Hebrews 9:1-10 — Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle
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Let the Word evoke words. May your life encourage lives.
The first part of Hebrews 9 provides insight into the Jewish rituals and priestly duties of the old covenant. “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” (Hebrews 9:7). The words “committed in ignorance” appear here and only here in the Bible. The Greek word, agnoēma, is used only once to describe “sin committed in ignorance.” I recognize “this is an illustration for the present time” (9:9), but it is interesting to think about things we do in ignorance, perhaps habits we have that perpetuate sin in our lives because we simply aren’t aware of the implications. Lord help us to recognize agnoēma in our lives and teach us Holy Spirit to learn your ways, to be pure and holy for your benefit.
Asbury Bible Commentary points out that the NIV interpretation hides an interesting point in this text. Verses 1-5 are in the past tense (tabernacle “was” set up, “was” a room, etc) and verses 6-10 are in the present tense (see verse 8 in NASB vs NIV as an example). It’s a subtle point, but helps to make the case that the old ways are, well, old. There must be something new and that has come, is here, in the form of Jesus Christ. This is a great reminder to look at several translations to understand scripture more fully.