We meditated as far as chapter 6, verse 7, and there we left it, taking up Hebrews 7. Now we will read the close of Hebrews 6 and 8. But before we pursue the doctrine of the epistle we will look a little at what we called the hortatory parenthesis in Hebrews 6 At verse 10 of Hebrews 5 we left the doctrine, and from that to the close of Hebrews 6 is a parenthesis. The apostle having turned aside to exhort them, we were observing that the thing he feared in the Hebrews was not moral, as in the Corinthians, but doctrinal pravity. And do we not see such moral varieties around us now? One has a Corinthian bias, another has a Galatian bias. The thing he feared in the Hebrews was giving up Christ as the Object of their confidence.
What is the dressing that God is giving your heart now? (vs. 7). It is not law but grace. Moses was on the principle of law — the Lord Jesus was on the principle of grace; and free, happy, grateful hearts are the herbs meet for such tillage. How is your soul before God? Do you apprehend Him in judgment or in grace? Is the communion of your soul with God in the liberty of grace or in the fear of a coming day of judgment? If the last, it is not yielding herbs meet for Him by whom it is dressed. Thorns and briers are the product of nature. They are the natural product of a corrupt scene, whether it be the earth I tread or the heart I carry within me. Supposing I am acting in a legal, self-righteous mind — dealing with God as a Judge — is not that natural? But these are all thorns and briers. But if I walk in the filial confidence of one who has trusted in the salvation of God, that is the earth yielding fruits meet for Him by whom it is dressed.
Now what is the ground of the apostle’s persuasion of “better things” touching them in. verse 9? Not confidence in the simplicity of their apprehension of grace, but that the fruits of righteousness were seen among them — beautiful things that accompany but never constitute salvation. Therefore the apostle, seeing this beautiful fruitfulness, says, "Though I am sounding an alarm I do not attach it to you." Having got on that ground he pursues it to the close of the chapter, and does not return to what is doctrinal till he reaches Hebrews 7. He prays them to continue to minister to the saints. Does your knowledge of Christ lead you to two things — secret communion of soul with Him and practical energy of Christian walk and faithfulness? “Now," says he, "do you go on with the beautiful, practical work you have begun. Do not be slothful, but followers of them who by faith and patience inherit the promises."
Then he brings out Abraham as one who did not slack his hand to the end. Abraham not only got the promise in Genesis 15, but went on in patience till it was confirmed by an oath in Genesis 22. We are called not only to faith, but to the patience of faith. May you not have a consolation and yet not a strong consolation? We see it in Abraham. He had a consolation in Genesis 15 and a strong consolation in Genesis 2. A saint once said to me, “In that last sickness the Lord brought me so near Himself that I felt as if I had never believed before."
The apostle would have us like Abraham in Genesis 22, that "we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to take hold upon the hope set before us." This passage is commonly misquoted. It is not a sinner running to the blood for refuge, but a saint running to the hope of glory from the wreck of every prospect here. This is enough to try us. Do you and I sit on the wreck of everything here? Are we promising ourselves hopes for tomorrow? Abraham was a man who fled from every prospect here to lay hold on the hope of glory. The apostle says, “Lay hold upon the hope," not on the cross. The Word of God has an intensity that commonly escapes us. Now he returns to the Levitical figures. Does your hope enter within the veil? Have you not a hope about tomorrow? What is the thing the expectation of your heart hangs about? Is it the hope of the return of Christ, or the promises tomorrow?
“Whither the forerunner is for us entered." The Lord Jesus is here brought out in a new character. We see Him in heaven, not only for us as our High Priest, but to secure a place for us with Himself. Oh! if we could unfold the glories of the present dispensation! It is full of glories. Jesus is now in heaven in the glory of a Forerunner — a High Priest — the Purger of our sins. There He sits arrayed in glories. He will put on other glories in the millennial heavens. He will also be King of kings and Lord of lords on the millennial earth. He is not that now; but there are glories in which He is displayed to the eye of faith. Do you go and meditate, brokenheartedly, on the glories of “these last days," as they are called in this epistle.
But we pass on to Hebrews 8. “We have such an high priest who is set on the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man." What exquisite words! What glories filled the heavens in the days of creation? The sun, and moon, and stars were set there. His fingers garnished them. And pray, have not they garnished the present heavens? If there were glories set in the superficial heavens by the fingers of God, there are glories set in the interior heavens by the grace of God. One of these glories is a tabernacle which the Lord has pitched there. Christ came down from the eternal bosom to glorify God on the earth. Was there anything too brilliant in the way of glory in which to array such an One?
What intercourse we get here between God and His Christ — between the Father and the Son! And among the glories that awaited Him there was a temple pitched by the Lord Himself. The sun comes out of his chamber to run his course. The Creator built a habitation for the sun in the heavens (Psa. 19) God in redemption has built a habitation for the High Priest; and He is seated there in the highest place of honor. Christ could not be a priest here. The place was divinely occupied. It has been foolishly said, He could not go into the holiest. Surely He could not, for He came of the tribe of Judah. Did He come to break God’s ordinances or to fulfill all righteousness? What business had He in the holiest? A priest of the tribe of Levi, if he found Him there, would have been entitled to cast Him out. He was entitled to everything, but He came as a subject, self-emptied Servant. Did He intrude on the two poor disciples at Emmaus? Much less would He, a Son of Judah, as He was, intrude in God’s house.
Here we pause a little. In this epistle we find one thing. From the beginning to the end the Spirit is taking up one thing after another and laying it aside to make room for Christ, and when He has made room for Christ and brought Christ in, He fixes Him before us forever. And we must all submit to it. Has not God laid you aside and brought in Christ in your stead? Faith bows to this. It is what He has done in every believing soul.
So in Hebrews 1 He lays aside angels. “To which of the angels said He at any time, Sit on My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool?” Oh! how faith consents to it! Oh! how angels consent to it! Next we see Moses laid aside. “Moses verily was faithful...as a servant...but Christ as a Son over His own house." We can part with Moses because we have got Christ — as the poor eunuch could part with Philip because he had got Jesus. Then in Hebrews 4 comes out Joshua. But he is laid aside also. “If Joshua had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day" — Christ is set before me as the true Joshua who really gives me rest. Then Aaron is set aside to let in the priesthood of Christ; but when I have it before me I have it forever. He is the Administrator of a better covenant. The old covenant is done away because the Lord has nothing to say to it. And at the close we read the beautiful utterance, which might be the text of the epistle, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and forever." He being brought in is the same forever.
What a magnificent thought it is to think of God bringing in the blessed Jesus to the displacing of everything! That is perfection, because God rests in Him. This is exactly the sabbath of old, when God rested in creation. Now God rests in Christ, and that is perfection; and if you and I understand where we are, we are breathing the atmosphere of perfection — an accomplished work — a sabbath.
There is nothing more fruitful in glorious luminaries than the Epistle to the Hebrews. It is an epistle of untold glories, and of inestimable value to the conscience of the awakened sinner. It is the title of my soul to breathe the atmosphere of heaven itself; and if I do not do so, shall I put a cloud on my title because my experience is so poor?
Now at the close of Hebrews 8 we see another thing set aside — the first covenant. The covenant that Christ ministers never waxes old. “Your sins I will forgive, your iniquities I will pardon." There is no wrinkle on its face; no gray hairs upon its brow.
The Lord touches everything and fixes it before God forever; and God rests in it. He perfects everything He touches. While everything gives place to Him, He gives place to nothing. And would not you have it so? Would not John the Baptist have it so? When they came to him and said, " Rabbi, He that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou bearest witness, behold, the same baptiseth, and all men come to Him," he answered, " He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this My joy therefore is fulfilled." This ought to be the instinctive utterance of your heart and mine. If the Spirit has dealt with you in your soul you ought to say, “Blessed be God for it! He has set me aside to bring Jesus in." There is wonderful unity between the discovery we get here and the experience — of our own souls. We shall never get to an end of these glories till we are lost in an ocean of them by-and-by a sea without a shore!