Hebrews 9:22

The divinely appointed way for the Old Testament sinner to rid himself of sin and guilt was through animal sacrifices. The Israelite sacrificial offerings are detailed in Leviticus 1 through 7. Careful attention was paid to the use and disposal of the blood in the various kinds of sacrifices. Indeed, the role of blood in sacrificial rituals is one of the unifying features in the Israelite sacrifices.

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The person who had sinned — and thus had broken the covenant relationship and the law that regulated it — could be restored to full fellowship with God and humanity by bringing an animal sacrifice as a substitute. Sacrifices, with their rites, were the God-appointed means to bring about cleansing from sin and guilt. They were instituted to cleanse the sinner, transferring individual sin and guilt to the sanctuary by sprinkling blood and reinstituting communion and full covenantal fellowship of the penitent with the personal God who is the saving Lord.

How do these concepts, expressed above, help us understand the questions at the end of yesterday’s study?

What prophetic significance was there in the animal sacrifice? (Isaiah 53:4-12, Hebrews 10:4).

The Old Testament animal sacrifices were the divinely ordained means for ridding the sinner of sin and guilt. They changed the sinner’s status from that of guilty and worthy of death to that of forgiven and reestablished in the covenantal God-human relationship. But there was a sense in which the animal sacrifices were prophetic in nature. No animal, after all, was an adequate substitute in atoning for humanity’s sin and guilt. Paul states it in his own language: “It is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4, RSV). Thus, an animal sacrifice was meant to be a looking forward to the coming of the divine-human Servant of God, who would die a substitutionary death for the sins of the world. It is through this process that the sinner is forgiven and accepted by the Lord, and the basis of the covenant relationship is established.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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This quarter “The Week at a Glance” shows God’s covenant is spoken of mostly. God has made his promises (covenant) with many people in the Bible, and continues to give us promises for today, hence for a theme hymn I find that I wish to keep standing on the Promises that God has given to us all –
Hymn 518 – Standing on the Promises as 
My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less – Hymn 522.

For our Sabbath afternoon introduction to our week of study, 
Hymn 347 – Built on the Rock shows in verse 2 the temple (sanctuary) that is in Heaven. 
Hymn 62 – How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place goes on to tell of how we all thirst for “Thy courts” in Heaven.

Monday gives us the treasure of being able to “be restored to full fellowship with God”. We find restoration in 
Hymn 4 – Praise My Soul the King of Heaven (verse 1), 
Hymn 191 – Love Divine (verse 4), 
Hymn 264 – O for That Flame of Living Fire (verse 5), 
Hymn 402 – By Christ Redeemed (verse 1) and 
Hymn 546/552 – The Lord’s My Shepherd (verse 2).  

Hebrews 10:4 “It is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins” shows us on Tuesday that the blood our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ is the only way we are cleansed. Our hymnal is packed with hymns that enlighten our minds on this topic:

Hymn 109 – Marvelous Grace,
Hymn 114 – There’s a Wideness (verse 2),
Hymn 153 – Prince of Peace Control My Will (verse 2),
Hymn 154/155 – When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,
Hymn 164 – There Is a Green Hill Far Away,
Hymn 167 – Alleluia Sing to Jesus,
Hymn 177 – Jesus, Your Blood and Righteousness,
Hymn 179 – The Wonders of Redeeming Love,
Hymn 184 – Jesus Paid It All,
Hymn 198 – And Can It Be?
Hymn 244 – My Song Shall Be of Jesus,
Hymn 248, 250, 252, 279, 280, 281, 282, then
Hymn 294 – Power in the Blood followed by
Hymn 295, 296, 298, 300, 301, and
Hymn 302 – Deeper Yet, and more hymns
Hymn 313 – Just as I Am,
Hymn 318 – Whiter Than Snow,
Hymn 334, 335, 336, 337/338. All of these hymns listed above are only the tip of the iceberg with many more in our hymnal.

To finalize our singing of this precious blood, we may wish to sing 
Hymn 341 – To God Be the Glory.

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing, but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Amen!(1)

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“And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people” (Leviticus 26:11-12).

One point should be clear by now: whether in the old covenant, or new covenant, the Lord seeks a close, loving relationship with His people. In fact, the covenants basically help form (for lack of a better word) the “rules” for that relationship.

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Relationship is crucial to the covenant, in whatever time or context. Yet for a relationship to exist, there needs to be interaction, communication, and contact, particularly for sinful, fallible, doubting humans. The Lord, of course, knowing this, took the initiative to be sure that He would manifest Himself to us in ways so that we — within the confines of fallen humanity — could relate to Him in a meaningful way.

Read Exodus 25:8, the Lord’s command to Israel to build a sanctuary. What reasons does the Lord give for wanting them to do this?

The answer to this question, of course, brings up another question, and that is Why? Why does the Lord want to dwell the in the midst of His people?

The truth, perhaps, could be found in the two verses for today, listed above. Notice, the Lord will “tabernacle” (or “dwell”) among them; He then says that He will not “abhor” them. He then says that He will “walk” among them and will be their God, and they will be His people (Leviticus 26:11-12). Look at the elements found in these texts. Again, the relational aspect comes through very clearly.

Take a few minutes: analyze Leviticus 26:11-12 and Exodus 25:8. Write down how the various elements all fit in with the notion that the Lord seeks a relationship with His people.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Read for This Week’s Study: Exodus 25:8; Isaiah 53:4-12; Hebrews 10:4; Hebrews 9:14; Hebrews 8:1-6; 1 Timothy 2:5-6.

Memory Verse: “Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance” (Hebrews 9:15, RSV).

A moonless evening, the sky black like spilled ink, all covered Frank in shadow as he walked the empty urban streets. After a while he heard footsteps behind him, someone following in the darkness. Then the person caught up with him and said, “Frank, the printer?”

“Yes, I am he. But how did you know?”

“Well,” answered the stranger, “I don’t know you. But I know your brother very well, and even in the darkness your mannerisms, your way of walking, your figure all reminded me so much of him I just assumed that you were his brother, because he told me that he had one.”

This story reveals a powerful truth regarding the Israelite sanctuary service. It was, the Bible says, a shadow, a figure, an image of the real. Nevertheless, there was enough in the shadows and images to clearly foreshadow and reveal the truths they were supposed to represent: the death, and high-priestly ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary.

The Week at a Glance: Why did God want the Israelites to build a sanctuary? What does the sanctuary teach us about Christ as our Substitute? What does Jesus do in heaven as our Representative?

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, June 12.

Sunday–>

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They must realize that the Sabbath is the Lord’s gift to you…. Exodus 16:29 NLT 

Regardless of our personal stand on wedding rings or wedding watches for that matter, we all understand that in many cultures the wedding ring is a gift symbolizing a relationship. Men will pick out a ring that they hope their fiancés will appreciate and they usually pay a pretty penny for it.

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Now both parties realize the ring is not the relationship itself but they cherish their rings because of what they represent. Now imagine if a wife told her husband she threw her ring away because, after all, she has him and no longer needs what the ring represents? Wouldn’t the husband be hurt that his gift was not appreciated?

Or take your nation’s flag. On April 25, 1976 The Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team were playing a home game against the visiting Chicago Cubs. While the Dodgers were up to bat, two men ran onto the outfield with a United States flag, and opened up a lighter. Rick Monday, the Cubs’ outfielder saw they were trying to burn the flag right there in front of the crowd. He ran and grabbed the flag away from the men before they could catch it on fire. He took the flag to the Dodger’s dugout while the entire crowd cheered for the opposing team’s outfielder who just saved the United States flag. The Dodgers even put a message on the board saluting the Cubs’ outfielder, “Rick Monday, you made a great play!” The crowd cherished and protected the flag because of what it represented. The flag is not our country; it is a piece of cloth, but we honor our flags because they represent our country. 

Even though married couples have each other, they do not throw their wedding rings away. I even heard a pastor who was against wearing wedding rings counsel a couple who were no longer wearing their rings to keep them anyway. He counseled them to keep their rings in a special box. So please let’s not get sidetracked and miss my point here. The real marriage does not do away with the ring symbolizing the marriage. The real country does not do away with its flag symbolizing the country. Likewise God has given us the Sabbath as a gift. He gives us a weekly rest to remind us of His promise to save us by resting our faith in Him alone. He gives us the gift of not working that day to remind us that our works do not save us. God alone saves us. 

Now I have heard people say that  Jesus replaced the weekly Sabbath when He gave us spiritual rest. I have heard people say that in Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus gives us a spiritual rest, thus doing away with the Sabbath. However, throwing away the weekly Sabbath because we have a spiritual rest now would be the same thing as throwing away a wedding ring (or watch) because we now have the wedding, or going ahead and burning our nation’s flag because we now have a nation. People keep their rings and the marriage. People honor their nation’s flag and their country. Fact is that God’s people in the Old Testament had a spiritual rest and the weekly Sabbath just like in the New Testament. We have had the Sabbath ever since creation as an eternal sign of the rest we have always had in God in both the Old and New Testament. The Sabbath never saved anyone in the Old Testament or New Testament. We have always been saved by grace, and not by works, and the Sabbath is the everlasting sign and promise that we were created by God’s works and not our own, and that we were redeemed by God’s work on the cross and not our own in both the Old and New Testament. 

Tell the people of Israel: ‘Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy. You must keep the Sabbath day, for it is a holy day for you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; anyone who works on that day will be cut off from the community. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the Lord. Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death. The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath day by observing it from generation to generation. This is a covenant obligation for all time. It is a permanent sign of my covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed. Exodus 31:13-17 NLT

The Sabbath is a sign of God’s promise that He alone makes us holy. Our works don’t sanctify or make us holy. No work is to be done on the Sabbath to symbolize that God’s people understand they are not saved by their works. They are saved in the Old Testament as well as New Testament by resting their faith in God’s works and merits. The rest Jesus offered in Matthew 11:28-30 is the rest the people had in the Old Testament. 

“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do. Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day. Exodus 5:12-15 NLT 

The weekly Sabbath was given as a sign in the Old Testament that their own works did not save them from slavery. God’s works saved them from slavery. In Egypt the Jews did all the work so Pharaoh could rest. God gave them the Sabbath as a gift to remind them He would do all the work so they could rest. In Eden the Sabbath was a sign for Adam and Eve to know that “It was God who made us and not we ourselves.” At Sinai the Sabbath was a sign that God worked out their salvation from Egyptian bondage and they did not save themselves. 

Was the Sabbath rest an Old Testament sign for the Jews alone?

I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord, who serve him and love his name, who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest, and who hold fast to my covenant. Isaiah 56:6 NLT

The Sabbath is a sign that we are God’s people whether or not we are Jews or foreigners. The Sabbath was not given to the Jews as a sign they were Jews. It was given to the Jews as a sign they were God’s people. That same sign is given to the foreigners that they are God’s people. Old or New Testament, Jew or Gentile, the Sabbath is God’s eternal gift reminding us every week that we are saved by resting our faith in His promises of grace. Like a wedding ring, like a flag, the Sabbath is God’s gift symbolizing every week the rest we have in Him. We don’t throw wedding rings or wedding watches away because we have  a marriage. We don’t burn flags because we have our country. Likewise we don’t throw the weekly Sabbath away because we have Jesus. The Sabbath is His gift reminding us of His amazing grace. 

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