Exhortations for Christian Living & Conclusion
Hebrews 13
Hebrews 13
Hebrews 13. In this final chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews we have a number of practical exhortations for “holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling” (Heb. 3:1). Amidst these exhortations is the call to go to Jesus outside the camp, which is really the culmination of the whole epistle. It is wonderful to see that this call comes at the very end of Hebrews, after the writer has set forth the superior glories of Christ in the preceding chapters. We are drawn by the excelling glories of Christ! At the end of the chapter we have closing salutations and instructions.
Exhortations for Holy Brethren (13:1-17)
CHAPTER 13
1 Let brotherly love abide. v.1 Brotherly Love. The first in the series of exhortations is to “let brotherly love abide”.
New Testament exhortations on love are centered around two main types of love: divine love ('agápe') and brotherly love ('philia'). Agápe love is sacrificial and unconditional. It is selfless in that it gives and expects nothing in return. It is the love of a settled disposition. An example would be God’s love for us in sending His only-begotten Son to die for us (John 3:16). The noun ‘philia’ and the verb ‘phileo’ originate from the Greek term ‘philos’, meaning “beloved” or “dear”. Phileo love is the love of affection or friendship. It includes loyalty, virtue, equality, and familiarity. As Christians, we are to love one another with ‘philia’ love (Romans 12:10). It is a love shared by the family of God. Read more...
The expression “let brotherly love abide” indicates that (1) brotherly love is something the new nature delights to do and we need to “let” it be manifested by treating the flesh as crucified, and (2) the Hebrew believers had begun well in that regard but needed to see to it that brotherly love “abide” or continue. Maintaining healthy friendships with our brethren takes energy and effort, and if we do not make an effort, brotherly love will not continue. Satan does everything he can to disrupt unity in God’s family. The next two verses give us ways that brotherly love expresses itself, and which also tend to build up the bonds!2 Be not forgetful of hospitality; for by it some have unawares entertained angels. v.2 Hospitality. If we love our brethren, we will carry that out in practice. One of the most practical ways to show brotherly love is in hospitality. By showing hospitality we serve the practical needs of the saints, often by welcoming them into our home, to willingly serve and refresh them and make them comfortable in whatever way we can. It is good to show hospitality to brethren we know well and to those we have never met (3 John 6). If we are discouraged, self-occupied, or offended by those who take advantage, we can slack off in showing hospitality. Abraham in Genesis 18 gives us a wonderful example of hospitality! In fact, the hospitality of Abraham and Sarah (or perhaps even Lot) is referred to in this verse; “by it some have unawares entertained angels”. They entertained three strangers; two of them were angels and the third was Jehovah Himself! Our motive in hospitality should be to have others blessed and refreshed, but very often we find that we ourselves receive the greater blessing.
3 Remember prisoners, as bound with them; those that are evil-treated, as being yourselves also in the body. v.3 Sympathy. Another way that brotherly love manifests itself is in sympathy for others. Particularly here it is sympathy for fellow believers enduring persecution to the point of imprisonment and torture. There is a particular tendency to neglect these ones because of the stigma attached to imprisonment for the name of Christ (Heb. 10:32-34). Selfishness is not to characterize a believer. We should not be content because we ourselves live in comfort while our brethren in many parts of the world are suffering for the name of Christ. We are to have sympathy for those in prison and consider ourselves “as bound with them”. Likewise with those who are suffering hunger and other forms of ill-treatment. We ourselves are “in the body” and we know what hunger, thirst, and pain feel like. This goes beyond sympathy. We can empathize with our persecuted brethren by trying to “put ourselves in their shoes”. The word “remember” here is the practical remembrance of need (c.p. v.7), not merely recalling to mind.1 In other words, we are to remember to help them. We can remember these ones in prayer, as we come daily before the throne of grace, to lift them up before the Lord for help in their time of need. Further, as we have opportunity and resources, we should seek to be a help in whatever way we are able (e.g. 2 Tim. 1:16-18; Matt. 10:40-42; 25:36; 2 Tim. 4:11; 2 Cor. 8:8).
4 Let marriage be held every way in honour, and the bed be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers will God judge. v.4 Purity in Marriage. The writer then changes to speak about a new topic: moral purity in marriage. Natural love is fitting in its place, along with brotherly love. Marriage is to be held in honor; i.e. not that married people are to be revered, but that marriage ought to be carried on in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. Marriage is an honorable estate, and “the bed” has its appropriate and happy fulfillment within the bounds of marriage. The warning is to see to it that “the bed be undefiled”. Any sexual relation outside of the marriage union is sin. Fornication covers any kind of sexual immorality outside of the biblical marriage. Adultery is specifically the violation of the marriage bond through sexual relations with another person. The principle that “fornicators and adulterers will God judge”, is universal. Whether it be unbelievers or believers, there is a government on God on those who engage in immorality. This doesn’t mean that a believer who falls cannot be restored. There is grace with God, as well as righteous government.
5 Let your conversation [‘course of life’] be without love of money, satisfied with your present circumstances; for “he” has said, “I will not leave thee, neither will I forsake thee.” [Jos. 1:5; Deut. 31:6] 6 So that, taking courage, we may say, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid: what will man do unto me?” [Psalm 27:1] vv.5-6 Contentment. The next exhortation has to do with contentment. Our manner of life ought to be “without love of money”. In 1 Tim. 6:10 Paul warns that covetousness leads to a path of sin; “the love of money is the root of every evil”. In other words, every form of evil that exists, every kind of vice, can be motivated by the love of money. Man seeks money as a defense (Ecc. 7:12), and as a means of satisfying his lusts. The path of covetousness is not a happy path. When people pursue money, they are often trying to make themselves happy, but they end up pierced through “with many sorrows”. Instead we are called to contentment; “satisfied with your present circumstances”. It doesn’t mean that our present circumstances are easy, but we can take them as given to us by the Lord. No matter how little we have materially, we have the greatest possession there is! The Lord Himself has promised to never leave us. This gives us courage to press on without fear, in spite of challenging circumstances. We are not afraid what man can do (Heb. 10:34), because we have the Lord! What the Lord says to us “I will never leave thee” and what we say to Him “The Lord is my helper, etc.” are both quotations from scripture. Peace in our daily circumstances has much to do with our familiarity with the Word of God. If we walk in fellowship with the Lord we will find true profit; “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6).
7 Remember your leaders who have spoken to you the word of God; and considering the issue of their conversation, imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to-day, and to the ages to come. vv.7-8 Remember Leaders, and Imitate Their Faith. The next exhortation is to recall to mind those who have been our leaders or guides, but who have finished their course; i.e. they have passed off the scene. These ones are like those called “leading men among the brethren” (Acts 15:22). In v.7 we are told “remember your leaders”, in v.17 to “obey your leaders”, and in v.24 to “salute your leaders”. These ones might do the work of oversight in the local assembly, but their sphere is larger than that. They “have spoken to us the Word of God” in teaching and preaching, and they also lived it out in their lives. We are to remember them as “considering the issue of their conversation”; i.e. the substance or objective of their lives. What were they living for? We have the answer in v.8; the focus of their lives was “Jesus Christ”. We are to imitate the faith of these leaders, having the same focus in our own lives. It doesn’t say we should imitate their actions, because even good leaders make mistakes. But we are to follow or imitate their faith! The One who is the object of their faith and ours is the Unchangeable One; “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever”. Christ will never fail us. His love does not ebb or wane. If we focus on Him, we will have a consistency in our walk much like the leaders we are called to remember. In fact, the expression “the Same” is one of the names of Jehovah (Psalm 102:27) that has to do with His immutability.
While all things change, He changes not,
Nor e’er forgets, though oft forgot;
His love’s unchangeably the same,
And as enduring as His name.2
9 Be not carried away with various and strange doctrines; for it is good that the heart be confirmed with grace, not meats; those who have walked in which have not been profited by them. v.9 Strange Doctrines. The effect of having our focus on Christ who is “the Same” is that we will be preserved from being “carried away” strange doctrines. In scripture sound doctrine is always spoken of as singular, whereas false doctrines are spoken of as plural, perhaps because they often found in groups. Here the strange doctrines are the effects of Judaism on the believer, steeping the soul in religious ordinances such as “meats” or dietary restrictions, but also washings, special garments, and holy days.3 There were many such restrictions in Judaism, as the Hebrews were well aware (Heb. 9:10), but these are obsolete in Christianity (Acts 10:15). The danger was to be carried away with doctrines that would blend or mix Judaism with Christianity. For all the “good” that the legal teachers boasted of, pursuing outward ordinances did not profit the soul or produce practical holiness. This was true in their day as in ours. In fact, such occupation only leads to bondage and spiritual harm. Legalism in various forms puts man on the ground of his own responsibility before God for blessing. Instead, the writer exhorted the Hebrews that “it is good that the heart be confirmed with grace”. To be established in grace is the cure for legalism. As Paul told Timothy, we need to “be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:1). This means to have an appreciation for the grace of God, and the place of favor in which the believer stands, not through our own efforts, but by virtue of our standing in Christ Jesus. When we have an appreciation for the grace of God, it motives practical holiness in our life (Titus 2:11-14).
10 We have an altar of which they have no right to eat who serve the tabernacle; 11 for of those beasts whose blood is carried as sacrifices for sin into the holy of holies by the high priest, of these the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12 Wherefore also Jesus, that he might sanctify the people by his own blood, suffered without the gate: 13 therefore let us go forth to him without the camp, bearing his reproach: 14 for we have not here an abiding city, but we seek the coming one. vv.10-14 Leaving Judaism. The Spirit of God brings out that “we have an altar” in Christianity, by which we approach God. It is not an altar of copper or gold as in the Jewish system, whereby the children of Israel approached God (1 Cor. 10:18). Our altar is a spiritual one, and it speaks of Christ who has opened a “new and living way” into the presence of God (Heb. 10:19-22). How much greater than the altar of Israel! But here we have a solemn statement: those who serve the old order have “no right to eat” at the altar of Christianity. God no longer sanctions the old altar. There is a moral reason why those who approach God on Judaistic principles cannot partake of Christian worship. To explain this reason, the writer goes back to the same Old Testament type that he had used prior in Hebrews 9 – 10; i.e. the day of atonement.
Having already showed that it was not possible for the people to enter into the holiest of all, now the writer speaks of another place where the people could not go, or rather would not go; i.e. to the place where the bodies of the sin offerings were burned. After the blood was taken inside the veil by the high priest and sprinkled on and before the mercy seat, the body of the sin offering was carried “outside the camp” to be burned (Lev. 16:27), like other sin offerings (Lev. 4:12). The death of Christ has carried us within the veil, but also outside the camp.4 Two extremes are brought together: (1) the perfect suitability for God’s presence through the blood, and (2) the utter scandal and shame of the burning body. The Christian is accepted in God’s presence in heaven, but rejected by man’s religion on earth.
The Holy Spirit gives us the fulfillment of the type, connecting it with the circumstances of our Lord’s crucifixion. In order to sanctify us “with His own blood” – to separate a people positionally for God – Jesus was led outside the Jerusalem city gate, and there suffered on the cross. Jerusalem was the political and religious center of the nation, and so literally and symbolically Jesus was rejected by the Jewish system. The Jews deemed our Savior “unfit” for their society. He equates “the camp” to what Judaism had become; religion apart from Christ. The camp is what rejected Jesus and sanctimoniously said “we will not have this man to reign over us”. In Christianity, we possess both of the things the camp was separated from: access into the holiest, and the shared rejection of Christ.
The call to “go forth” is to Hebrew believers, exhorting them to leave Judaism entirely.5 They were to have nothing to do with the system that rejected Jesus.
Separation is always looked at as to something and from something. We are to be separate unto the Lord first (Num. 6:2), and then from the world and defilement (Num. 6:3). The order is important. We can fall into a legal frame of mind if we forget that separation is first positive, then negative. In fact, the negative aspect will follow almost automatically when the heart is right. However, God still does speak extensively about the negative side of separation because our consciences need to be exercised.
Here we are called to go “to him without the camp, bearing his reproach”. The fact that Jesus Himself is there makes us willing to share His reproach. And there will be reproach, because the world and its religion cannot tolerate those who are not of the world. He went outside the camp to bear our sins, we go outside to bear His reproach.Christians do not have a geographical center. Instead of a place we go to a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 18:20; John 10:16). Therefore the writer goes on to say, “for we have not here an abiding city, but we seek the coming one”. An earthly religion is connected with an earthly center, and aims to perpetuate an earthly establishment. The Hebrews were soon going to see Jerusalem destroyed (70 AD). The city we are looking for is a heavenly city (Heb. 11:10, 16; 12:22). We are not to be looking for an earthly home, to be comfortable here with a religion that makes our presence palatable to the world. We are to expect reproach on earth for the name of Christ, and to suffer for Him and in association with Him, the rejected Man. But at the same time we are to look forward to acceptance in heaven, with the same Man, now glorified and crowned at the right hand of the Majesty on high!
Does this have any practical meaning to us today? Of course. In the early centuries of Church history, great sectors of Christendom failed to do exactly what this verse commands. They refused to leave the camp of Judaism. As a result they ended up with many of the outward forms of Judaism; forbidden meats, special robes and candles, musical instruments, selective choirs, the priestly order, etc. These are all things imported from Judaism, and they make Christianity respectable to the world so as to avoid the reproach of Christ. We are called to leave all that, and go forth unto Jesus, the rejected One. He alone can satisfy the void that natural religion attempts to fill. To summarize: the camp is Judaism apart from Christ. Yet there is a broader application of the camp today to the many sectors of Christendom that have not abandoned Judaism in a moral sense, and for that reason many Judaistic principles of the camp are reflected in their worship and ministry.
15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise continually to God, that is, the fruit of the lips confessing his name. v.15 The Sacrifice of Praise to God. While Hebrews shows us that Christ is our great High Priest, it also shows that every believer is a priest before God. This next “let us” exhortation is for each believer to exercise their individual priesthood in praising God. This is something that we can do “continually”. This may be an allusion to the “continual burnt offering” that was to be maintained by the priests before the door of the tabernacle (Ex. 29:42). However, the action of our High Priest is involved, because it says “by Him let us offer”. This raises a question: what is praise, and how does it differ from worship? It would seem from John 4 where true worship is described as “in spirit and in truth” that worship is not necessarily expressed audibly, although it can be. Worship comes from the Greek word ‘proskynéō’, meaning to kiss the hand or prostrate oneself before another. Worship is homage shown to another person to express a profound reverence or awe. Praise on the other hand is audible, “the fruit of our lips, confessing His name”. Praise is often connected with applause for a person’s work or accomplishment. Another has said, “We worship God for who He is, we praise Him for what He has done”.6 It is notable that there is no mention of musical instruments with Christian praise. Praise is the fruit of the lips, not the fingers. Musical instruments were featured in the Jewish system, but are never mentioned in Christianity.
Much incense is ascending
Before th’ eternal throne;
God graciously is bending
To hear each feeble groan;
To all our prayers and praises
Christ adds His sweet perfume,
And love the censer raises,
These odors to consume.7
16 But of doing good and communicating of your substance be not forgetful, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. v.16 The Sacrifice of Giving. The next exhortation concerns good works and giving, which is something the saints are aft to forget. Naturally we might consider giving as a thing far below the sacrifice of praise, but God honors it along with praise, saying “for with such sacrifices God is well pleased”. In fact, some have found fault with brethren who pass the collection basket right after the emblems at the Lord’s Supper, viewing it as unrighteous mammon. But this verse shows that there is nothing unrighteous about giving money or possessions to God to be used in His service! This sacrifice can be made by us as individuals (1 Tim. 5:18; Gal. 6:6) or as an assembly (2 Cor. 8; Phil. 4:14-16).
Three Christian sacrifices with which God is well pleased:
- Our person (Rom. 12:1)
- Our praise (Heb. 13:15)
- Our possessions (Heb. 13:16)
17 Obey your leaders, and be submissive; for “they” watch over your souls as those that shall give account; that they may do this with joy, and not groaning, for this would be unprofitable for you. v.17 Submit to Leaders. The last in this series of general exhortations for the Hebrews is concerning the leaders or guides among the saints. In v.7 it was an exhortation to remember the leaders who had passed off the scene, but here it is to obey and submit to those still living. These ones might do the work of oversight in the local assembly, but their sphere is larger than that (Acts 15:22). These are leaders that God has raised up for the blessing of His people. The are under-shepherds that the Great Shepherd (v.20) has given to diligently “watch over your souls”. They help guide us to avoid pitfalls, judge sin, and live godly lives. They have wisdom from God as to how the saints should handle matters, respond to challenges, etc. To “be submissive” goes beyond obedience, because obedience can have the thought of distance (such as a husband who treats his wife as a child). Submission implies a deeper subjection of the will. Nevertheless, submission will manifest itself in obedience as in the case of Sarah (1 Pet. 3:6). There is a reason given for the saints to obey their leaders; ” for they watch over your souls as those that shall give account”. Those who are leaders are responsible to watch for the souls of Christ’s flock, “as stewards of God” (Titus 1:7), and faithfulness in these matters will be reviewed at the judgment seat of Christ. If the saints live happy fruitful Christian lives, their leaders will have cause for great joy at the judgment seat (e.g. 1 Thess. 2:19-20; 1 John 2:28). If the saints live worldly, sinful, or unproductive lives their leaders will give an account for how they cared for the flock “with groaning”. Read more… This would be unprofitable for the saints, as it would mean they were a cause of grief to their leaders, and in a certain sense become a discipline for them.
Concluding Instructions and Salutations (13:18-25)
18 Pray for us: for we persuade ourselves that we have a good conscience, in all things desirous to walk rightly. 19 But I much more beseech you to do this, that I may the more quickly be restored to you. vv.18-19 Prayer Request and A Good Conscience. The writer (likely Paul) and his companions desired the prayers of the Hebrews, and he could do this because he had “a good conscience in all things”. This would instruct us that we must first exercise self judgment and personal godliness before we solicit the prayers of the saints. It puts prayer and intercession in a holy and sanctified place. But as saints, it is our privilege to support the servants of the Lord by praying. There are two things in this epistle that the writer would “beseech” fervently beg the saints to do: (1) to pray for him, and (2) to receive the exhortations. It is possible that Paul, the likely writer, was still under some kind of restriction or guard, although it is not definitely said that He was in prison. His desire was to “the more quickly be restored” to the Hebrew believers.
20 But the God of peace, who brought again from among the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, in the power of the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 perfect you in every good work to the doing of his will, doing in you what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for the ages of ages. Amen. vv.20-21 The Apostle’s Blessing. The writer gives a unique blessing or benediction on the saints. It is a prayer of the apostle’s, that God would bring the Hebrew believers into Christian perfection or full growth. He had warned them earlier that many of them were immature due to lingering in the quasi-Judaic position (Heb. 5:12-14). But God is able to bring us to the place where we are “doing of his will”. It is an internal work in our souls that God alone can do; “doing in you what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ”. It is God’s work, yet it still requires exercise on our part, which follows in v.22. This is a work that the Lord Jesus does as “the great shepherd of the sheep”. Shepherding involves feeding, protecting, guiding, etc. (see Psa. 23). It is often difficult work, but the Lord Jesus has charged Himself with the work of being our Shepherd. It is wonderful to see how the Spirit of God connects the power of resurrection with the power of perfecting the saints. The “the power of the blood of the eternal covenant” was shed by Christ on the cross. The “eternal covenant” takes in the whole plan of salvation from the eternal counsels of God. It encompasses all of God’s dealings with mankind through all ages, on the basis of the blood of Christ. It is similar to the New Covenant in that the foundation is the blood of Christ, but, but also distinct in that the New Covenant deals with a particular people and time. Perhaps the eternal covenant is connected with the promise of eternal life – from the Father to the Son – made before the ages of time (2 Tim. 1:1; Tit. 1:2). That covenant can never fail, because it was made in the counsels of God, and secured by the blood that will never lose its power. It is called here “eternal” in contrast to the Jewish system of things that was passing away. In Hebrews we have eternal salvation, eternal judgment, eternal redemption, the eternal Spirit, an eternal inheritance, and the eternal covenant.891011121314 That blood answered every claim of God against sin, freeing God to come out to man in blessing. The power of this blood was put forth by “the God of peace” (far greater than the peace of God, Phil. 4:7,9) when He “brought again from among the dead our Lord Jesus”. Power and peace are often linked with resurrection in scripture. The work of Christ took our sins away, and thus provided God the moral basis to raise our Lord Jesus from the dead; He who went into death under the sentence of our sins was raised again for our justification (Rom. 4:24-25). But having been raised in the power of the blood, our Lord Jesus command that same power for the present blessing and perfection of our souls, and also for the future resurrection and perfection of our bodies!15
Blest Lamb of God, Thy precious blood
Shall never lose its power,
Till every ransomed saint of God
Be saved to sin no more.16
The Good, Great, Chief Shepherd. It has been remarked that Psalm 22 presents Christ as the "Good Shepherd" giving His life for the sheep (John 10:11), Psalm 23 presents Him as the "Great Shepherd of the sheep" raised from the dead by "the God of peace" and comforting His saints (Heb. 13:20), and Psalm 24 presents Christ as the "Chief Shepherd" who shall appear in His kingdom glory, giving crowns to the faithful (1 Peter 5:4).
22 But I beseech you, brethren, bear the word of exhortation, for it is but in few words that I have written to you. v.22 Call to Receive the Message. If we have God’s word through Christ in our souls in vv.20-21, we now have our own responsibility in v.22. The Spirit of God had inspired some strong words for these Hebrew believers. The writer would beg the saints to “bear the word of exhortation”, to let it have its rightful place in our souls, not making excuses or applying it to others. We are to put on the girdle of truth (Eph. 6:14), to receive with meekness the engrafted word (Jam. 1:21). The vast and important truth of the epistle was conveyed in relatively few words, which is a fact worthy of our admiration! How reasonable that we should take the time to read it, and receive the message contained in its pages.
23 Know that our brother Timotheus is set at liberty; with whom, if he should come soon, I will see you. v.23 Timothy’s Release. This verse gives us a significant clue as to who the writer is. Who other than Paul would speak and write of Timothy in this way, as “our brother Timotheus”? This fact coupled with the fact that Peter tells us Paul wrote to the Hebrews (2 Pet. 3:15) makes it fairly clear who the likely writer was. Paul had an intimate knowledge of Timothy, and planned to travel with the younger servant to visit the Hebrews. This verse also gives us an interesting note on the life of Timothy that we get nowhere else. Timothy himself was imprisoned at some point, which casts a different light on the two epistles of Paul to Timothy, which would have been written later. Now Timothy had been released, but was not yet with the apostle, suggesting Paul was not in Rome properly, although the salutation (v.24) suggests he was either still in Italy or had recently left it. The exactly location of the writing of Hebrews is not known, but a location in Italy or a nearby island like Crete (Titus 1:5) are likely possibilities. Timothy’s release from prison was news that would comfort the hearts of the faithful, as well as the hope of a visit from Paul and Timothy.
24 Salute all your leaders, and all the saints. They from Italy salute you. 25 Grace be with you all. Amen. vv.24-25 Salutation. In closing, Paul called on the Hebrews to salute their leaders. The same ones they were called on to submit to and obey the saints should greet with friendliness and love, extending the fellowship of the apostle Paul. The unity of the family of God would be expressed by the salutations passed on through the Hebrews to “all the saints”. Paul conveyed the greetings of the saints in Italy where he either was the time of writing, or had just left on a fourth journey. Finally, he prayed for grace among the saints. Surely, they would need grace. Grace to receive the exhortation to leave Judaism and go to Christ, grace to run the race of faith with endurance, and grace to profit from the chastening of the Lord. We too need the same grace to benefit from the epistle to the Hebrews.
- Kelly, W. The Epistle to the Hebrews.
- Evans, J.H. Rejoice, Ye Saints, Rejoice and Praise. Little Flock Hymnbook #237.
- The “meats” here are not the same “meat” as we have in Hebrews 5. There it is the doctrine that concerns Christ in glory, but here it refers to the dietary restrictions of the law, such as clean and unclean animals. To misunderstand this distinction could lead someone to conclude that feeding on sound doctrine is counterproductive to being established in grace.
- This reference to “outside the camp” refers to the sin offering (Lev. 16:27), not to the removal of the tent in Exodus 33:7-8. In the case of the tent (which wasn’t the full Tabernacle), it was removed only temporarily because the Lord’s presence could not be associated with the defilement that had come in, but was seen later (Num. 1) back in the camp. Compare the tabernacle of the congregation in Num. 1:1 with the tabernacle of the testimony in Num. 1:50. In v.13 we may have an allusion to Exodus 33.
- Perhaps the allusion is to an earlier occasion when the camp of Israel was defiled by idolatry (Exodus 33:7-8).
- Jim Hyland
- Bowley, Mary. The Holiest We Enter. Little Flock Hymnbook #114
- “The blood of the everlasting covenant” in Hebrews 13 is that which is finished and done with, and will go all the way through, and is available for all. The blood will never lose its value. It is the groundwork of all God’s dealings with man in all ages. – Darby, J.N. Miscellaneous, Vol. 3
- It is everlasting because, without testing, it was settled in the counsels of God Himself. – Darby, J.N. Notes of Readings on 2 Corinthians.
- Ques. What is “the everlasting covenant”? That is the whole thing, between the Father and the Son, I suppose you may say, “A body hast thou prepared me,” and, “Lo, I come to do thy will.” We are not under the new covenant, though we do get the good of it, and a great deal more. – Darby, J.N. Reading at Lonsdale Square. Notes and Jottings.
- The everlasting covenant has a different character from the new covenant. There are many covenants in Scripture, but the old and new are distinct, and with Israel only. – Darby, J.N. Notes on 1 and 2 Timothy. Collected Writings, Expository #6.
- The blood was as much the proof and witness of the love of God to the sinner as it was of the justice and majesty of God against sin. This covenant is founded on the truth and holiness of the eternal God having been fully met and answered in the cross of the Lord Jesus. – The Christian’s Friend: 1874 : Obedience, the Saint’s Liberty
- God thus confirmed His covenant with Israel before Sinai by blood — the blood of animals; but the new covenant He has ratified by the blood of Christ. By so much more, therefore, as the blood of Christ is more precious than the blood of oxen, is the new covenant of more value than the old. In other words, by confirming the new covenant with the blood of His Son, God has declared not only its everlasting and immutable character, but also the priceless nature of the blessings which He has thereby secured to His people. – E. Dennett. The Blood of Christ.
- He is ascended on high, not only as Son of God, but according to the efficaciousness of His work, in virtue of which He appears before the Father, the everlasting covenant being thus established in His blood. The question here is not of an old or a new covenant, which refers to particular circumstances, but of the intrinsic and essential worth of the blood of Christ. – Darby, J.N. The Gospel of Matthew.
- God is He “that brought again from the dead that great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant.” The blood shed by Jesus gave Him the right to rise from death with the same efficacy for others. – Darby, J.N. Notes on the Epistle to the Hebrews.
- Cowper. There Is a Stream of Precious Blood. Little Flock Hymnbook #322.