Notes on Hebrews 7-13 "An High Priest of Good Things to Come", CFM study for Nov. 11 - 17

These seven chapters are so beautiful and so Christ-centered.  If you are struggling to understand some of the symbolism, it really helps to visualize the ancient temple and the purposes of the sacrifices there.  The two videos below are a great foundation for understanding Hebrews.  The first video discusses the need for sacrifice, blood, and atonement in ancient worship and how it tells the story of Jesus.



And this longer video connects the various symbols of the tabernacle with the Atonement of Christ.



With those two videos as a foundation, Hebrews is simply beautiful.

The Melchizedek Priesthood, Hebrews 7:1-28

• The ancient priest Melchizedek, like Moses later, was a type of Christ.  He was a king of righteousness and king of peace.  It's obvious that the audience of Hebrews knew and understood more about him than is contained in our Bible.  The Dead Sea Scrolls contain a good amount of information about him.
• "The Joseph Smith Translation of Hebrews 7:3 clarifies that it was the priesthood that was “without father, without mother”: “For this Melchizedek was ordained a priest after the order of the Son of God, which order was without father, without mother” (in the Bible appendix). This phrasing indicates that, unlike the Levitical or Aaronic order in ancient times, the Melchizedek Priesthood is not conferred based on lineage alone. Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles further explained: “The right to this higher priesthood was not inherited in the same way as was the case with the Levites and sons of Aaron. Righteousness was an absolute requisite for the conferral of the higher priesthood” (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 478)." (New Testament Student Manual)
• Hebrews 7 distiguishes two different orders of the priesthood, the lower, or Levitical, given through lineage, and the higher priesthood held by Melchizedek and given not through lineage but "after the power of an endless life."  This is why Christ can be a high priest even though he is not from the descent of Levi or Aaron but from the line of Judah.  His priesthood is of a higher sort.  The New Testament Student Manual points out, "The Melchizedek Priesthood is the power of endless lives because it administers the ordinances that bring endless posterity (see D&C 132:19–24)."
• From the New Testament Student Manual, "in ancient Israel the priests of the Levitical or Aaronic Priesthood did not receive their priesthood with an oath but because of their lineage. The oath mentioned in Hebrews 7:21 refers to Psalm 110:4: “The Lord hath sworn, … Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” In the latter days, the Lord revealed that “all those who receive the [Melchizedek] priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my Father” (D&C 84:40) and that the eternal blessings conferred upon faithful priesthood holders come “according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood” (D&C 84:39; see also verses 33–42)."
• The law of Moses couldn't perfect people (v. 19) without the fulfillment of it all in the person of Jesus Christ, our "better hope . .. by the which we draw nigh unto God." (v. 19).  
• Christ is our "surety of a better testament," (v. 22) and "he ever liveth to make intercession for"  us (v. 25).  A surety is "a person who takes responsibility for another's performance of an undertaking, for example their appearing in court or the payment of a debt."  How does knowing Christ intercedes on behalf of your debt help you understand the Atonement?
• Because Christ was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens," (v. 26), he wasn't like the high priests of Old who had to continually offer sacrifice.  His sacrifice, of his own self, was done just "once, when he offered up himself."  Every other high priest is mortal and weak, but Christ was the perfect unblemished lamb that could perform the Atonement.  Amulek in Alma 34:13-16 testified of this fulfillment of the law of Moses, "Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away.
  
  And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal.
  
  And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.
  
  And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption."

A Better Covenant Established upon Better Promises, Hebrews 8:1-13

• Chapter 8 continues testifying of Christ's supernal greatness.  He is set on God's right hand (v. 1) in the "true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man." (v. 2) The tabernacle and temple represent being in the presence of God, but Christ, through His sacrifice, didn't just symbolically enter His presence, He did it in actual fact.  Just as the high priests brought in offerings, Christ needed to have something to offer.  His offering was Himself, and the offerings in the past were intended to be "the example and shadow of heavenly things" (v. 5).  The law was intended to point them to Christ, though they did not always understand it.  In Alma 25:15-16, we read of a people who did understand it, "Yea, and they did keep the law of Moses; for it was expedient that they should keep the law of Moses as yet, for it was not all fulfilled. But notwithstanding the law of Moses, they did look forward to the coming of Christ, considering that the law of Moses was a type of his coming, and believing that they must keep those outward performances until the time that he should be revealed unto them.
  
  Now they did not suppose that salvation came by the law of Moses; but the law of Mosesdid serve to strengthen their faith in Christ; and thus they did retain a hope through faith, unto eternal salvation, relying upon the spirit of prophecy, which spake of those things to come."
• The covenant we make with Christ is a better covenant in which the law will be written on our minds and in our hearts.  God will be our God, and we will be His people (v. 10).  The ultimate end of the covenant is that "all shall know [God], from the least to the greatest." (v. 11).  The city of Enoch, brought up into heaven, was one such society.  We work to build another.

The Two Sanctuaries, Hebrews 9:1-22

• Chapter 9 discusses at length the furnishings and offerings of the ancient tabernacle and the symbolism of the veils.  The video I posted at the top of the post is very helpful in visualizing this. The New Testament Student Manual explains, "[The author] continued his comparison between the Levitical high priest and Jesus Christ by discussing the work of the high priest on the Day of Atonement. Once a year on the Jewish holy day called the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the high priest was permitted to enter into the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle or, later, the Jerusalem temple. (The Holy of Holies is referred to as the second tabernacle in Hebrews 9:3–5, 7.) On that day, “the high priest, clothed in white linen, took a bullock as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering for himself and his house; and two he-goats as a sin offering. … He then cast lots upon the two goats. One was to be for the Lord for a sin offering. The other was … to be sent away alive into the wilderness [a scapegoat]. … He then killed the bullock, his own sin offering, and, taking a censer full of live coals from off the brazen altar with two handfuls of incense into the Holy of Holies, cast the incense on the coals there so that the cloud of smoke might cover the mercy seat and, as it were, hide him from God. He then took of the blood of the bullock and sprinkled it once on the east part of the mercy seat (as an atonement for the priesthood) and seven times before the mercy seat (as an atonement for the Holy of Holies itself). Then he killed the goat, the congregation’s sin offering, and sprinkled its blood in the same manner, with corresponding objects. … Over [the scapegoat] the high priest confessed all the sins of the people of Israel, after which it was sent by the hand of a man into the wilderness to bear away their iniquities into a solitary land. This ceremony signified the sending away of the sins of the people” (Bible Dictionary, “Fasts”; see also Leviticus 16:22)."
• Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave a powerful address based around the phrase, "An High Priest of Good Things to Come."  If you haven't listened to it recently, I highly recommend it, especially if you are in one of those times when you need to know things will get better.  In it, he says, "Every one of us has times when we need to know things will get better. Moroni spoke of it in the Book of Mormon as “hope for a better world.” For emotional health and spiritual stamina, everyone needs to be able to look forward to some respite, to something pleasant and renewing and hopeful, whether that blessing be near at hand or still some distance ahead. It is enough just to know we can get there, that however measured or far away, there is the promise of “good things to come.”
  My declaration is that this is precisely what the gospel of Jesus Christ offers us, especially in times of need. There is help. There is happiness. There really is light at the end of the tunnel. It is the Light of the World, the Bright and Morning Star, the “light that is endless, that can never be darkened.” It is the very Son of God Himself. In loving praise far beyond Romeo’s reach, we say, “What light through yonder window breaks?” It is the return of hope, and Jesus is the Sun. To any who may be struggling to see that light and find that hope, I say: Hold on. Keep trying. God loves you. Things will improve. Christ comes to you in His “more excellent ministry” with a future of “better promises.” He is your “high priest of good things to come.”
• From the New Testament Student Manual, "Paul wrote that “where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator” (Hebrews 9:16). Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained the meaning of Paul’s language:
  
  “In legal usage, a testator is one who leaves a valid will or testament at his death. The will or testament is the written document wherein the testator provides for the disposition of his property. As used in the gospel sense, a testament is a covenant. Jesus is the Mediator of the new covenant or testament, that is of the gospel which came to replace the law of Moses. …
  
  “Paul mixed these legal and gospel definitions to teach a basic doctrine. … Christ had to die to bring salvation. The testament or covenant of salvation came in force because of the atonement worked out in connection with that death. Christ is the Testator. His gift, as would be true of any testator, cannot be inherited until his death. Christ died that salvation might come” (Mormon Doctrine, 784–85)."
• As in the video I posted at the beginning, the scriptures point out that "without shedding of blood is no remission"  We need the blood of Jesus Christ to receive forgiveness of our sins.  The ancient Jews were taught symbolically of this need through their regular offerings of animals.  Today, we remember the need for this blood each week when we take the sacrament.  "Blood is symbolic of life. Sin offerings under the law of Moses required the shedding of an animal’s blood. In setting forth the laws respecting sacrificial ordinances in ancient Israel, the Lord explained: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11). The blood of animals ratified the old covenant, foreshadowing the shedding of Jesus Christ’s blood that ratified the new covenant and made the remission of sins possible (see Hebrews 10:4; Mosiah 3:14–15).
  
  The blood of goats had been shed for centuries to ritually cleanse and sanctify the people (see Hebrews 9:13). Paul, however, taught that “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). The Savior “was once offered to bear the sins of many,” and this was the only true sacrifice (Hebrews 9:28; see also the commentary for Matthew 27:15–21)." (New Testament Student Manual)

Christ Put Away Sin, Hebrews 9:23-28

High priestly clothing, photo from the student manual.

• If we haven't picked up on it yet, in verses 23-24, we are again reminded that though the tabernacle is a pattern or type of heavenly things, Christ did the real, actual work of entering into the presence of God.  The sacrifices of goats and lambs might have been enough for the representation of the Holy dwelling place of God, but only Christ's blood, the better sacrifice, was enough to gain admittance into heaven itself, "It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens [the tabernacle] should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:"  He repeats again that Christ didn't need to go in every year, like the ancient high priest, but once and for all "he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." (v. 26).
• "As the ancient high priest entered into the Holy of Holies on earth and sprinkled the goat’s blood upon the mercy seat for the sins of Israel, so Jesus Christ our Mediator entered the sanctuary of heaven itself, there to intercede by virtue of His own spilt blood before the Father in behalf of those who would repent (see Hebrews 9:15, 23–25).
  
  Thus, Jesus was not only the High Priest for us in making the offering; He was also the very offering Himself. Jesus came “to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26)" (New Testament Student Manual)

Sacrifices and Offerings, Hebrews 10:1-18

• If the sacrifices required of the ancient covenant people were enough to make those offering it "perfect," then why did they have to do it year after year?  The repetition is because they were only a shadow or type of Christ's sacrifice, "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:" (v. 4-5)
• The first covenant is taken away to establish the second, "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (v. 10).  

A Life in Christ, Hebrews 10:19-39

Adam and Eve Offering Sacrifices, by Del Parson

• Christ offered that one sacrifice and then sat down at the right hand of God (v. 12).  But His sacrifice, like that of the ancient high priest, wasn't for Himself alone, but for every one of us.  We too can enter into God's presence, but only in and through the one way, which is Christ.  Though under the law of Moses, the ancient high priest was the only one allowed into the presence of God symbolically represented by the Holy of Holies, the new covenant allows all who live faithfully to do the same.  "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;"  Christ is our way into the presence of God.  His blood purifies and He is the "keeper of gate." Nephi also testified, "Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name."  Christ is the one who stands at the veil and gives us entry into God's presence and redeems us from the Fall.  Latter-day Saints make covenants and receive ordinances in our temples today that powerfully teach these truths.  If you have ever wondered what happens inside our temples, the following video is an excellent introduction.  You can also learn more at this website.

• Having expounded on the great role of Christ as the fulfillment of all the ancient covenants, the author then turns to some practical advice for living.  Christ is superior to everything that has come before, and the saints who have embraced this new covenant, should not turn back.  They need to "call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;" (v. 32).  They were faithful and compassionate in persecution, and they need to stay the course and "cast not away therefore [their] confidence".  The incomparable Elder Holland said some great things about these verses "This opposition turns up almost any place something good has happened. It can happen when you are trying to get an education. It can hit you after your first month in your new mission field. It certainly happens in matters of love and marriage. It can occur in situations related to your family, Church callings, or career.
  
  With any major decision there are cautions and considerations to make, but once there has been illumination, beware the temptation to retreat from a good thing. If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now. Don’t give up when the pressure mounts. Certainly don’t give in to that being who is bent on the destruction of your happiness. Face your doubts. Master your fears. “Cast not away therefore your confidence.” Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you."
• Verse 36 contains important counsel, "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise."  As my missionary daughter Lillian wrote me recently, "we have a saying in our mission that says that the most difficult Christlike attribute is consistency."  We have to consistently, patiently, and regularly do the small things that build and strengthen our faith.  We cannot cast away our confidence and our former strength just because it gets hard.  

Examples of Faith, Hebrews 11:1-40

• I love this whole section!  Each verse and example of the faith of various individuals could inspire a whole sermon.  So I'll have to just hit some highlights here.
• The student manual quotes Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Truly understood and properly practiced, faith is one of the grand and glorious powers of eternity. It is a force powerful beyond our comprehension. ‘Through faith … the worlds were framed by the word of God’ [Hebrews 11:3]. Through faith, waters are parted, the sick healed, the wicked silenced, and salvation made possible.
  
  “Our faith is the foundation upon which all our spiritual lives rest. It should be the most important resource of our lives”
• From the student manual, "if we are to come to God, we must “believe that he is” (Hebrews 11:6). In the Lectures on Faith, we read that “three things are necessary in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation. First, the idea that he actually exists. Secondly, a correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes. Thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to his will” 
• I love the description that Abraham was willing to offer Isaac while he still had faith in the promises of seed through him, trusting that God could even bring him back from the dead if necessary.  I have sometimes looked at promises God has made and thought, "Well, I can't see any way for this to happen, but I have faith that God has the power and will provide a way."
• I was struck as I read this time by the way they describe the faith of Moses in rejecting the honors of Pharaoh's household, "Though raised in Pharaoh’s royal household, Moses chose “rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt” (Hebrews 11:25–26). President Dallin H. Oaks spoke of how serving God, not transitory pleasure or wealth, leads to true peace and happiness:
  
  “Those who yield to the enticing of Satan may, as the scripture says, ‘enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season’ (Heb. 11:25), but that kind of pleasure can never lead to lasting happiness or eternal joy. …
  
  “Brothers and sisters, old and young, I plead with each of you to remember that wickedness never was happiness and that sin leads to misery [see Alma 41:10]. Young people, do not seek happiness in the glittering but shallow things of the world. We cannot achieve lasting happiness by pursuing the wrong things” (“Joy and Mercy,” Ensign, Nov. 1991, 75)." 
• The world today has a lot to say about certain identities and how we need to pursue them in order to be happy.  Moses showed another way.  He gave up a life of prominence, power, ease, and sin to suffer in doing what is right.  Here is Moses, who is offered an identity as "the son of Pharaoh's daughter," with its attendant worldly honors and riches, and instead, he chooses a life of suffering.  Why? Because He had faith and trust that God was doing the leading.  He was "esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward."  Following God does require sacrifice and giving up worldly ideas and identities, but it has as its reward the greatest blessings of all.  
• Julie Smith gave an interesting presentation on verse 35 about the scriptural pattern of women being witnesses of resurrection and of those brought back to life.  In essence, every scriptural story of the dead brought to life includes a woman, so Hebrews might be alluding to something profound when it says, "Women received their dead raised to life again"
• Verses 36-37 discuss the former believers and prophets who were persecuted.  From other hints in Hebrews, it appears the people were currently experiencing great persecution and imprisonment, so these reminders would have been very helpful.  I found the interesting detail in the student manual that Isaiah was traditionally believed to have been "sawn asunder."  
• And just for fun, one of my favorite songs about faith is this one from The Prince of Egypt,

Jesus, the Architect of Our Faith, Hebrews 12:1-13

• I love verse 1, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,"  Again, we need that patience and consistency to run the race before us.  The New Testament Student Manual points out two different ways to understand the "cloud of witnesses" statement, "Paul referred to these men and women of the previous chapter as a “cloud of witnesses.” They can be looked to as witnesses because their lives bear witness to the power of faith in enabling us to perform righteous works. Paul may have also intended the phrase “cloud of witnesses” to introduce the metaphor of running a race, in which the faithful Saints of old are figuratively seen as the crowd of onlookers cheering on the runners. Both meanings convey that the powerful examples of the ancient Saints can give us strength and confidence to “run … the race that is set before us.”
• What does relying on that "cloud of witnesses" mean to you in running your race?  Two years ago, my husband ran his second marathon while my 13-year-old daughter Allison ran her first half marathon.  The race was a good distance from our house so they spent the night nearby and planned on running the race and then driving home alone.  My husband had been training well and was on track to meet his goals, but at mile 20, he started having hamstring problems and slowed down considerably.  He was discouraged and thinking of giving up on the race entirely when along came Eliza, our then-11-year-old, on her bike.  He was shocked to see her and thrilled to have the company as he slogged through the last 6 miles.  A half-mile on, he met Harmony (9), Katie (7), Cami (5), little Benji (2), and me, of course.  The rest of the race, we leapfrogged the course, cheering him on every half mile or so until he finished.  Eliza stayed by his side on her bike.  Our little "cloud of witnesses" was enough that day to help my husband keep going.  Can you imagine your own "cloud of witnesses" near you, strengthening you to face a race you were thinking of giving up on?  Who would it be?  Your faithful ancestors?  The kind neighbors with their casseroles and flowers?  Your family members?  

• Surely Jesus Christ is the ultimate head of that "cloud of witnesses."  He, "for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down on the right hand of the throne of God" (v. 2).  He suffered it all because of joy!  I love what President Nelson says about this, "Joy is powerful, and focusing on joy brings God’s power into our lives. As in all things, Jesus Christ is our ultimate exemplar, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.” Think of that! In order for Him to endure the most excruciating experience ever endured on earth, our Savior focused on joy!
  
  And what was the joy that was set before Him? Surely it included the joy of cleansing, healing, and strengthening us; the joy of paying for the sins of all who would repent; the joy of making it possible for you and me to return home—clean and worthy—to live with our Heavenly Parents and families.
  
  If we focus on the joy that will come to us, or to those we love, what can we endure that presently seems overwhelming, painful, scary, unfair, or simply impossible?"
• Just as good parents discipline their children, so God also chastens us (v. 5-6).  If we aren't willing to be taught and corrected by God, then we can't really be His sons and daughters (v. 7).  It isn't pleasant, but it will bring us the "peaceable fruit of righteousness" (v. 11). "Elder Orson F. Whitney (1855–1931) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable” (New Testament Student Manual)

Warnings, Hebrews 12:14-29

• Lots more notes of counsel here.  We should minister to each other and not allow bitterness to trouble us (v. 15).  We shouldn't trade our birthright like Esau (v. 16).
• Verses 18-24 contrasts the mountain experience of Exodus 19-20, where Moses brought the people to the meet with God in the mountain, with "mount Sion" where we can approach with the new covenant.  The people of Moses couldn't approach the mountain as it frightened them with fire and smoke, but in contrast, those of the new covenant could approach "unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
  
  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
  
  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant" (v. 22-24)

Christian Life, Hebrews 13:1-19

• We should love and care for those in bonds or suffering as if we were the ones suffering. (v. 3)
• Marriage is honorable (v. 4). 
• Be content with what you have and avoid covetousness (v. 5).
• Avoid being carried away with "divers and strange doctrines." (v. 9)
• Honor those who lead you (v. 7, 17-19).

Concluding Remarks, Hebrews 13:20-25

• Though it doesn't begin like one, Hebrews does end like a letter.  The mention of Timothy is one reason why this has been attributed to Paul.  The mention of Italy could mean the letter is written from there, or that those who are of Italian descent in other areas are greeting those receiving the letter.
• My sense on Hebrews is that most of it was likely a sermon or treatise on faith that was sent as a letter in the copy we have of it.  As it was copied, the sender added his own words of counsel and "asides" here and there.  At least that's how it reads to me.  It may very well be that Paul sent this to an unknown group but was not the original author.  It will be interesting to know the truth someday.  In any case, the truths of Hebrews and its Christ-centered message are powerful.

Videos for the Week

Note: I'm indebted to Thomas Wayment for mamy of my section divisions and headings on this post and others. If you haven't checked out his New Testament translation, it is well worth it!