What connections exist between Hebrews 10:6 and Jesus' ultimate sacrifice on the cross? Setting the Verse in Context “ ‘In burnt offerings and sin offerings You took no delight.’ ” (Hebrews 10:6) • This sentence sits in a larger quotation from Psalm 40:6-8, applied by the author of Hebrews to Jesus. • Verses 5-7 form a single thought: the Father did not find pleasure in endless animal sacrifices, but in the obedient Son who would “do Your will, O God.” Old Covenant Sacrifices: A Pattern but Not the Substance • Burnt and sin offerings were divinely commanded (Leviticus 1; 4), yet they were never an end in themselves. • Hebrews 10:1 explains that the Law possessed only “a shadow of the good things to come,” not “the form itself of the realities.” • Repetition proved their limits: “Every priest stands daily… offering again and again the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins” (Hebrews 10:11). • God’s lack of “delight” in these offerings points to their inability to satisfy divine justice permanently. God’s True Delight: Obedience and Perfect Holiness • Psalm 40:8 declares, “I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.” • Divine pleasure centers on wholehearted obedience, not ritual alone (1 Samuel 15:22; Hosea 6:6). • Jesus embodies flawless obedience: “He humbled Himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). • Therefore, Hebrews 10:6 contrasts mere offerings with the one life entirely yielded to God’s will. Jesus Fulfills the Divine Will at Calvary • Hebrews 10:9: “He says, ‘Here I am, I have come to do Your will.’ He takes away the first to establish the second.” • At the cross Jesus accomplished what animal blood never could: – Substitution: “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf” (2 Corinthians 5:21). – Satisfaction: “The LORD was pleased to crush Him, causing Him grief” (Isaiah 53:10), fulfilling the Father’s righteous requirement. – Completion: “It is finished!” (John 19:30), signaling that no further sacrifice is needed. The Once-for-All Sufficiency of the Cross • “By this will we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). • Key results: – Final forgiveness (Hebrews 9:12). – Cleansed conscience (Hebrews 9:14). – Confident access to God (Hebrews 10:19-22). • Hebrews 10:6 thus highlights the contrast: God rejected endless offerings but embraced the single offering of His Son. Living in the Light of the Finished Work • Draw near “with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22). • Hold fast the hope Christ secured (Hebrews 10:23). • Spur one another on to love and good deeds, not returning to dead works (Hebrews 10:24). Hebrews 10:6 ultimately throws the spotlight on Jesus’ cross, where the sacrifice that finally delighted the Father was offered—once, perfectly, forever. |
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