Thoughts on Study Questions from Hebrews for 11/5

THOUGHTS ON HEBREWS STUDY QUESTIONS

My Sunday School Life Group is studying Hebrews. Every Monday, I post questions that were discussed the day before in Sunday School. I invite you to ponder/think about them and jot down your thoughts.

On Wednesdays, I post some of the ideas that came up in the Life Group's discussion for you to consider and compare with your thoughts.  

These questions were discussed in my Life Group Monday. This post presents thoughts from the class discussion.

Chapter 9
Vv 1-12

Why was the High Priest allowed access to the Holy of Holies?

Sacrifice the required animals as blood sacrifices for himself and the unknown sins of the people.

What was the purpose of the blood taken into the Holy of Holies?

Blood is a cleansing agent and a delivery system in the body.  Wastes are removed while oxygen and nutrients are delivered to cells. It's easy to see the parallel to salvation's removal of sin and filling with the Holy Spirit.

Verses 8-10 are a commentary on Christ’s crucifixion. What were the good and bad aspects of the animal sacrifices?

Some of the GOOD things 

• They showed obedience by the people to God‘s commands, 
• They showed faith by the people that God could forgive their sin’s through these animal sacrifices
• The loss of blood and life represented the consequences of sin by the people.  
• They also represented the holiness and importance of God, that the people would want the priests to sacrifice animals as payment for their sins. 

In the BAD Column

• They are temporary and you had to go through an intermediary to approach God for forgiveness through the priests doing the animal sacrifices, 
• They could not remove the guilt that you feel or clear your conscious from the sin, even though the animal sacrifices show that you were forgiven. 
• The animal sacrifices were more like things than having to do with the heart. 
• They were ceremonial.

Note: The high priest went into the holy of holy’s did the atonement once a year, but the animal sacrifices for the sins of the people took place daily and sometimes 2 or 3 times/day. 

The High Priest now offers prayers for the people each day in lieu of sacrificing animals. The morning prayers are the Abraham prayers. The afternoon prayers are the Isaac prayers, and the evening prayers are the Jacob prayers. Each prayer time is named after the patriarch who instituted that prayer time.

The following is Isaiah 56:1-8. It speaks specifically of praying for the Gentiles.

Salvation for the Gentiles

56 Thus says the Lord:

“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
For My salvation is about to come,
And My righteousness to be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man who does this,
And the son of man who lays hold on it;
Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

3 Do not let the son of the foreigner
Who has joined himself to the Lord
Speak, saying,
“The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”;
Nor let the eunuch say,
“Here I am, a dry tree.”
4 For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths,
And choose what pleases Me,
And hold fast My covenant,
5 Even to them I will give in My house
And within My walls a place and a name
Better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give them[a] an everlasting name
That shall not be cut off.

6 “Also the sons of the foreigner
Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him,
And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—
Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And holds fast My covenant—
7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain,
And make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
Will be accepted on My altar;
For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
8 The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says,
“Yet I will gather to him
Others besides those who are gathered to him.”

We Got This Far This Week

NOTICE!

Next week I'll be in Northern Wisconsin visiting Hadley and Harper. My class will be doing a one-Sunday deep dive into the history and process of the High Priest. If there is any report on the discussion, it won't be posted next Monday or Wednesday.

Chapter 9

Vv 11-15

What good things are already here?

Red 

What’s the significance of Christ’s “once for all” entry into the HofH?

Red 

Blood cleansing vs. heifer ashes. ‘Sup wit dat?

Red 

Why would sprinkling blood on an object make it clean?

Red 

What does Christ’s blood cleanse? Why is that essential?

Red 

Comment on the last part of v14.

Red 

Called? See Romans 8:28

Red 

Who/What is benefitting by what’s described at the end of v15?

Red 

What is eternally inherited? (Jer 31:31-34)

Red 

If you'd like a PDF of the pages of questions in table form with room for you to write answers, email me at 

chuckdowning4@gmail.com/ 

Follow me on Twitter: @CRDowningAuthor and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CRDowningAuthor

My website is: www.crdowning.com

I'd appreciate your feedback as a comment on Blogger!

Why was the High Priest allowed access to the Holy of Holies?

What was the purpose of the blood taken into the Holy of Holies?

Vv8-10 is a commentary on Christ’s crucifixion. What were the good and bad aspects of the animal sacrifices?