יּקנרק'ד

Hebrews Chapter 10  Verses 1-4

:1 “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 the comers thereunto perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” 

From this passage we make the following observations: 

    1.  The law was only a shadow of good things to come.  The object that cast the shadow is always far greater and better than the shadow itself.  The shadow leads to the object that is casting the shadow.  The good things to come is Christ and his perfect covenant work.  Elsewhere Paul told us that the law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.   

    2.  The sacrifices under the law never made anyone perfect.  The worshippers under the law never had there sins purged by the sacrifices under the law.  This proves beyond a doubt that the children of Israel under the law were not saved from sin by the works of the law.   

    3.  If they could have been saved by the sacrifices, which they couldn’t, under the law then there was no further need for annual sacrifices. 

    4.  The sacrifices under the law did not roll sins back, but rather brought sin to remembrance to the worshippers under the law.  Those sacrifices pointed to the one perfect sacrifice that was to come.   

    5.  It was not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sin.  They were totally incapable of taking away even one sin.  It would take a better sacrifice to take away sin.

Verses 5-14 

:5 “Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”   

“Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.”  Paul was here quoting from Ps. 40:6 “Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.”  This is a quote that has direct reference to the Lord Jesus Christ as the speaker.  From this we make the following observations: 

    1.  Sacrifices and offerings under the law gave no pleasure to God and never satisfied his justice.  God took no pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin.  There was only one thing that would satisfy God’s justice and that was a perfect sacrifice, which animal sacrifices could not do.  Perfection was required of the one who was to be sacrificed to satisfy God’s wrath against the sins of the elect family of God.   

    2.  Christ came to do God’s will as we read in John 6:37 “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”  It was God’s will that none of the elect be lost, but that they all be raised up again at the last day.  Christ came to do the will of God and save all the elect and raise them up again at the last day.   

    3.  Christ, the Son of God, was prepared as a body to make a perfect offering for sin.  He was conceived of the virgin by the Holy Spirit so that he was without sin.  He kept the law to a jot and a tittle.  He was perfect without sin though Satan and his angels tried to tempt him to sin in every way imaginable.  He was prepared of God for the perfect offering for sin. 

“Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.”  By doing the will of God, Christ satisfied the law in every detail and made the perfect offering for sin.  Thus, he completed the law covenant and then established the new testament of worship. 

“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”  All the multiplied thousands of sacrifices under the law never sanctified the elect, but Christ offered himself once as a lamb without spot or blemish to God for all the elect and his offering was accepted of God and we set apart as justified before God by that one offering. 

“And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;” Until Christ came there would have been no end of offering animal sacrifices for sin which would never satisfy God’s wrath against our sins.  In contrast, Christ offered one sacrifice for sins for ever.  Having satisfied God’s wrathful judgment against our sins, Christ sat down on the right hand of God.  To sit testifies that the work was completed.  God never sits down until the work is completed.   

“From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.”  To have one’s feet over the enemy is to show that one has the victory over the enemy.  According to 1 Cor 15:26: “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”  Christ is expecting until this last enemy is destroyed in the resurrection of the dead.   

“For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”  “Hath” is past tense meaning that the work of perfecting from sin is past.  There is nothing left to be done as the work is completed.  Moreover, the work cannot be undone as the perfecting is for ever to them that are sanctified.  We were sanctified (set apart) by the covenant of redemption as stated for us in Rom. 8:29, 30: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”  All that God chose (foreknew) in Christ before the foundation of the world have been perfected for ever.