Torah Cycle – March 22, 2008

By Paul Sides

Leviticus is describing the consecration of Aaron and his sons as High Priest and priests as commanded by YHVH.

Jeremiah describes YHVH’s anger against the Nation of Israel and the priesthood for the evil offerings they were sacrificing to pagan gods.  Interesting to note, that Jeremiah declares a very significant point concerning YHVH’s ultimate “meaning” behind the “types and shadows”, that it is not the physical but the Spiritual that is reality…

Jeremiah 9

 25 "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh- 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the desert in distant places. ^[d] For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart."

Remember, every physical “law” of YHVH was designed to point to a greater Spiritual Truth… Physical to Spiritual Parallels!

The Apostle Paul was one of the first to understand this most valuable concept as it related to the previous physical covenants prior to the Yahshuaic Covenant that elevated the physical to the final Spiritual Realities:

1 Corinthians 15:46 (New International Version)

46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.

This concept is THE KEY to understanding YHVH and His Word.  Now, before we get into Hebrews 8, let me first make it crystal clear that the human priesthood of Aaron and Levi was done away with upon the resurrection of Yahshua as High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.  However, the Law of YHVH which defined the role of High Priest was NOT done away, but rather TRANSPOSED from physical to Spiritual… from Earth to Heaven.  Paul addresses this truth in Hebrews 7.

TRANSPOSITION NOT ABOLISHMENT

The English translations are not very accurate.  Below is the proper translation of the "Change" that occurred in The Law in Hebrews 7:12.  The word translated "change in the Law" in Hebrews 7:12 is Greek word #3331 in Strong's metathesis.  If you look this word up, the proper translation and meaning of this word is NOT "change" it is "transfer to Heaven"... transposition.

In context, this scripture is explaining the superiority of the Spiritual Melchizedek Priesthood over the physical portrait and human priesthood of Levi.  The Levitical Priesthood was given to help us understand physically what Yahshua would do Spiritually as High Priest before YHWH (physical to spiritual parallels).  And given the final High Priest has come and taken His position as the King of Righteousness or Melchizedek... the human priesthood of Levi was TRANSFERRED over to Melchizedek and so was the Law by which the priesthood has authority to make atonement!  Below is how Hebrews 7:12 should have been translated:

Hebrews 7:12

"for when there is a transfer of the priestly office (of Levi to Melchizedek), out of necessity there is ALSO A TRANSFER of the LAW of the priesthood (by which the Priesthood has authority)"

In other words, now Yahshua is the High Priest and has all the duties and authority provided Him by the Law of YHWH concerning sacrifices and atonement.  Both the priesthood and the Law that governs it was transferred to Melchizedek (Yahshua) not abolished.  Both the High Priesthood and The Law were "transferred to heaven" or transposed.

Hebrews 7:12 where it says "change in the Law" is a mistranslation used to assist Roman Catholicism and Christianity to do away with the Law of YHWH.  The correct translation of the Greek word  metaqesiV is "transfer to heaven".  Meaning both the Law which governs and defines the sacrifices made by the High Priest as well as the High Priesthood was transferred to Heaven with Yahshua... NOT abolished.  Below is the Strong's entrance for the Greek word in Hebrews 7:12... the word metathesis means "transposition" or a transfer of position in this case to heaven not abolished.

Now, let’s address Hebrews 8.

Below, Paul is describing the state of the “ReNewed” Covenant in its final Spiritual state.  The Priesthood and the Law defining the responsibilities of the Priesthood have been transposed to Heaven.  And “the sanctuary” or Temple has been destroyed on Earth in its physical form and recreated in the Spiritual realm within the sons of YHVH.  And we now have a High Priest who serves the sons of YHVH at the very throne of YHVH.

Hebrews 8

The High Priest of a New Covenant

 1 The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.

Now Paul makes it clear, that as High Priest even Yahshua must have “something” to offer in the form of gifts and sacrifices to effectively perform his duty as High Priest.  Those gifts and sacrifices offered by Yahshua are the Spiritual reality of that described in The Law once offered in physical form in a physical temple.  The Law now being transferred or transposed to Heaven to serve Yahshua in his role as High Priest.

 3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."^[a]

Next, Paul makes it clear, that the “agreement” between YHVH and man has changed as the “terms and conditions” changed and now Yahshua is mediator of the new revised agreement.  This New Covenant is “better” than that of the Mosaic in that instead of judgment for violation of the Law there is now Grace. Life instead of Death resulting in better promises as the blood of the Lamb covered the Certificate of Debt found in the ordinances contained in The Law.

6 But the ministry Yahshua has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.

Paul then explains that there was “fault” in the first covenant.  That fault was NOT the Law but rather man’s inability to keep it resulting in sin.  Therefore a need for a “sin offering” and a Messiah.  YHVH found fault with the people not His Law…

 7For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said^[b]:
   "The time is coming, declares the Lord,
      when I will make a new covenant
   with the house of Israel
      and with the house of Judah.
 9It will not be like the covenant
      I made with their forefathers
   when I took them by the hand
      to lead them out of Egypt,
   because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
      and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.
 10This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
      after that time, declares the Lord.
   I will put my laws in their minds
      and write them on their hearts.
   I will be their God,
      and they will be my people.
 11No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
      or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,'
   because they will all know me,
      from the least of them to the greatest.
 12For I will forgive their wickedness
      and will remember their sins no more."^[c]

 13By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

The result of man’s inability to keep the Law of YHVH and the human priesthood’s inability to maintain the proper gifts and sacrifices on behalf of the people was the transposition of the Law and Priesthood to Heaven under the authority of the Messiah.