What is the meaning of Hebrews 9:21? In the same way • The phrase reaches back to the pattern already described in Hebrews 9:18–20, where Moses inaugurated the first covenant with blood after reading God’s law. • Just as covenant people and the book were sprinkled (Exodus 24:6–8), so too the worship center itself had to be treated “in the same way.” • The writer ties old-covenant practice to the new‐covenant reality he is explaining: everything related to God’s presence must be covered by sacrificial blood (Hebrews 9:22). He sprinkled with blood • Sprinkling was not symbolic only; it literally applied the life-blood of a substitute to whatever was sprinkled (Leviticus 17:11). • Blood declares that sin brings death but God accepts a substitute in the sinner’s place (Hebrews 9:12; 1 Peter 1:2). • By highlighting Moses’ action, the text underlines that this was God’s commanded method, not human invention (Leviticus 16:15-19). The tabernacle • The entire portable sanctuary—God’s designated dwelling among His people (Exodus 25:8)—needed cleansing because humans had constructed and handled it (Exodus 40:9). • Purifying the place where God meets His people shows His holiness and the need for separation from defilement (Hebrews 9:23). • The tabernacle also foreshadowed the greater heavenly reality where Christ now ministers (Hebrews 8:5). And all the vessels used in worship • Every utensil—lampstands, basins, altars, even the ark’s cover—was touched by the same blood (Exodus 40:9-10; Numbers 7:1). • This thorough sprinkling teaches that no part of worship escapes the requirement of atonement; purity is demanded in every detail (2 Chronicles 29:18-19). • It also pictures the believer’s life today: all we employ in service to God must be cleansed and dedicated through Christ’s sacrifice (Romans 12:1). summary Hebrews 9:21 reminds us that under the first covenant nothing connected with God’s worship was acceptable unless it was literally sprinkled with sacrificial blood. Moses’ actions pointed forward to the once-for-all cleansing accomplished by Jesus, whose blood fully purifies God’s dwelling, God’s people, and every tool of their service. |
    |