Hebrews 8

Before we start with chapter 8 we need to review a bit about chapter 7.

Hebrews 7:1 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.”

The “king of righteousness” can also be applied to Jesus Christ as can  “king of peace.” This is makes Melchizedek  a Christ like figure.

3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

Now Jesus had parents and a genealogy but he was not a Levite he was from the house of Judah so he was not a priest by works of the law and neither was Mel. In fact the house of Levi didn’t exist when Mel was a Priest.

6 This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater.

The lesser being Mel and the greater being Abraham.

15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared:

“You are a priest forever,

in the order of Melchizedek.”

18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

20 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:

“The Lord has sworn

and will not change his mind:

‘You are a priest forever.’ 

22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.

I don’t normally go over this much of the previous chapter but you need to know this information to understand what is to be discussed  in chapter 8

Hebrews 8

1 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.

You need to go over the instructions given to Moses going back to Exodus 33 to read about the tent this also became part of the temple when it was built in Jerusalem

From the Commentary from the REV

“the holy places.” The Greek is tōn hagiōn, more literally, “of the holy” (neuter plural) which can refer to the “holy places” or “the holy things.” However, as F. F. Bruce points out, in Hebrews the neuter plural regularly refers to the holy places, or as a whole, the heavenly Tabernacle or Temple (New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Epistle to the Hebrews). If Jesus is the High Priest ministering in the holy places, then he is also attending to the holy things.

“true Tabernacle.” Hebrews 7 showed the weakness of the Aaronic priesthood and how much better Jesus Christ was as the new High Priest. Hebrews 8 continues that theme and shows that Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, where he now ministers as High Priest, not in an earthly “Tabernacle” (the Greek word is actually “tent,” we get Tabernacle from the context and scope), but in a Tabernacle in heaven. There is some evidence that God has a Tabernacle, or more likely, a Temple in heaven. In that case, it is quite possible that the earthly Tent of Meeting (“Tabernacle”) set up by Moses was a sort of copy similar to the one in heaven, and so God gave Moses the pattern for how the earthly Tent of Meeting was to look (Exod. 25:9, 40; Num. 8:4; Heb. 8:5; Rev. 11:19; 14:15, 17; 15:5, 6, 8; 16:1, 17).

 The old is replaced by the new in Jesus Christ. The old Tent of Meeting and Temple on earth are replaced by the heavenly ones, the Aaronic High Priests are replaced by Jesus Christ, a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, and the old animal sacrifices are replaced by the blood of Christ.

The old is replaced by the new in Jesus Christ. The old Tent of Meeting and Temple on earth are replaced by the heavenly ones, the Aaronic High Priests are replaced by Jesus Christ, a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, and the old animal sacrifices are replaced by the blood of Christ.

3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.

5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

From the REV commentary

“divinely warned.” From chrematizō (#5537 χρηματίζω). The word has the connotations of divine instruction and/or warning. The context makes it clear that here warning is the stronger meaning—and, interestingly, in all other instances of the word in the book of Hebrews (Heb 11:7, 12:25). For more on this word, see commentary on Matthew 2:12; “divinely instructed”.

See Exodus 25:40 for the above. See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.

6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.

7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said (Some manuscripts may be translated fault and said to the people.) :

“The days are coming, declares the Lord,

when I will make a new covenant

with the people of Israel

and with the people of Judah.

9 It will not be like the covenant

I made with their ancestors

when I took them by the hand

to lead them out of Egypt,

because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,

and I turned away from them,

declares the Lord.

10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel

after that time, declares the Lord.

I will put my laws in their minds

and write them on their hearts.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.

11 No longer will they teach their neighbor,

or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’

because they will all know me,

from the least of them to the greatest.

12 For I will forgive their wickedness

and will remember their sins no more.” (Jer. 31:31-34)

13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

Now many teach the church of the body absorbed Israel and we are now in the new covenant. I don’t see anything in the word that would back that idea. It says specifically that the covenant applies to Israel if things had changed God would have specifically said that and he did not. Therefore the teaching that we are now in the new covenant is a tradition of man with no biblical basis.