A vast clear sky at dawn over the wilderness, deep blue above and gold at the horizon, a tiny camp of tents low in the frame.

The Book of

Hebrews 8

Moses’ tent was a shadow of something greater. Jesus serves in the real thing, and God has promised a new covenant written on the heart.

13 verses≈ 3 min1 personBSB

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In this chapter

Where we are

1–2The SonGod's final word, above the angels
3–4:13Enter His restGreater than Moses; today, hear Him
4:14–7Our high priestTempted like us, a priest forever
8–10:18A new covenantOne sacrifice, once for allChapter 8
10:19–13Run by faithHold on; fix your eyes on Jesus

Christ’s Eternal Priesthood

The 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,

Hebrews 8:1

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and who ministers in the sanctuary and true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.

And since every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, it was necessary for this One also to have something to offer.

Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are already priests who offer gifts according to the law.

The long shadow of a tent and its taut ropes cast across rippled desert sand at sunrise, the tent itself just out of frame.

The place where they serve is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.

In this chapter

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.”

Copy and shadow

Whiteboard

The tabernacle Moses built in the wilderness was good and God-given: God showed him the pattern on the mountain (Exodus 25:40). But it was “a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.” A shadow tells you something real is there; it is not the thing itself. Jesus “ministers in the sanctuary and true tabernacle,” the reality every tent and every offering pointed to.

Reflect

Such a high priest

“We do have such a high priest.” Jesus has finished His offering, sat down in heaven, and serves there for His people now. What weight are you carrying today as if no one in heaven were on your side? Write it down, and beside it write a line of thanks that Jesus is there for you.

The New Covenant

Now, however, Jesus has received a much more excellent ministry, just as the covenant He mediates is better and is founded on better promises. For if that first covenant had been without fault, no place would have been sought for a second.

First light over the terraced hills of Judah, a shepherd and his flock small on the slope below.

But God found fault with the people and said:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,

when I will make a new covenant

with the house of Israel

and with the house of Judah.

0:09

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

It will not be like the covenant

I made with their fathers

when I took them by the hand

to lead them out of the land of Egypt,

because they did not abide by My covenant,

and I disregarded them,

declares the Lord.

Question

Quick question

The writer quotes the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31): God Himself promised a new covenant.

According to verse 8, with whom did God find fault?

For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord.

Hebrews 8:10

The writer of Hebrews

By speaking of a new covenant, He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

Pray

Every “I will”

The new covenant rests on God’s promises, not ours: “I will put My laws in their minds,” “I will be their God,” “I will forgive.” Thank Him for each one. Then ask Him to write His ways on your heart today, and rest in this: He “will remember their sins no more.”

You’ve experienced

Hebrews 8

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A verse to carry with you

I will put My laws in their minds and inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.

Hebrews 8:10

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