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THE TESTATOR. HEB. 9:16-22. 12/03/23. #27.
16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. 19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” 21 Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
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1. The necessity of Christ’s death
a. The Jews were looking for a conquering Messiah
a1. He would take away the Romans
a2. The Jews would be the top nation
b. The main problem of the Jews was not the Romans
a1. Sin was a far greater problem than Rome
a2. Without the forgiveness of sins, an earthly
kingdom would be temporary & ineffective
c. Heb. already had proven that the OT cov. was vain
a1. The High Priest was flawed with sin
a2. The blood of animals couldn’t pay for sin
d. For sin to be atoned, a worthy sacrifice had to be
made (only the Son of God was worthy)
a1. Payment had to be by death by blood
a2. Christ could not rule over a new Jewish
kingdom without save the Jews first
e. As long as the testator (one who makes a will) is
alive, the will has no effect
a1. The will is only enforced upon death of test.
a2. As long as Christ was alive, sin could not be
forgiven, for the will’s provisions could not
be applied until death was confirmed
2. Cleansing
a. Most things were cleansed by blood
b. Some things were cleansed by water, meal offer-
ings, or fire, but sin was cleansed by blood
c. There is no recording in the OT that the book (scroll
of Law) was sprinkled when Moses cleansed the
people in Ex. 24
a1. Hyssop & water were used to cleanse
leper (Lv. 14) & at Passover
a2. Red wool is not mentioned, but could refer
to the bloody wool of a sacrifice
a3. Ps. 51:7 other uses of cleansing were ob-
viously done not mentioned in OT
d. The blood of the covenant is a constant theme
a1. Gen. 15 God walked between the pieces of
cut up animal parts in cov. with Abraham
a2. Lv. 1 atonement was made by blood sacri-
fices of specific animals
e. All the vessels of the tabernacle were cleansed by
the sprinkling of blood
3. Enactment of the divine will
a. “Shedding of blood” is a coined word, “blood shed-
der” in the Greek, referring to covenant blood
b. For our sins to be forgiven, the testator, had to die
by shedding blood, then the provisions are applied
c. Without blood being shed there is no remission (re-
moval, dismissal, taking away) of sin ( LK. 24:44-49)
d. Heb. concludes that what happened had to be so
a1. All the cleansing rites of the OT could not
remove sin
a2. Abraham, Moses, Joshua, & the High Priests
could not redeem the people
a3. Jesus could not rule until he mediated for
mankind via His blood sacrifice
e. The will has been enacted & we are the beneficiaries
a1. The Jews wanted peace & power, but this
would have fallen way short of their needs
a2. God knows what we need, & its Christ
f. Any other avenue to seek salvation fails (church
members, baptisms, creeds, rituals, “belief in God”,,,)