Meaning of Hebrews 9:1

Hebrews 9:1 introduces the Old Covenant's framework of worship, emphasizing its earthly, tangible aspects. The author of Hebrews uses this as a foundational point to contrast with the superior, spiritual reality of the New Covenant established through Jesus Christ. The "first covenant" refers to the Mosaic Covenant, established at Mount Sinai, which included a detailed system of laws and rituals designed for the Israelites to approach and worship God. The "earthly sanctuary" points to the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem, which served as the physical dwelling place of God's presence among His people and the central location for their sacrificial system and priestly duties. This verse sets the stage for a theological argument that the Old Covenant, while divinely instituted, was a shadow and a type of the greater realities that would be fulfilled in Christ.

Context and Background

The Epistle to the Hebrews is written to a community of Jewish Christians who were facing pressure to revert to traditional Jewish practices, perhaps due to persecution or a misunderstanding of the finished work of Christ. The author systematically demonstrates the superiority of Jesus Christ and the New Covenant over the Old Covenant. Chapter 9, in particular, focuses on the Levitical priesthood and the sacrificial system. By detailing the earthly sanctuary and its regulations, the author prepares the reader for the argument that Christ, as the High Priest and the ultimate sacrifice, has inaugurated a more perfect and eternal covenant. The emphasis on the "first covenant" underscores its temporal and imperfect nature, making it a necessary but ultimately superseded system.

Key Themes and Messages

• The Earthly and Visible: The verse highlights the tangible nature of Old Covenant worship. The sanctuary was a physical structure, and the regulations involved visible rituals and sacrifices. This was designed for a specific people in a specific time and place.
• Regulations for Worship: The "regulations for worship" encompassed a wide range of practices, including priestly duties, daily sacrifices, and annual atonement rituals. These were God's prescribed means of approaching Him under the Old Covenant.
• Contrast Implied: While not explicitly stated in this single verse, the immediate context of Hebrews implies a contrast with a superior, heavenly reality. The earthly sanctuary was a "copy and shadow of the heavenly things" (Hebrews 8:5), and the regulations were temporary until the fulfillment in Christ.

Spiritual Significance and Application

This verse reminds us that God's relationship with humanity has evolved. The Old Covenant system, with its earthly sanctuary and prescribed rituals, was a divinely ordained way for God to interact with His chosen people, teaching them about holiness, sin, and the need for atonement. However, it was a system that pointed forward. For believers today, understanding this earthly framework helps us appreciate the profound spiritual reality of the New Covenant. We no longer rely on physical structures or animal sacrifices because Christ has provided the ultimate sacrifice and access to God through His own priestly ministry. The spiritual application lies in recognizing that our worship is now centered on Christ, our High Priest, and that our access to God is direct and unhindered by earthly limitations.

Relation to the Broader Biblical Narrative

Hebrews 9:1 fits within the overarching biblical narrative of God's progressive revelation and redemption plan. The establishment of the Mosaic Covenant and its elaborate worship system at Sinai was a crucial step after the Exodus. It provided a framework for a holy nation and demonstrated God's desire for relationship, albeit mediated. This system, however, was always understood to be temporary, pointing towards a future fulfillment. The prophets spoke of a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34), and the entire sacrificial system was designed to foreshadow the ultimate sacrifice of God's Son. Hebrews 9:1 serves as the starting point for the author to demonstrate how Christ perfectly fulfilled and superseded this Old Covenant system, ushering in a new era of grace and direct access to God.

Analogies

One analogy to understand the earthly sanctuary and its regulations is like a blueprint or a model. The earthly sanctuary was a detailed model of God's heavenly dwelling and His perfect plan of redemption. It showed humanity what a true relationship with God would look like and the seriousness of sin, but it was not the ultimate reality. Another analogy is that of a stage setting for a play. The earthly sanctuary and its rituals were the elaborate stage, props, and costumes for a play that was leading up to the main actor's entrance. When Christ, the fulfillment of all that the Old Covenant prefigured, entered the scene, the stage setting became less significant as the true drama unfolded.

Relation to Other Verses

This verse is directly connected to several other key passages:

• Exodus 25:8-9: "And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and after the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it." This verse highlights the divine origin and design of the earthly sanctuary.
• Hebrews 8:5: "Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things: as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount." This verse explicitly states the Tabernacle's role as a copy and shadow.
• Hebrews 10:1-4: "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices, which they offered year by year continually, make them perfect that come unto God. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." These verses further elaborate on the imperfection and temporary nature of the Old Covenant sacrifices and regulations.
• Jeremiah 31:31-34: "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah... I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts... and I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." This prophetic passage foreshadows the New Covenant, which Hebrews argues is superior to the first covenant.