In chapter 34, we heard the passage that many Jews would have thought of when they heard Jesus say, “I am the good shepherd. I give my life for the sheep.” The Lord promised to take away corrupt shepherds and shepherd the flock himself.
Like we hear in Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Revelation, Babylon will be judged. They were God’s tool to execute judgment, but they themselves will feel God’s judgment.
In yesterday’s chapter in Hebrews, details of the first covenant worship are given. The writer was showing by contrast how Jesus entered a greater, permanent, holy, divinely made Most Holy Place with the one-time-only sacrifice of his own blood. In our time, I think the details also show us the impossibility of our ever rebuilding a system like the Mosaic covenant. Those who want to add old covenant observances to our Christian faith just add accretions of man-made ritual. It is better to study and understand how much better the new covenant is, rather than to try to add empty and powerless ritual and symbolism from the old to the new.
No comments:
Post a Comment