Hebrews 8:1-5: The True Tabernacle
2023-02-11
Hebrews 8:1
Here we see a summary of which we have seen so far. Jesus Christ is our high priest, and He is enthroned in heaven at the right hand of the Father. God the Father is referred to as “the Majesty.” This word is used of the Father also in Hebrews 1:3: “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3). The name is used exactly the same way here. It is used elsewhere in a generic sense: “To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (Jude 1:25). The name implies greatness and divinity.
A related word is used of our Lord Jesus Christ. “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). The specific example Peter gives of Jesus’ majesty is this: “For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (2 Peter 1:17). The example he refers to is the Transfiguration when Jesus’ appearance changed into His full glory. However, the Father also said this of the Son at His baptism.
What does it mean to be at the right hand of the Father? See the discussion here.
Hebrews 8:2-3
In His position, the Lord Jesus is also the minister of the tabernacle and the holy of holies in heaven. There is a tabernacle in heaven that the tabernacle on earth reflected. We will see more on this in our discussion on Hebrews 8:5.
The Lord built this tabernacle and not any man. God created everything out of nothing (“ex nihilo”), and He did so with no tools or blueprints to follow. Whatever man can do, it will never compare to what God has done.
Jesus’ gift and sacrifice was of Himself. We will see more of this in Hebrews 10. Jesus fulfills all the sacrificial system. He fulfilled the sin sacrifice, but He also fulfilled the burnt offering, the freewill offering, the peace offering. He freely gave of Himself and made peace between God and humankind.
Hebrews 8:4
On earth, the Lord Jesus Christ was not a priest. Can you recall a time He went into the most holy place while on earth? According to the flesh, He was of the tribe of Judah, in which we already discussed the significance of that. He never offered any sacrifices in the earthly Temple.
The Law governed all the diverse types of sacrifices in the earthly tabernacle and temple. He fulfilled them all by sacrificing Himself once for all.
Hebrews 8:5
The tabernacle and the temple were patterns given by God to reflect the heavenly reality of the tabernacle that God Himself made. The Old Testament quotation is from Exodus 25:40: “And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.” Also, it was written, “According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it” (Exodus 25:9). It must be made exactly that way. The holiest place was going to reflect God’s holiest place. The pressure was on to get this right. They had to be serious and intentional in how they handled it. You do not treat the holy things of God with contempt. They did it exactly right, too. A phrase like “as the LORD commanded Moses” appeared seven times in Exodus 40. For example: “And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses” (Exodus 40:19).
Consider Exodus 31:1-11. How much work had to be done! See that these artisans Bezaleel, Aholiab, and others had the guidance of the Holy Spirit. How else would these imperfect men erect a facsimile of God’s masterpiece in heaven?
Having God’s will on earth reflecting His perfect will in heaven is reiterated by the Lord Jesus Christ. “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). And again, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth” (Luke 11:2). Likewise, our position in Christ in heaven is to be reflected in us on earth.
The Temple was the same. The difference between the tabernacle and the temple is permanence. The tabernacle (tent) would travel with the Israelites; the Temple would remain with the people in their land, never to be removed (at least in theory). This is on the heels of the announcement of the Davidic Covenant, where the king would have an heir forever.
The plans for the Temple were likewise received of the Lord. Consider 1 Chronicles 28:10-14. David received the plans for the Temple from the Holy Spirit. And though David could not build the Temple because of all the bloodshed of his warfare, that did not stop him from getting all the supplies and materials ready so that Solomon could hit the ground running when he became king.
Of course, because of the rebellion of the children of Israel, the temple was destroyed by the Chaldeans about 400 years later. “And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem: And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire” (2 Kings 25:8-9).
However, plans once again were given by Ezekiel to rebuild the Temple, which was greater than the previous. The same admonition was given to Ezekiel, that they build it exactly as it was prescribed. Note that Ezekiel’s temple must refer to a Temple before Christ came, because there is mention of sacrifices for sin, fleshly circumcision, and Levites, and we have seen that Christ superseded all those things. “And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the Lord GOD, a young bullock for a sin offering” (Ezekiel 43:19). “Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel” (Ezekiel 44:9). “And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to slay thereon the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering” (Ezekiel 40:39). This was supposed to be the Temple that would be rebuilt after the exile. The Lord opened that door for them as by decree by the kings of the Medes and Persians. “And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with speed” (Ezra 6:12).
Consider Ezekiel 43:10-12. They postexilic people were to build it to those specifications. But did they? We get the sense that they may have here: “And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia” (Ezra 6:14). But we read later that it was not made even according to the specifications of the first temple. Consider Haggai 2:1-4. Despite this falling short, we see the grace of God, saying that He would be with them.
In heaven, we see His tabernacle or temple: “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail” (Revelation 11:19). We see that the ark of the covenant is also in heaven, showing that even the furnishings were patterned after heavenly realities. “And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe” (Revelation 14:15). “And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened” (Revelation 15:5). The angels who had the trumpets and vials came from God’s heavenly temple to pour out God’s wrath on the earth.
Every temple created by human hands will fall short, regardless of the blueprints given. Only the Lord can build that Temple. “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Revelation 21:3). “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it” (Revelation 21:22). Because of what Jesus wrought on our behalf, the Temple is not needed, because God is right there, and we can approach Him.