Storybook Faithনমুনা

Chapter one of Hebrews pulls into focus what the Hebrews were used to. They were used to being spoken to by angels and prophets. They had gotten used to the fact that under the old covenant, before Jesus, a priest had to mediate in their relationship with God. In those days, only a priest could enter into the “inner room”—the place where God’s presence dwelled. Any relationship that you hoped to have with God had to be through someone else. 

Because of Jesus, we no longer have to stay on the outskirts of a temple, but He has created a “more excellent” (9:11) tabernacle, one that is not physical but spiritual, in which we are allowed to go boldly before God’s throne. 

Jesus offered himself as the sacrifice for our sins, so that our relationship with God could be based on our faith in him rather than earthly sacrifices. Under the old covenant your relationship with God had to be external. This is because the sacrifices given were physical, not spiritual.

Imagine that after suffering your punishment, he took the door off the hinge of the room where your father was and invited you in. Once inside this inner room you were free to be pulled up onto your father’s lap and hear, “My child, I forgive you, and we never have to be separated again.” That is what Jesus did for us. He gave us direct access through forgiveness. He went before God and presented himself as the sacrifice for our sins, once and for all. 

As it says in Hebrews 10:4 NIV, “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” God gave his son to us to give us a new, BETTER, more complete relationship with him. That’s why it says in verse 16, “...I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” It was never God’s purpose for us to settle for laws and religion in place of personal connection. He wants us to know and love him from within, not just with our actions. 

Why then, was it so difficult for the Hebrews to accept? Why wouldn’t they much prefer accepting Jesus’ sacrifice for their sins and gaining access to a clearly more excellent story? Because sometimes we, as humans, prefer what is comfortable. We tend to avoid intimate and personal relationships, especially with God. 

We do this either because we aren’t willing to trust that He knows what’s best for us, or because we are afraid to be open and vulnerable. So often, what keeps us from the “more excellent” things that God has for us are the good and okay things that we’ve grown used to. For the Hebrews, and for us, trading our current stories and jumping out into a new adventure of faith can be daunting, but as we learned in these chapters of scripture, it’s so worth it.

Today, as you meditate on these scriptures, ask yourself:

Do I have a personal relationship with God through his son, Jesus, or am I going through the motions like the Hebrews under the first covenant?

1.) Am I favoring rules and actions over personal connection with God?

2.) Is there a part of my story that I’ve been unwilling to trade for one that is “more excellent”?

3.) What am I holding onto that God might be calling me to let go?