Letter to the Hebrews Volume 82

 Limitations of the Earthly Service Part 1

Hebrews 9:6-7 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: KJV

The writer of Hebrews now begins to describe the services that took place daily within the tabernacle for the worship of Jehovah God/Yahweh and in so doing he will point out or detail the limitations or restrictions of these services for the majority of the Hebrew people. The reality of the tabernacle service of God was that the non-priest of the Hebrew people had very limited access to participation in the worship service, whereas, the priest were required to do much, more, and most of the everyday commonplace task within the first part of the tabernacle (which part the common Hebrew people were not allowed) such as lighting the lamps, changing the shewbread, burning incense, and sprinkling the blood of the sin offerings, as written and documented for us by Moses with these words, "And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at evening, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations." (Exodus 30:7-8) (KJV). Therefore, we read these words from the writer of Hebrews here, "Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God." (Hebrews 9:6) (KJV). The fact that the Hebrew people themselves were not allowed to participate in the 'service of God' in the first part of the tabernacle testifies to the limited access they had to actual worship of Jehovah God or Yahweh. Here is what Dr. John Gill had to say of Hebrews 9:6, "Or prepared and got ready; that is, when the tabernacle was finished, and set up, and provided with all its vessels and furniture: the first part of the tabernacle, which was called the holy place, here the common priests went continually every day, morning and evening; the Syriac and Ethiopic versions read, 'the outward tabernacle', in distinction from the innermost part of the tabernacle, or the most holy place: accomplishing the service of God; by offering sacrifices, burning incense, and trimming the lamps, which they did every day: the priests entered into the holy place every day for service; but they might not go in at any other time but the time of service the phrase, 'of God', is not in the text, but is a supplement; and it was usual with the Jews to call the worship of the temple, and especially that part of it which lay in sacrifices, 'the service'."

As we have already learned from the writer of Hebrews earlier in this epistle, the second (2) part of the tabernacle referred to as the 'holy of holies' was only accessible to the high priest and even he only entered once a year to perform services to Jehovah God/Yahweh, as it is written here with these words, "But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:" (Hebrews 9:7) (KJV). The English word 'errors' used in this verse by the writer of Hebrews is the key word in this text and it is translated by the Greek word agnoēma (used this one time only in the New Testament) meaning a thing ignored, that is, shortcoming: - error. God the Father made this provision for the Hebrew/Jewish people to every year wipe clean all their sins of ignorance by having the Hebrew/Jewish high priest enter into the 'holy of holies' alone once every year with a blood sacrifice for himself and for the rest of the Hebrew Nation, as it is written with these words by this same writer earlier in this letter speaking of the high priest, "For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron." (Hebrews 5:1-4) (KJV). Also as it is written and documented for us by Moses with these words, "And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness." (Leviticus 16:14-16) (KJV). Here is what Albert Barnes had to say of Hebrews 9:7, "The second room, called the most holy place; Hebrews 9:3. On the great day of atonement; Exodus 30:10. On that day he probably entered the Holy of Holies three or four times, first to burn incense, Leviticus 16:12; then to sprinkle the blood of the bullock on the mercy-seat, Leviticus 16:14; then he was to kill the goat of the sin-offering, and bring that blood within the Veil and sprinkle it also on the mercy-seat, and then, perhaps, he entered again to bring out the golden censer. The Jewish tradition is, that he entered the Holy of Holies four times on that day. After all, however, the number of times is not certain, nor is it material, the only important point being that he entered it only on one day of the year, while the holy place was entered every day. That is, he bare with him blood to sprinkle on the mercy-seat. This was the blood of the bullock and of the goat - borne in at two different times. The blood of the bullock was offered for himself and for his house or family - thus keeping impressively before his own mind and the mind of the people the fact that the priests even of the highest order were sinners, and needed expiation like others; Leviticus 9:7. The blood of the goat was offered for them; Leviticus 16:15. The word rendered 'errors' - ἀγνόημα agnoēma - denotes properly 'ignorance, involuntary error;' and then error or fault in general - the same as the Hebrew משׁגה mishgeh - from שׁגה shaagah - 'to err.' The object was to make expiation for all the errors and sins of the people, and this occurred once in the year. The repetition of these sacrifices was a constant remembrancer of sin, and the design was that neither the priests nor the people should lose sight of the fact that they were violators of the Law of God."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…