P4. The Priesthood of Believers & Entering God's Most Holy Place. [Make a Comment]
We are to embrace our New Covenant priesthood and ability to enter God's Most Holy Place through our High Priest Yeshua.
This precept is derived from His Word (blessed be He):
Key Scriptures
Leviticus 16:2-22 & 34
(Maimonides RN68; Chinuch C184)
ADONAI said to Moshe, "Tell your brother Aharon not to come at just any time
into the Holy Place beyond the curtain, in front of the ark-cover which is
on the ark, so that he will not die; because I appear in the cloud over the
ark-cover. Here is how Aharon is to enter the Holy Place: with a young bull
as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering. He is to put on the holy
linen tunic, have the linen shorts next to his bare flesh, have the linen
sash wrapped around him, and be wearing the linen turban - they are the holy
garments. He is to bathe his body in water and put them on. He is to take
from the community of the people of Isra'el two male goats for a sin
offering and one ram for a burnt offering. Aharon is to present the bull
for the sin offering which is for himself and make atonement for himself and
his household. He is to take the two goats and place them before ADONAI at
the entrance to the tent of meeting. Then Aharon is to cast lots for the
two goats, one lot for ADONAI and the other for 'Az'azel. Aharon
is to present the goat whose lot fell to ADONAI and offer it as a sin
offering. But the goat whose lot fell to 'Az'azel is to be
presented alive to ADONAI to be used for making atonement over it by sending
it away into the desert for 'Az'azel. Aharon is to present the
bull of the sin offering for himself; he will make atonement for himself and
his household; he is to slaughter the bull of the sin offering which is for
himself. He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before
ADONAI and, with his hands full of ground, fragrant incense, bring it inside
the curtain. He is to put the incense on the fire before ADONAI, so that
the cloud from the incense will cover the ark-cover which is over the
testimony, in order that he not die. He is to take some of the bull's
blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the ark-cover toward the east; and
in front of the ark-cover he is to sprinkle some of the blood with his
finger seven times. Next, he is to slaughter the goat of the sin offering
which is for the people, bring its blood inside the curtain and do with its
blood as he did with the bull's blood, sprinkling it on the ark-cover
and in front of the ark-cover. He will make atonement for the Holy Place
because of the uncleannesses of the people of Isra'el and because of
their transgressions - all their sins; and he is to do the same for the tent
of meeting which is there with them right in the middle of their
uncleannesses. No one is to be present in the tent of meeting from the time
he enters the Holy Place to make atonement until the time he comes out,
having made atonement for himself, for his household and for the entire
community of Isra'el. Then he is to go out to the altar that is before
ADONAI and make atonement for it; he is to take some of the bull's
blood and some of the goat's blood and put it on all the horns of the
altar. He is to sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven
times, thus purifying it and setting it apart from the uncleannesses of the
people of Isra'el. When he has finished atoning for the Holy Place,
the tent of meeting and the altar, he is to present the live goat. Aharon
is to lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it
all the transgressions, crimes and sins of the people of Isra'el; he is
to put them on the head of the goat and then send it away into the desert
with a man appointed for the purpose. The goat will bear all their
transgressions away to some isolated place, and he is to let the goat go in
the desert ... This is a permanent regulation for you, to make atonement for
the people of Isra'el because of all their sins once a year." Moshe did
as ADONAI had ordered him.
Matthew 27:46-54
At about three, Yeshua uttered a loud cry, "Eli! Eli! L'mah
sh'vaktani? (My God! My God! Why have you deserted me?)" On hearing
this, some of the bystanders said, "He's calling for Eliyahu."
Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, soaked it in vinegar, put it
on a stick and gave it to him to drink. The rest said, "Wait! Let's
see if Eliyahu comes and rescues him." But Yeshua, again crying out in a
loud voice, yielded up his spirit. At that moment the parokhet in the
Temple was ripped in two from top to bottom; and there was an earthquake,
with rocks splitting apart. Also the graves were opened, and the bodies of
many holy people who had died were raised to life; and after Yeshua rose,
they came out of the graves and went into the holy city, where many people
saw them. When the Roman officer and those with him who were keeping watch
over Yeshua saw the earthquake and what was happening, they were awestruck
and said, "He really was a son of God."
Hebrews 7:8-27
Moreover, in the case of the cohanim, the tenth is received by men who die;
while in the case of Malki-Tzedek, it is received by someone who is
testified to be still alive. One might go even further and say that Levi,
who himself receives tenths, paid a tenth through Avraham; inasmuch as he
was still in his ancestor Avraham's body when Malki-Tzedek met him.
Therefore, if it had been possible to reach the goal through the system of
cohanim derived from Levi (since in connection with it, the people were
given the Torah), what need would there have been for another, different
kind of cohen, the one spoken of as to be compared with Malki-Tzedek and not
to be compared with Aharon? For if the system of cohanim is transformed,
there must of necessity occur a transformation of Torah. The one about whom
these things are said belongs to another tribe, from which no one has ever
served at the altar; for everyone knows that our Lord arose out of
Y'hudah, and that Moshe said nothing about this tribe when he spoke
about cohanim. It becomes even clearer if a "different kind of cohen," one
like Malki-Tzedek, arises, one who became a cohen not by virtue of a rule in
the Torah concerning physical descent, but by virtue of the power of an
indestructible life. For it is stated, "You are a cohen FOREVER, to be
compared with Malki-Tzedek." Thus, on the one hand, the earlier rule is set
aside because of its weakness and inefficacy (for the Torah did not bring
anything to the goal); and, on the other hand, a hope of something better is
introduced, through which we are drawing near to God. What is more, God
swore an oath. For no oath was sworn in connection with those who become
cohanim now; but Yeshua became a cohen by the oath which God swore when he
said to him, "ADONAI has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You are a
cohen forever.'" Also this shows how much better is the covenant of
which Yeshua has become guarantor. Moreover, the present cohanim are many
in number, because they are prevented by death from continuing in office.
But because he lives forever, his position as cohen does not pass on to
someone else; and consequently, he is totally able to deliver those who
approach God through him; since he is alive forever and thus forever able to
intercede on their behalf. This is the kind of cohen gadol that meets our
need - holy, without evil, without stain, set apart from sinners and raised
higher than the heavens; one who does not have the daily necessity, like the
other cohanim g'dolim, of offering up sacrifices first for their own
sins and only then for those of the people; because he offered one
sacrifice, once and for all, by offering up himself.
Hebrews 9:6-14
With things so arranged, the cohanim go into the outer tent all the time to
discharge their duties; but only the cohen hagadol enters the inner one; and
he goes in only once a year, and he must always bring blood, which he offers
both for himself and for the sins committed in ignorance by the people. By
this arrangement, the Ruach HaKodesh showed that so long as the first Tent
had standing, the way into the Holiest Place was still closed. This
symbolizes the present age and indicates that the conscience of the person
performing the service cannot be brought to the goal by the gifts and
sacrifices he offers. For they involve only food and drink and various
ceremonial washings - regulations concerning the outward life, imposed until
the time for God to reshape the whole structure. But when the Messiah
appeared as cohen gadol of the good things that are happening already, then,
through the greater and more perfect Tent which is not man-made (that is, it
is not of this created world), he entered the Holiest Place once and for
all. And he entered not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but by
means of his own blood, thus setting people free forever. For if sprinkling
ceremonially unclean persons with the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes
of a heifer restores their outward purity; then how much more the blood of
the Messiah, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself to God as a
sacrifice without blemish, will purify our conscience from works that lead
to death, so that we can serve the living God!
1 Peter 2:4-10
As you come to him, the living stone, rejected by people but chosen by God
and precious to him, you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into
a spiritual house to be cohanim set apart for God to offer spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to him through Yeshua the Messiah. This is why the
Tanakh says, "Look! I am laying in Tziyon a stone, a chosen and precious
cornerstone; and whoever rests his trust on it will certainly not be
humiliated." Now to you who keep trusting, he is precious. But to those who
are not trusting, "The very stone that the builders rejected has become the
cornerstone"; also he is a stone that will make people stumble, a rock over
which they will trip. They are stumbling at the Word, disobeying it - as had
been planned. But you are a chosen people, the King's cohanim, a holy
nation, a people for God to possess! Why? In order for you to declare the
praises of the One who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; before, you
had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Hebrews 10:15-22
And the Ruach HaKodesh too bears witness to us; for after saying, 'This
is the covenant which I will make with them after those days,' says
ADONAI: 'I will put my Torah on their hearts, and write it on their
minds...'" he then adds, " 'And their sins and their wickednesses
I will remember no more.'" Now where there is forgiveness for these,
an offering for sins is no longer needed. So, brothers, we have confidence
to use the way into the Holiest Place opened by the blood of Yeshua. He
inaugurated it for us as a new and living way through the parokhet, by means
of his flesh. We also have a great cohen over God's household.
Therefore, let us approach the Holiest Place with a sincere heart, in the
full assurance that comes from trusting - with our hearts sprinkled clean
from a bad conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Supportive Scriptures
Exodus 26:31-35
You are to make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven
linen. Make it with k'ruvim worked in, that have been crafted by a
skilled artisan. Hang it with gold hooks on four acacia-wood posts overlaid
with gold and standing in four silver sockets. Hang the curtain below the
fasteners. Then bring the ark for the testimony inside the curtain; the
curtain will be the divider for you between the Holy Place and the
Especially Holy Place. You are to put the ark-cover on the ark for the
testimony in the Especially Holy Place. You are to put the table outside
the curtain and the menorah opposite the table on the side of the tabernacle
toward the south; put the table on the north side.
Ephesisans 2:4-7
But God is so rich in mercy and loves us with such intense love that, even
when we were dead because of our acts of disobedience, he brought us to life
along with the Messiah - it is by grace that you have been delivered. That
is, God raised us up with the Messiah Yeshua and seated us with him in
heaven, in order to exhibit in the ages to come how infinitely rich is his
grace, how great is his kindness toward us who are united with the Messiah
Yeshua.
Hebrews 8:6-13
But now the work Yeshua has been given to do is far superior to theirs, just
as the covenant he mediates is better. For this covenant has been given as
Torah on the basis of better promises. Indeed, if the first covenant had
not given ground for faultfinding, there would have been no need for a
second one. For God does find fault with the people when he says,
"'See! The days are coming,' says ADONAI, 'when I will
establish over the house of Isra'el and over the house of Y'hudah
a new covenant. 'It will not be like the covenant which I made with
their fathers on the day when I took them by their hand and led them forth
out of the land of Egypt; because they, for their part, did not remain
faithful to my covenant; so I, for my part, stopped concerning myself with
them,' says ADONAI. "'For this is the covenant which I will make
with the house of Isra'el after those days,' says ADONAI: 'I
will put my Torah in their minds and write it on their hearts; I will be
their God, and they will be my people. 'None of them will teach his
fellow-citizen or his brother, saying, "Know ADONAI!" For all will know me,
from the least of them to the greatest, because I will be merciful toward
their wickednesses and remember their sins no more.'" By using the
term, "new," he has made the first covenant "old"; and something being made
old, something in the process of aging, is on its way to vanishing
altogether.
Commentary
One of the most significant aspects of the New Covenant brought by Yeshua's sacrificial death and resurrection is elevating to priesthood, those of us that repent of our sins and receive him as Lord. In the Mosaic Covenant, Israel was made by God to be a kingdom of priests, and later in the New Covenant, he extended priesthood (not the same priesthood) to all believers in Yeshua - Jews and Gentiles alike.
There was another priesthood that was part of the Mosaic Covenant - the Levitical Priesthood - in which Aaron was the High Priest. Only Aaron could enter the Most Holy Place and then, only once a year on Yom Kippur. Under the Levitical Priesthood, ordinary priests could not enter the Most Holy Place, and were therefore limited in how close to God they could come. Today's Priesthood of Believers is a superior priesthood in that through our High Priest Yeshua, all believers in Yeshua can enter the Most Holy Place in Heaven, and draw closer to God than the Levitical priests could. It is one of the reasons that Hebrews 8:6 can state:
But now the work Yeshua has been given to do is far superior to theirs, just as the covenant he mediates is better. For this covenant has been given as Torah on the basis of better promises.
Classical Commentators
Maimonides and HaChinuch each wrote their mitzvot (RN68 and C184 respectively) as though the Holy Temple of God was still standing. They state that the High Priest can only enter the Temple's sanctuary at a prescribed time once a year. Meir did not write a mitzvah on the subject.
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