Read or listen The Epistle to the Hebrews chapter 9 online (ESV, Bible Gateway)

Sacrifices of the Old Covenant – Hebrews 9:1-10

The author describes the tabernacle, also known as the Tent of the Congregation, and the worship service associated with it. Tabernacle was the portable earthly dwelling of God used by the Israelites from the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan.

After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (586 BC), the Most Holy Place of the Temple had been empty. The items that had been located there, including Aaron's rod, the jar of manna, the tablets of the covenant, and the ark of the covenant (verse 4, Exodus 16:31-33, Exodus 25:16, Numbers 17:10), were apparently taken by the enemy to Babylon and disappeared. Although the Jews had an oral tradition that they were hidden before the conquest of Jerusalem.

The word "mercy seat" highlights the dual function of the ark's cover: On the one hand, it was God's throne, the place of his appearance, and on the other hand, it was a place of atonement for sins, a place of sharing grace.

On the great Jewish Day of Atonement, celebrated on the tenth day of the seventh month of the Jewish calendar (Leviticus 16:29, 34, today known as Yom Kippur), the high priest was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place for the only time in the year to make atonement for the people’s and his own sins by sprinkling the blood of the sin offering goat on the ark cover (Leviticus 16:14-15). The blood made atonement for sins (Leviticus 17:11).

On the great Day of Atonement, one goat was sacrificed and the other was released into the wilderness, having first been made to bear all the sins of the Israelites (Leviticus 16:20-22). Jesus has borne our sins on the cross of Golgotha, where he atoned for them with his own blood.

The main problem with the sacrificial service of the Old Covenant was that it only concerned external cultic purity (verse 10). These sacrifices provided a purity that allowed people to participate in the services of the Old Covenant, but they did not bring a purity of conscience (verse 9). The way into the holiest place, before God, remained closed (verse 8). It was not until Jesus opened the way into the Most Holy (Matthew 27:50-51):

"And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom."

The Sacrifice of the New Covenant – Hebrews 9:11-28

The sacrifice Christ offered differed from the sacrifices of the old covenant in two ways (verse 12):
1. it was a once-for-all, final sacrifice
2. he offered not the blood of sacrificial animals, but his own blood, his own life

The talk about Christ’s one-time sacrifice may also refer to the fact that the high priests of the old covenant had to offer two sacrifices on the great Day of Atonement. One of them was to atone for their own sins (Leviticus 16:6). Jesus did not need to offer a sacrifice for his own sins; one sacrifice was enough (Hebrews 7:27).

The one-time sacrifice means that salvation is finally complete, it can no longer be – and must not be – supplemented by our own works, etc. (verse 12). Christ’s sacrifice not only cleanses us for external worship, but it also cleanses our conscience, it gives forgiveness of sins (verse 14). Since we no longer need good works to earn salvation, we can now serve God with them (verse 14).

In verse 16, the Greek word "diatheekee" has two meanings in parallel: "covenant" and "testament." A testament is also a covenant in a way: there are two parties, but the complete decision-making power lies with the testator. The beneficiary is only a recipient; he cannot determine the content of the will.

The author points out that a will cannot be executed if it cannot be proved that the testator is dead (verses 16-17). Under the Old Covenant, the death of sacrificial animals was sufficient (verses 18-22, cf. Exodus 24:4-8). However, the death of Jesus was required for the new covenant to be valid. This passage is one of those that speaks in a hidden way about the divinity of Jesus.

In verse 22 the author says that almost everything is cleansed with blood. So the Old Testament knew of other "cleansing agents" besides blood:
1. ashes (verse 13, Numbers 19:17-19)
2. fire (Numbers 31:21-24)
3. water (Numbers 31:21-24)

It is important to see that only the blood brings atonement, those others only brought cleansing from external impurity (Leviticus 8:15, Num 17:11).

We can say that the Old Testament sacrifices were, on the one hand, a preparation for the real sacrifice, the death of Christ, and on the other hand, they were a temporary solution by which the cleansing of sins was carried out until the coming of Christ (verse 15).

As our High Priest, Jesus has three functions:
1. He made the final sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins (verse 25)
2. He now prays for us (verse 24)
3. He will come again to judge the world (verses 27-28)

In verse 26 we can see a reference to Isaiah 53:12:

"Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

"Many" (verse 28) is the literal translation, but "many" often means "all" in Hebrew thought. Perhaps, for clarification, one could also translate "as many as there are people." Compare with Heb. 2:9: "by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone".

"...so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him."
(verse 28)

When Christ comes the second time, he will no longer come to atone for sins but to execute judgment. Then those who believe in Christ will be saved, but those who reject him will be lost.