Heb 9:7-12 | TNotes | STEP | 9:7 The yearly duty was carried out on the Day of Atonement, when the high priest offered sacrifices for the sins not covered by other sacrifices during the previous year (Lev 16:1-25 ).

9:7 ^a The yearly duty was carried out on the Day of Atonement, when the high priest offered sacrifices for the sins not covered by other sacrifices during the previous year (Lev 16:1-25 ^b).
9:8 ^c was not freely open: Free entrance into the presence of God was not available to all of the people under the old covenant system.

• The outer room of the Tabernacle, which served as a sacred barrier keeping the people from the presence of God in the Most Holy Place, was symbolic of the whole system. Under that system, people were kept out of God’s presence rather than led into it.
9:9 ^d This is an illustration: The problem with the gifts and sacrifices of the old covenant is that they were not able to cleanse the consciences of the people—they could not remove people’s guilt before a holy God (cp. 9:14 ^e; 10:2 ^f, 22 ^g; 13:18 ^h).
9:10 ⁱ The old system dealt only with physical regulations, and it could not deal with the condition of the heart (8:10 ^j; 10:21-24 ^k). Consequently, it was provisional, only intended to last until Christ could come and establish a better system (9:11–10:18 ^l).
Summary for Heb 9:11-10:18: 9:11–10:18 ^m The author now contrasts the old system (9:1-10 ⁿ) with the superior sacrifice made by Christ as High Priest: The blood of Christ’s offering was his own blood, not the blood of animals (9:13-22 ^o; cp. 9:7 ^p); Christ’s offering was made in the heavenly Tabernacle, not the earthly one (9:23-24 ^q; cp. 9:1-5 ^r); and Christ’s offering, rather than being made continually, was made just one time (9:25–10:18 ^s; cp. 7:27 ^t; 9:6-7 ^u). 9:11 ^v Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things of the new covenant. He was appointed by God in accord with Ps 110:4 ^w (Heb 5:1-10 ^x; 7:1-28 ^y) and offered a superior offering.

• that have come: Some manuscripts read that are about to come, either from the perspective of the old covenant era or looking forward to the culmination of God’s plan in the future.

• Christ’s sacrifice is superior because of where it was made: in that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven rather than the earthly Tabernacle (see 8:5 ^z and corresponding study note).
9:12 ^aa Christ’s offering is superior because it was made with his own blood rather than the blood of goats and calves (e.g., cp. Lev 16:3-5 ^ab).

• Christ’s offering is superior because he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time. Unlike the sacrifices in the old covenant, which had to be made year after year (Heb 10:1 ^ac), Jesus’ sacrificial death only had to be made once and was decisive in securing our redemption forever.