The Two Mountains
Hebrews • Sermon • Submitted
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· 7 viewsWe come to the conclusion of the book, where are the disciples of Jesus? Mount Zion is much more than Mount Sinai could ever have been, so they must listen to God and offer acceptable service with reverence and awe.
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Mount Sinai - vs.18-21
Mount Sinai - vs.18-21
This contrast is not unique to Hebrews, Paul also uses it in Galatians - Gal 4:22-26
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
Our author emphasizes they have NOT come to Sinai, a physical mountain
The symbols come from the first camp of Israel at Mt Sinai - blazing fire, darkness, gloom, whirlwind, blast of a trumpet, voice of thunder - these events were frightening to all involved - Exod 19:16-19
On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder.
God’s voice was so frightening that the people begged Moses for him to speak with God privately, but they could not stand to hear it again - Exod 20:18-19
Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”
Although the mountain “could” be touched because it was made of matter, they could not touch it because it was holy - Exod 19:21-22
And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to look and many of them perish. Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them.”
This emphasizes the inaccessibility of God, they had come to Him, yet they were still excluded from Him
Mount Zion - vs.22-24
Mount Zion - vs.22-24
They “have come” is from the Greek verb proselyte in the perfect tense (completed action), which is a common theme of Hebrews - Heb 4:16; 7:25; 10:1, 22; 11:6
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
To Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jersualem - Rev 21:1-2; Gal 4:26
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
To myriads (lit. tens of thousands) of angels - Rev 5:11; Heb 2:2
Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,
For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,
To the general assembly (festal gathering) and church (congregation / assembly) of the firstborn (perhaps referring to Esau who sold his birthright, an immoral action); this collection is much more than a local church meeting on Sunday for a worship service
To God, the judge of all, whom they could not see, touch, or hear at Sinai
To the spirits of righteous men made perfect (saints who have left their mortal bodies, but are now made perfect) - Heb 11:40
since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
To Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant - Heb 7:22; 8:7-8
This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.
For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
To sprinkled blood - Heb 9:23-24
Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
Which speaks better than the blood of Abel, which condemns - Gen 4:10; Heb 11:4
And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.
By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.
The Unshakable Mountain - vs.25-29
The Unshakable Mountain - vs.25-29
See that you do not refuse the speaker, God, as Israel did at Sinai
Israel did not listen to the warning from Moses and died in the wilderness - Num 14:5-10
Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.
How much less (lesser to greater) if we do not heed the warning directly from heaven, despite the obvious physical dangers we face?
God promises He will shake heaven and earth one more time - Hag 2:6
For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land.
The obvious message of limiting this to one more time means that which can be shaken will not survive, but be removed, leaving only the unshakeable
Context of Haggai shows this speaks of the restored temple of God, which will have more glory than the original tabernacle / temple ever did, because all the nations will bring their wealth to it
Solomon’s temple had the gold of the nations, but this temple will have something more precious, the souls from all nations - 1 Kgs 10:11, 14-15, 21-25
Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a very great amount of almug wood and precious stones.
Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, besides that which came from the explorers and from the business of the merchants, and from all the kings of the west and from the governors of the land.
All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver; silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon. For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.
When our eyes are truly open to see the glory of this temple, to which we have come (perfect tense), what do we do? We show gratitude by offering acceptable service (not just our Sunday assemblies), with reverence and awe
If we don’t, our God is also a consuming fire - Heb 10:26-27, 31
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Question for Next Week:
Question for Next Week:
1- What is acceptable service?
2- How important is it to have leadership among God’s people?
3- Why is it important where Jesus was crucified?
4- How are we enabled to do these good things?