to exegete just one chapter without going through all scripture! It just flows that way!

 

[Grip Docility]

OP 16 Complete. OP 16a to come, soon.