Moses According to the Law Hebrews 9:19

The writer of Hebrews shared how “a testament is of force after men are dead, otherwise it is of no strength”, and he wrote how the “first testament” was not “dedicated without blood”. In chapter nine and verse nineteen of Hebrews the writer shares how each of the contents within the tabernacle were used in “according to the law” where we read:

For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,

The verse begins, “For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law,...”. The writer began with the word, “For” which means “even as, indeed, no doubt, seeing then, verily and therefore” “when” “at the time, in and under” “Moses” whose name means “drawing out” and was “the legislator of the Jewish people and in a certain sense the founder of the Jewish religion” “had spoken” or “uttered, articulated and declared” “every precept” which means “each, any, the whole, all and everyone of the orders, commands, charges, precepts and injunctions” “to all the people” or “to each, and every, any, the whole and everyone of the people group, tribe, nation and all those who are of the same stock and language” “according to” which means “down from, toward and throughout” “the law” or “the rule producing a state approved of God”. The writer made reference to the time when “Moses” shared “the law of God” with the “people” of Israel.

The verse goes on to say, “...he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people”. The writer continued with the words, “he took” or “Moses laid hold of, carried and took upon himself” “the blood” which means “bloodshed” “of calves” or “young bulls or heifers” “and of goats” which means “male goats”, “with water” or “joined amid water”, “and scarlet wool” which refers to “crimson colored sheep's hair” “and hyssop” or “a plant used by the Hebrews in their ritual sprinklings”, “and sprinkled” or “cleansed and purified” “both the book” which refers to “not only the scroll, sheet or written document”, “and all the people” which means “but also each, every, the whole and everyone of the people group, tribe, nation and all those who are of the same stock and language”. When Moses shared the law of God with the people of Israel, he dedicated it with “blood, water, scarlet wool and hyssop” and “cleansed and purified” the “scroll” it was written upon as well as the “people” who heard it.

When we think through these words in Hebrews, we discover the importance of a “covenant” being “dedicated” by “blood”. God commanded Moses to use “blood, water, scarlet wool and hyssop” to “sprinkle” over His “law” and the “people” to whom it was read, and Moses obeyed. Jesus Christ, in effect, “sprinkled” His own blood over the “new covenant” to cleanse people from their sins and give them access to God. As we continue to learn of the value God saw in the “blood” anointing, let us be reminded that Jesus Christ shed His blood for not only us, but also for the sin of the whole world.

Next time the writer shares how “this is the blood of the testament which God has enjoined unto you”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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