LESSON 12 - Heb. 12:18-24 - YOU HAVE COME TO THE CITY OF THE LIVING GOD
INTRODUCTION: Last week, in Heb. 12:1-7, we heard the writer of Hebrews talk to us about "endurance" in the Christian life, which he compared to running a race in a marathon. First, he warned us that the course over which we must run this race-a sinful world-is filled with obstacles, like sin in our own lives, doubt in God's promises, making unwise choices in life, or just plain old discouragement and frustration. Second, he told us that the real key to (a) staying in the race and (b) finishing well, is to run with our heads up and our eyes focused on our Team Leader, Jesus Christ. He forms the prime example of a runner who never takes his eye off the goal, from the start of the race all the way to the finish line. He also warned us that this race-fighting against sin in a world that's largely opposed to God-can be very discouraging, making us wonder at times why we're going to so much trouble for people who are hostile or indifferent to the gospel message. When that happens, we need to taken a hard look at ourselves and remember what Jesus had to endure to make salvation available to us, personally. Finally, the writer informed us that the trials, tribulations, and setbacks we face in the Christian life are all part of God's "discipline," which in reality is a planned part of God's program to train and condition us to keep running the race with endurance. When you encounter God's discipline, it's actually a sure sign that He loves as a "son of God." We should view it as God's School of Life and remember that we don't graduate until we go to heaven.
This week, in Heb. 12:18-24, we'll hear the writer of Hebrews continue the letter's general theme of explaining why the New Covenant of Grace provided by the once-and-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ as our Forever High Priest is superior in every way to Old Covenant under Mosaic Law. In today's text, writer will compare the two covenants using the figure of two mountains: Sinai and Zion. The emphasis of this comparison is the difference in how we are able to relate to a Holy God.
Read Heb. 12:18-21 - MOUNT SINAI, A FRIGHTFUL PLACE
18 For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, 19 and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. 20 For they could not bear the command, "IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES A MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED." 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, "I AM FULL OF FEAR and trembling."
v. 18: "For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind," - This scene recalls the time when the Israelites camped at the foot of Mount Sinai and Moses went up to receive the Law from God under the Old Covenant (Ex. 19:18-25). It describes a real and tangible mountain containing fire and gloom and noise that neither man nor animal was allowed to touch, lest they be struck dead. These miraculous events were intended to demonstrate the truth of God's Word to the Israelites and show them that He was an all-powerful God to be feared and honored as a holy God who could not be approached by man in his sinful condition. The emphasis is on the separation between man of God.
v. 19: "and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them." - Adding to visual terror that surrounded this scene was the deafening noise of blasting trumpets. The purpose of the noise was to expose the people to the nearness of God's presence and His fearsome powers. As explained by the writer earlier (Heb. 9:8-12), God's objective in making the Old Covenant was (1) for mankind to understand their own sin and (2) turn to God as a result of it. As shown here, when the people "begged that no further word be spoken to them," it pointed to their need for an intercessor, in this case, Moses, because they could not bear to deal with God directly.
v. 20: "For they could not bear the command, "IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES A MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED." - As if the visual scene and the deafening noise weren't terrifying enough, they heard God announce that any living thing that even touched this mountain would be stoned to death. In those days, stoning was a common form of capital punishment (Stephen in Acts 7; Paul at Lystra in Acts 14). As before, this underscores the separation between man and God under the Old Covenant and the fatal consequences of any attempt to approach God directly.
v. 21: "And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, "I AM FULL OF FEAR and trembling." - This is Moses, God's picked man, who probably spoke directly with God more than any other human being who ever lived. And even to him, his experience on this mountain was a "terrible...sight" that filled him "full of fear and trembling." What he was in the process learning from God-Torah Law-was the revelation of God's righteous requirements and His holy wrath against sin, and it gave him a deep, gut-churning level of fear. Like the Christian Jew audience of this letter, we need to understand that the purpose of Old Covenant and its Law was not to offer knowledge of salvation but to impart knowledge of sin-about condemnation rather than redemption.
APPLICATION 1: Mount Sinai and the Old Covenant represented the separation between man and God. Due to their sinful condition, human beings must have a mediator between themselves and a holy God. Under the Old Covenant, Moses mediated between God and man in the giving of Torah Law and the establishment of the sacrificial system. The overriding purpose of Old Covenant and its Law was not to offer knowledge of salvation, but to impart knowledge of sin to humanity; it pertained to condemnation rather than redemption.
Read 12:22-24 - YOU HAVE COME TO MOUNT ZION
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.
v. 22a: "But you have come to Mount Zion" - After describing Mount Sinai under the Old Covenant in vv. 18-21, the writer now proceeds to compare and contrast "Mount Zion" under the New Covenant. The Bible first mentions Mount Zion in 2 Sam. 5:7, when David captured it from the Jebusites, and it subsequently became the site upon which the city of Jerusalem was built and later became the location of Solomon's Temple, and later still, Herod's Temple (until 70 A.D.).
22b: "and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, - The "Mount Zion" to which the writer refers to here isn't the earthly city of Jerusalem but the eschatological, "heavenly Jerusalem" described in Rev. 21. In contrast to a fearful and forbidding mountain like Sinai under the Old Covenant, "Mount Zion" represents the age of grace under the New Covenant, which offers Christian believers an eternal home in "the city of the living God."
22c: "and to myriads of angels," - As believers enter the presence of God in heavenly Jerusalem, they are surrounded by "myriads" (numberless) "of angels" who are God's servants. (Note: the function of these angels, whether they act as heavenly hosts to newcomers, is not specified).
v. 23a: "to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, - This phrase refers to all Christian believers in general who make up the body and bride of Christ, who have died since the Pentecost, and will include those of us who die before the rapture. They await the Day when their mortal bodies will be resurrected and reunited with their Spirits.
v. 23b: "and to God, the Judge of all," - This is a confusing phrase: believers will come into the presence of "God, judge of all" and He will carry out judgment one day. We understand this to be the Great White Throne judgment presided over by Jesus after the resurrection of the dead, where He will separate the sheep from the goats as reported in Matt. 25:31-45 and Rev. 20:11-15.
v. 23c: "and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect," - This refers to the OT saints who were justified by faith. They are entitled to stand before God in purity because the value Christ's work has been imputed to them. They, too, await the time when their mortal bodies will be resurrected and reunited with their Spirits.
v. 24a: "and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant," - Moses mediated the Old Covenant as a human intermediary between God and the Israelites. He functioned simply as a human go-between when the Old Covenant was ratified and instituted the Levitical system of making animal sacrifices to atone for sin, and that was the extent of His authority. Jesus, however, was a mediator in a much higher sense: specifically, Before God could righteously invoke this New Covenant, our Lord Jesus Christ had to die, offering Himself as the once-and-for-all sacrifice for the sins of humanity, past present, and future. Then He ascended to heaven to sit at God's right hand, where He mediates for Christians right now as our High Priest forever.
v. 24b: "and to the sprinkled blood, - This refers to Christ's shed blood-His sacrifice-on the cross.
v. 24c: "which speaks better than the blood of Abel." - Jesus' shed blood, like Abel's sacrifice, was acceptable to God, but in all ways superior because it was sufficient to satisfy-i.e., cancel the sin debt-of a New Covenant of Grace that offers cleansing from sin and eternal salvation to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Christ offers us a New Covenant which removes the barrier-the separation-between man and God and allows us to approach God's throne with confidence (Heb. 4:16). Christ and Christ alone bridged the gap between sinful man and a perfectly holy God.
APPLICATION 2: Mount Zion and the New Covenant represent the removal of the barrier between man and God. By offering himself as a perfect and sinless sacrifice-i.e., a superior sacrifice-the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross was able to cover all the sins of humanity, past, present and future; and God accepted Jesus' sacrifice when He ascended to heaven and was seated at God's right hand, where He now mediates for all believing Christians as our eternal High Priest. In doing this, God established a New Covenant of Grace that offers cleansing from sin and eternal salvation to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. For Christians, the New Covenant forever removes the barrier between man and God and allows us to approach God's throne with confidence.
