Sunday, February 5th

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Exodus 19-21

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 9:15

15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

My Life Application Bible says this about today's verse...
People in Old Testament times were saved through Christ's sacrifice,although that sacrifice had not yet happened. In offering unblemished animal sacrifices, they were anticipating Christ's coming and his death for sin. There was no point in returning to the sacrificial system now that Christ had come and had become the final, perfect sacrifice.

Christ's sacrificial death is what qualified Him to become the mediator of the new and better covenant.

The Old Testament saints were granted forgiveness "on credit" so to speak.  God forgave them, knowing that Christ would be the perfect sacrifice.  In the past, God saved them knowing Christ would bear their sins in the future.  Now God saves us knowing Christ bore our sins in the past.

According to MacArthur, OT saints went to Sheol when they died (because Jesus had not died yet), and according to Ephesians 4:8,9 after Jesus' death He gathered those saints from Sheol and brought them into the presence of God.  That's also what v15 is referring to here.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 9:16-22

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Exodus 22-24

Saturday, February 4th

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Exodus 16-18

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 9:11-14

11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God

The old system cleansed externally.  It cleaned up the outside.  But, because of Christ, we`re not just cleansed externally - we are a brand new creation, cleansed on the inside!

Tomorrow's scripture focus:  Hebrews 9:15

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Exodus 19-21

Friday, February 3rd

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Exodus 13-15.

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 9:1-10.

1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now. 


6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.

John MacArthur has a fascinating sermon on this passage called The New Covenant Part 2 - and if you have the time I`d highly encourage you to read it or listen to it.

He describes in detail how the tabernacle and everything in it, pointed to Jesus Christ.  There are 50 chapters in the OT about the tabernacle and only 2 about creation.  The tabernacle is important.  And it is important because it all points to Jesus Christ.  Fascinating sermon, but too long to really summarize here.  Well, maybe just a few really quick ones.
The tabernacle had only one way to get into it, with only one door.  Jesus is the only way to God, He is the only door to God.
The courtyard was for everyone just as all are invited to join in the new covenant with Jesus.
The altar in the courtyard was a picture of Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for sin.
The laver, or wash basin, is the picture of Jesus as the cleanser of His people.
The Holy Place was only for priests, just as the work that Jesus does in heaven is only for believers.
In the Holy Place the lampstand is a picture of Jesus being the light of life (no longer the light of the world - but only the light to those who believe, He lights our path and lights the Word for us)
There is also the table of bread which is a picture of Jesus being our sustenance - He sustains us daily with His Word.
There is the altar of incense which is a picture of Jesus being our intercessor for us in heaven.
And there`s so much more - definitely read it if you have the time.

The point though, is the fact that the tabernacle and all it`s trappings, though divinely appointed at the time, were not enough.  They were a picture of what was to come in Jesus, the new and better high priest, the new and better sacrifice, with a new and better covenant by a new and better mediator in order to finally grant us full access to God.

And the writer of Hebrews never uses put downs in his comparisons.  Jesus is better than Aaron, but Aaron was still a great high priest.  Jesus is better than Joshua, but Joshua was still a great leader.  Jesus is better than angels, but the angels are still magnificent.  Not only is it wrong to build someone or something up at the expense of tearing someone else down, it doesn`t work because Jesus is not just better than a ho-hum priest - He`s better than the best high priest!  By elevating the angels, Aaron, Joshua, the priesthood, and then proving that Jesus is even better, he elevates Jesus even more.

But that doesn`t mean the old law was useless.  It was useful for many things, one of which was to be a picture of Jesus.  A promise anticipating the coming of a new covenant, a new high priest, a new sacrifice, a new mediator who could finally bring us into full access to God.  The old covenant was never meant to be permanent (and the transient nature of the tent of the tabernacle illustrated that beautifully).  A new, better, permanent covenant would come, and has come, in Jesus Christ.

Tomorrow's scripture focus:  Hebrews 9:11-14

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Exodus 16-18

Thursday, February 2 ~ Miriam

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Exodus 10-12.

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 8:10-13.

¹⁰ This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel 
   after that time, declares the Lord. 
I will put my laws in their minds 
   and write them on their hearts. 
I will be their God, 
   and they will be my people. 
¹¹ No longer will a man teach his neighbor, 
   or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ 
because they will all know me, 
   from the least of them to the greatest. 
¹² For I will forgive their wickedness 
   and will remember their sins no more.”^[a]

 ¹³ By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

From Gracepoint Devotions:

Let us consider what the new covenant is. It is, as expressed above, grounded in Judaism (8:10). Consequently, any adequate understanding of Christianity must grasp its Jewish roots and the implication of those roots for Christian belief. It is about the internalization of religion, not merely the external practice of religion (8:10). God’s laws are written on the minds and hearts of true Christians. As such, transformation and intrinsic motivation form powerful, foundational elements of Christian life and living. The new covenant is about relationship with God (8:10 – 11), not merely service for God. Finally, the forgiveness of sins forms the basis for this new covenant relationship (8:12).

Any conception of Christianity, therefore, that neglects the idea of sin and forgiveness has departed from the understanding of covenant expressed in Hebrews 8 via the prophet Jeremiah. So the new covenant, in essence, has to do with a relationship with God established by the forgiveness of sins, lived out by the internalization of God’s laws, and conceptually set against the backdrop of God’s working through the people of Israel.

We should also pause to reflect on misconceptions about Christianity that could flow from a misuse of this passage.

The new covenant does not mean that Christians need not give attention to external practices such as morality, kindness, and church attendance. Hebrews 8 cannot be used to suggest that believers should just “follow their hearts” in attempting to discern proper behavior. For example, the author of Hebrews later challenges his hearers to love fellow believers in tangible terms, to be sexually pure, and to reject greed (13:1 – 6). Believers are encouraged to perform “good deeds” (10:24; 13:16), with which God is well pleased.

[…] when Jeremiah proclaims that God forgives the wickedness of those under the new covenant and remembers their sins no more, this neither implies that true Christians cease from sin completely nor provides us with a license to sin. Elsewhere the author encourage us to “throw off … the sin that so easily entangles us” (12:1) and warns that a flippant attitude toward sin brings about imminent judgment (10:26 – 27). Moreover, that those under the new covenant “know the Lord” does not remove our need to grow in our relationship with God, since growth is a hallmark of true Christian faith (e.g., 5:11 – 6:3).

Tomorrow's scripture focus:  Hebrews 9:1-10.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage:  Exodus 13-15.

Wednesday, February 1 - Kathryn

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Exodus 7-9

Today's scripture focus is: Hebrews 8:7-9

⁷ For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. ⁸ But God found fault with the people and said^[a]:

   “The time is coming, declares the Lord,
   when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
   and with the house of Judah.
⁹ It will not be like the covenant
   I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
   to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
   and I turned away from them,
            declares the Lord.

It's interesting to be on the other side of the new covenant.  We have the benefit of the New Testament with the backdrop of the Old Testament for understanding.  Which is why I get irritated when I see 'bibles' with only the New Testament.  The New doesn't make much sense without the Old!  Anyway.

The last portion of this reading makes me wonder and think if there is anything we could do to make God turn away from us.  I mean, God did a lot of forgiving and taking back of the Israelites.  They did a lot of prostituting themselves away from God.   I guess this brings to mind the question: Can one lose their salvation?  If we do not remain faithful to the covenant, even the New where we are under grace, can we lose our salvation?  What do you think?

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 8:10-13

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Exodus 10-12

Tuesday, January 31st

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Exodus 4-6

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 8:1-6

1 The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man. 3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” 6 But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.

Jesus is the superior priest.  His priesthood is superior because it is of a different order, the order of Melchizedek, prophesied from the Psalms to replace the old Aaronic priesthood.

Jesus is a priest forever, instead of being bound by time.
Jesus' priesthood was confirmed by an oath from God, making it an eternal confirmation, instead the temporary priesthood of Aaron's line.
Jesus' priesthood was founded on His personal greatness, not based simply on racial heredity.
The priesthood of Christ cannot be interrupted by death, unlike the priesthood of Aaron (whose death was made very public by God in order to underscore that fact).
Jesus only needed to offer one sacrifice, instead of sacrifice after endless sacrifice.
Jesus did not need to first offer a sacrifice for His own sins, because He was sinless.  Unlike the Aaronic priests who first needed to atone for their own sin, before they could intercede for the people.
With the old priesthood there was always a veil separating man from the Holy of Holies.  But with Jesus, we gain full access to God.
Jesus' priesthood saves to the uttermost, totally and forever.
And even though He is superior in every way to any other priest who has ever lived, He is still compassionate towards us.
THAT is our high priest.  "We do have such a high priest".

And then the amazing words "who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven".  What's so amazing about that?  The priest never, ever sat down.  Because his work was never finished. The only seat in the temple was the Mercy Seat, which represented the throne of God, and it would have been utterly blasphemous to sit there!
Until Jesus.
He. sat. down.
A sacrifice so final, a work so finished, that He sat down.  And He didn't just sit down anywhere. He sat down at the right hand of God (the right hand being a symbol of power), on the throne of heaven.

As a side note, in the Sanhedrin, the scribe who wrote the acquittals sat on the right side, and the scribe that wrote the condemnations.  Cool, eh?!

And Revelation 3:21 says that not only does Jesus sit on that throne, but that we who put our faith in Jesus, will sit there too!  On the throne of God - us! That's amazing!

And that was just verse 1.

Very quick thoughts on v2-6...
But even though His redemptive work is complete (symbolized by His sitting down), His ministry to us is not.  He continues to intercede on our behalf, giving our gifts (of praise, dedication, etc) to God through Him.  And He serves in heaven, the real temple or sanctuary of God.  He has a better ministry, serving in the better temple as a better mediator of a better covenant, founded on better promises.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 8:7-9

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Exodus 7-9

Monday, January 30th

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Exodus 1-3

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 7:26-28

26 Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever

Jesus is separate from sinners.

He is holy.  He is blameless.  He is pure.  He is exalted above the heavens. He remained completely untouched by the evil He encountered while on earth.   And because of this, He did not need to first offer a sacrifice for His owns sins before He could atone for ours.  He had no sin of His own to atone for.

And He didn't need to repeat the sacrifice over and over again either.

He was a perfect priest.

He was a perfect sacrifice.

He was a perfect priest offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice.

In order to save us to the uttermost, completely and forever redeeming us and granting us full access to God. Forever.  Amen.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 8:1-6

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Exodus 4-6

Sunday, January 29th

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 48-50

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 7:23-25

23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

No previous priest was ever a permanent one - inevitably they experienced death and another priest took their place.

But Jesus is our permanent High Priest.  He will never die.  He will never need replacing.  He always lives to intercede for us.  Always!

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 7:26-28

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage:  Exodus 1-3

Saturday, January 28 by Pamela

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 46-47

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 7:18-22

¹⁸ The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless ¹⁹ (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
²⁰ And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, ²¹ but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:
“The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:
‘You are a priest forever.’”^[a]
22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.

What stuck out for me was that "law [makes] nothing perfect". I think our society's laws change to reflect the issues and problems of society and as new ones are created, the old ones are cast aside. Laws that are made by man are not perfect, there are loopholes and ways to get around what the law says. The fact that the laws of society can change reflect that imperfection.

I love that God is unchanging. He is the same today, yesterday, and tomorrow. He is perfect. Jesus was the plan from the start. Jesus was not a change in the plan, Jesus was the plan.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 7:23-25

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Genesis 48-50

Friday, January 27th

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 43-45.

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 7:11-17.

11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come—one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

The law demanded access to God, it demanded perfection, but the law couldn't provide it.  The Levitical priesthood was not enough.  Full relationship with God, complete communion with God, was not possible through the Levitical priesthood.  If perfection could be achieved, in other words, if full relationship and communion with God could be achieved, through the Aaronic priesthood, there would have been no need for another one, for a better one.

But in Psalm 110 God declared that another priest would come, because the Levitical priesthood was not enough. And because it was not enough, this new priest could not be a Levitical priest from the order of Aaron, but rather a priest in the order of Melchizedek.  A Superior Priest - and Jesus, descended from Judah, was that Most High Priest, in the order of Melchizedek.

The old system was replaced with a new one.  There was no longer a need for the old system, the Aaronic priests and all the ceremonial laws that went with it.  (The moral laws still apply of course!)  They've been replaced by a new covenant, a new sacrifice, a new High Priest.  In order for us to achieve perfection, full communion with God, we need to come through Jesus.  Jesus is the door to God.  Jesus is the Way to relationship with God.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 7:18-22

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage:  Genesis 46-47