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by Katie Erickson

“In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” -Hebrews 9:16-22

Even though I wrote about it last week, it is important to recall the verse before this passage before diving into this one: “And for this reason [Jesus] is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance” (Hebrews 9:15). Jesus is the one who is in charge of the new covenant that we have because of His death and resurrection, and He is the reason that we have the promise of eternal life.

When looking into this passage, I consulted a commentary (side note: commentaries are a great tool to help with studying the Bible!), and the commentary said that the argument made in this passage is not easy to follow in English because of the Greek words used. We don’t always have great English words to convey the meaning of Greek words, and this is one of those times. The Greek word diatheke used in verse 16 (translated as “the one who made it in the NIV”) means a person related to making a last will and testament, but it also works to describe God being in charge of the covenant with His people. God is the one who sets the terms of this covenant, and we cannot argue with Him, even more so than how a person cannot argue with the law of the land.

The author transitioned from using the word “covenant” previously to using the word “will” in this passage. They are similar, but there are slight differences. God’s covenant was both established and fulfilled by Him; the first covenant was made with Abraham, and then it was fulfilled through Jesus’ death and resurrection so that now we are under the new covenant. A will, however, has the idea of a person’s last will and testament; verse 17 tells us that it only applies after a person dies, and it has no power while the person is alive.

Because of that, we see why Jesus had to die in verse 18. Even the very first covenant that God made with Abraham required blood to be spilled; you can read about it in Genesis 15. In that covenant, God told Abraham that if God broke the promise made, God would pay for it with His death. But if Abraham broke the promise made in it, God would still pay for it with His death. Of course, Abraham (and every human who has ever lived) did break that promise by sinning against God and being disobedient to Him. Therefore, Jesus’ blood needed to be shed in death to fulfill the old covenant. Using the language of a will instead of a covenant, the will would not go into effect until Jesus died. Either way, Jesus had to die in order for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

While God originally made the covenant with Abraham, Moses was the one who received God’s law for the people. As related in verse 19, first Moses proclaimed the law to the people, so they would know what God expected of them and what His rules were for them. Next, Moses performed ritual sacrifices. He used the blood of calves along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop to perform ritual cleansing both of the people and the scroll of the law. Water, scarlet wool, and hyssop were commonly used in cleansing acts, so this would have made perfect sense to the people of that day.

Then Moses proclaimed to the people that God has commanded them to keep this covenant (verse 20). This is not merely a suggestion, but it is a command from God! The people were commanded to keep this law that God had given them through Moses. If they broke this law (which, of course, would happen frequently) then blood would be required to be shed; something or someone would have to die as punishment. Those were the terms of God’s covenant.

Years later after the tabernacle and then the temple was built, they, too, needed to be sprinkled with blood and cleansed (verse 21). Everything that was to be used by God and for His worship under the old covenant must be cleansed, as God cannot tolerate sin in His presence. Verse 22 takes this even further, stating that “nearly everything” must be cleansed with blood. The whole system of worshiping God in the Old Testament was based on the shedding of blood in order to for cleansing and forgiveness to happen.

Aren’t you glad that you don’t need to be sprinkled with blood when you worship God at a church building each week? Jesus has come so that no more blood is required to be spilled in the worship of God – not animal blood or human blood. Jesus’ blood was and still is sufficient to cleanse the entire world and to provide for forgiveness of the sins of all people for all time! This is why Jesus needed to come and die – so that the covenant would be fulfilled.

Because Jesus is the great high priest, we are now under the new covenant that does not need recurring bloodshed as the old covenant did. Jesus’ sacrifice was, is, and always will be sufficient for all people. Put your faith and trust in Him today for your salvation!

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