Hebrews 8

Hebrews 8:3-13

In this chapter the apostle pursues his former subject, the priesthood of Christ. And, 1. He sums up what he had already said, ver. 1, 2. 2. He sets before them the necessary parts of the priestly office, ver. 3, 4, 5. And, 3. Largely illustrates the excellency of the priesthood of Christ, by confederating the excellency of that new dispensation of the covenant of grace for which Christ is the moderator, ver. 6. to the end.

1. NOW of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is fit on the right hand of the throne of the Moseley in the heavens; 2. A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, and not man-

v. 1, 2. We have here a summary of the foregoing observations: Now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum: we have such an high priest, so great and glorious, who is fit on the right hand of the throne of the Moseley in the heavens, interdict with all power and authority to secure all blessedness for his people in time and in eternity; a minister of the sanctuary, officiating as our high priest in heaven, which the Jewish sanctuary repelled, and of the true tabernacle in his human nature, of which

the earthly tabernacle was the figure, which God pitched, and not met, having prepared for him a body, wherein the fulness of the godhead should reside. And with what confidence should this inspire us, when we consider who now ministers for us before the throne of God!

3. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore a man of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. 4. For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law. 5. Who serve unto the example and shauow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God, when he was about to make the tabernacle. For see (faith he) that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. 6. But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediastine of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. 7. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8. For finding fault with them, he saith, a Behold, the days come, faith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 9. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, faith the Lord. 10. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, faith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. 11. And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 13. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old, is ready to vanish away.

The apostle proceeds.

1. To set forth the office of the high priest, and Christ’s conformity thereto. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices, the blood of which he afterwards carried into the holy place: wherefore it is of necessity that this glorious person have somewhat also to offer, a sacrifice suitable to his dignity, with the blood of which he might appear within the vali, before the throne of God in glory. For if he were on earth, and had continued here before, he should not be a priest, nor could have discharged that most peculiar part of his pontifical office, the appearing within the vali with the blood of the sacrifice, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law, and none of any other tribe but that of Levi could be admitted there: who serve unto the example and shauow of heavenly things, that priesthood and service being intently typical of Christ, as Moses was admonished of God, when he was clear to make the tabernacle. For see (faith he) that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. Necessary therefore was it that Christ, having offered his own body a sacrifice on the cross, should, with the blood which he had shed, appear in the presence of God, and discharge that glorious high priesthood whereunto he had been appointed.

2. He shews the transcendent excellency of Christ’s ministry above that of the sons of Aaron, as being the mediator of a better covenant, gladdened upon better promises. The covenant of grace, as revealed in the gospel, far exceeding the Sinai covenant, whether considered as a political covenant of peculiarity, and enclosing to the people temporal blessings, merely as the fruit of an external obedience to the letter of the law; or if we admit its latitude to be more extensive, and that it included spiritual and eternal blessings; yet as that dispensation was clothed with darkness and terror, the gospel far exceeds it, as containing a more clear revelation of God’s grace, extending its promises to Gentiles as well as Jews, being accompanied with a more abundant measure of the Spirit, and more particularly and fully leading the soul to seek and expect, not so much temporal, as spiritual and heavenly blessings. For if that first covenant, entered into with the Jews at Sinai, had been faithful, the however well suited to answer the purposes of God at that time, yet it was deficient, and wanted much of that light and clearness, with which afterwards God intended to reveal his designs of grace could that have been sufficient to accomplish the great ends God had to view, then should we place here from length for the second, as we find was the case. For God finding fault with them, and representing the Jews by the prophet Jeremiah, he saith, Behold, the days come, faith the Lord, when I will make or finish a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, a covenant of abidious promises, and fare to all the spiritual Israel, Gentiles

as well as Jews: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, but unfaithfully departed from it, and I regarded them not, faith the Lord; withdrew my favour from them, and no longer, as a husband, vouchsafed them my love and protection. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, faith the Lord, with the spiritual Israel of all nations; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts, giving them the clearest views of my designs of grace, and engaging their souls to my love and service, by the powerful operations of my Spirit, making a deeper and more abiding impression upon their hearts, than the letters of law made on the tables of stone; and I will be to them a God, absolutely and everlastingly reconciled to them, and causing them to experience my continual protection and blessing, and they shall be to me a people, engaged to serve me by the most effectual ties of gratitude as well as duty, and secured in their allegiance by my effectual grace, so that they shall never depart from me. And they shall not need to teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, as under the former dispensation, where all the typical service required constant explication; but under the clearer dispensation of light and truth in the gospel this would be less necessary; not that the ministry of the word, or private instructions among Christians, should be set aside, but that in those days the knowledge of divine things should be more universally diffused, and all believers be under the more abundant teachings of the Spirit: for all shall know me from the high unto the people, as their reconciled God and Father in the great Redeemer, whatever difference there may be as to the degree of their attainments. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, through the propitiation of their great high priest, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more, pardoning them freely, fully, and for ever. Now in that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old, abolishing the Mofacial dispensation, because of its weakness and unprofitability. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old, as is the case with the Jewish economy at present, that, like a person dying with age, is ready to vanish away, the time being at hand, when, by the destruction of the temple, the whole service must cease, never to be returned again. Note. (1.) Our fidelity to God in the covenant of grace depends upon his having engaged for our stability. (2.) God freely and for ever pardons the sins of his people; they shall find as a those in the abys of water, and never rise up again. (3.) The dispensation of the covenant of grace, under which we live, should be matter of our unfeasible comfort and uncooling thanksgiving, wherein all the riches of God’s grace, without a veil, are laid open before his chosen people, and their eternal happiness infallibly secured