Hebrews 10:1-24
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. – Hebrews 10:14
Click to read passage
Numbers 3 and 4 show us a community learning how to live around the presence of a holy God. The Levites were set apart to serve in place of the Israelites first born, carefully chosen, counted, and assigned. This shows us that drawing near to God is both a privilege and a calling. The Levites carried real responsibility, especially in handling what belonged to God. Their service required reverence, order, and obedience.
Nearness to God was a gift, but also a weighty calling. Numbers 4 reminds us how serious holiness is. The Kohathites were forbidden even to look at the holy objects uncovered, lest they die. (Numbers 4:20)
The passage we read today invites us to see how this story finds its fulfilment in Christ. The writer reminds us that the law and the sacrifices were “only a shadow of the good things that are coming” (Heb 10:1). The work of the Levites was necessary and faithful, yet incomplete. Sacrifices had to be repeated, and access to God remained limited. Even when the Israelites learned to take God seriously, they could not yet draw near with confidence.
Everything changes with Jesus. Through His once-for-all sacrifice, the way to God is fully opened. What the Levites guarded with great care, Christ has now secured completely. Because of His blood, God’s people are invited to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Heb 10:22a).
This does not mean reverence is no longer needed. Rather, reverence is now expressed differently. We no longer keep our distance in fear, but we approach God in humility and trust, resting in Christ’s finished work. The seriousness we saw in Numbers 4 is not removed—it has been fulfilled and transformed.
Hebrews 10 then calls us to respond in devotion as a worshipping community. We are urged to hold firmly to the hope we confess and to consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. If Numbers 3 teaches us about committed service, and Numbers 4 about careful obedience, Hebrews 10 shows us the goal: a people who live near God with joyful confidence, perseverance, and love.
Like the Levites, we serve because we are redeemed. Unlike them, we serve resting in a finished sacrifice. The shadow has given way to substance. The repeated has given way to the complete. And through Jesus, our true and greater Priest, we are invited to draw near and serve Him as a worshipping community, a holy and living priesthood.
Reflection：
• What helps or hinders you from drawing near to our Holy God with confidence in your daily life?
• How can you intentionally encourage someone else toward love and good deeds this week?
Prayer：
Dear Gracious God, We thank You that through Jesus, the way into Your presence has been opened. Teach us to draw near with confidence and to serve with reverence and gratitude. Help us to hold fast to our hope and to encourage one another in love and good works. May our lives be lived as a holy and pleasing offering to You. In Jesus‘s name we pray, Amen.
Click to read passage
Numbers 3 and 4 show us a community learning how to live around the presence of a holy God. The Levites were set apart to serve in place of the Israelites first born, carefully chosen, counted, and assigned. This shows us that drawing near to God is both a privilege and a calling. The Levites carried real responsibility, especially in handling what belonged to God. Their service required reverence, order, and obedience.
Nearness to God was a gift, but also a weighty calling. Numbers 4 reminds us how serious holiness is. The Kohathites were forbidden even to look at the holy objects uncovered, lest they die. (Numbers 4:20)
The passage we read today invites us to see how this story finds its fulfilment in Christ. The writer reminds us that the law and the sacrifices were “only a shadow of the good things that are coming” (Heb 10:1). The work of the Levites was necessary and faithful, yet incomplete. Sacrifices had to be repeated, and access to God remained limited. Even when the Israelites learned to take God seriously, they could not yet draw near with confidence.
Everything changes with Jesus. Through His once-for-all sacrifice, the way to God is fully opened. What the Levites guarded with great care, Christ has now secured completely. Because of His blood, God’s people are invited to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Heb 10:22a).
This does not mean reverence is no longer needed. Rather, reverence is now expressed differently. We no longer keep our distance in fear, but we approach God in humility and trust, resting in Christ’s finished work. The seriousness we saw in Numbers 4 is not removed—it has been fulfilled and transformed.
Hebrews 10 then calls us to respond in devotion as a worshipping community. We are urged to hold firmly to the hope we confess and to consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. If Numbers 3 teaches us about committed service, and Numbers 4 about careful obedience, Hebrews 10 shows us the goal: a people who live near God with joyful confidence, perseverance, and love.
Like the Levites, we serve because we are redeemed. Unlike them, we serve resting in a finished sacrifice. The shadow has given way to substance. The repeated has given way to the complete. And through Jesus, our true and greater Priest, we are invited to draw near and serve Him as a worshipping community, a holy and living priesthood.
Reflection：
• What helps or hinders you from drawing near to our Holy God with confidence in your daily life?
• How can you intentionally encourage someone else toward love and good deeds this week?
Prayer：
Dear Gracious God, We thank You that through Jesus, the way into Your presence has been opened. Teach us to draw near with confidence and to serve with reverence and gratitude. Help us to hold fast to our hope and to encourage one another in love and good works. May our lives be lived as a holy and pleasing offering to You. In Jesus‘s name we pray, Amen.