Hebrews 9-- Copies of the Heavenly Things

Scripture: Hebrews 9

I always think it's funny when a book reviewer says something like, "Chapter 6 alone is worth the cover price." While surely these reviewers mean that the sixth chapter is the best of many amazing parts, I sometimes take it more negatively. I assume that's the only chapter that makes the book worthwhile, so I just skim that chapter and put the book back on the bookstore shelf (if you're reading this ten or so years after I wrote it, you might be wondering what a 'bookstore' is).


I include this strange observation because there are so many parts of Hebrews that make me think, "This section alone makes it worthwhile to study the book of Hebrews!" Chapter 9 is one of those sections.

Did you ever, growing up, play at some good old-fashioned 'make believe'? Of course you did, that's what kids do. The better question is probably which form of 'make believe' you tried. Playing house? Alien invasion? [A favorite of my two double cousins was playing restaurant.]

Hebrews 9 reminds me of playing house or restaurant. 

The priests offering sacrifices in the tabernacle were dealing with "copies of the heavenly things" just as my cousins were serving copies of adult things. 

There are real apples and sandwiches in the adult world; my cousins handed me plastic ones modeled after the real food. There's a real Most Holy Place in heaven; the one in the tabernacle or temple was modeled after it. There's a real High Priest in heaven; the human ones were modeled after Him. There's a real blood sacrifice in heaven; the offering of animal blood was modeled after it. 

"For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence."