How does Hebrews 9:17 connect to the Old Testament sacrificial system? Understanding Hebrews 9:17 – Death Activates a Covenant • “For a will is in force only after its maker has died; it is not valid while its maker is still alive.” • The writer is borrowing the everyday reality of a last will and testament to explain a covenant: the benefits promised do not reach the heirs until the testator dies. • Immediately after verse 17, the author pivots to Israel’s history to show that God’s covenants worked the same way—blood had to be shed before the covenant’s blessings flowed. Old Covenant Sealed in Blood • Exodus 24:5-8 – Moses slaughters young bulls, sprinkles half the blood on the altar and the other half on the people, declaring, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you.” • Leviticus 17:11 – “For the life of the flesh is in the blood… it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” • Genesis 15:9-18 – God has Abram lay out slaughtered animals; God’s presence passes between the pieces, illustrating that covenant demands death if either party breaks it. • Every daily, weekly, monthly, and annual sacrifice (Leviticus 1-7; 16; Numbers 28-29) repeats the message: without the shedding of blood, access to God stops. The Logic: Substitutionary Death • An animal’s blood symbolically carries the life of the worshiper into God’s presence. • The sacrificial animal “dies in the place of” the sinner, maintaining covenant relationship until the perfect sacrifice arrives. • Hebrews 9:22 sums up the entire Mosaic pattern: “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Christ, the True Testator • Hebrews 9:11-15 – Jesus enters the heavenly Most Holy Place “by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.” • Isaiah 53:5 – “He was pierced for our transgressions… by His wounds we are healed.” • Jeremiah 31:31-34 promised a New Covenant; Hebrews 9 shows that covenant taking effect only when its Maker dies. • At the cross, Jesus is simultaneously: – the Testator whose death activates the will, – the High Priest who presents the blood, – and the spotless Lamb whose blood fulfills every shadow sacrifice. Why Hebrews 9:17 Ties It All Together • The verse explains why the Old Testament demanded continual animal deaths: God was teaching Israel that covenant blessings can never be enjoyed apart from the death of a representative. • Those repeated sacrifices pointed forward to a once-for-all death that would activate the promised New Covenant forever (Hebrews 10:1-4, 10-14). Living Under the Ratified Covenant • Because the Testator has died, the covenant promises are now irrevocable—full forgiveness, new hearts, direct access to God (Hebrews 10:19-22). • No further sacrifice is needed; our confidence rests on blood already shed and a covenant already in force. |
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