“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.”

We have shadow and image, copies and originals and there is a great similarity and yet a vast difference in the two things. Both the earthly and heavenly things had to be purified and both required certain things to accomplish that. Our author wants to make sure we understand that there is a serious gap between the quality of the two rites.

For one thing, the priests involved are so different and the second one is greatly superior to the first. Jesus has a superior priesthood, unlike the Aaronic one. His is a different order and is permanent in its nature. For another thing, the blood used is also different in quality, as the first was based on animal blood and the second is based on the blood of Jesus, the Son of God.

Task for Today: Do you believe Jesus is the better priest? Do you believe Jesus is the better sacrifice? Then why would you seek to go back to an inferior system by keeping the Old Law? The Ten Commandments and the rest of that law were nailed to a cross on a hill outside of Jerusalem hundreds of years ago. The blood of Jesus provided a new covenant which contains no table of stone but is written on hearts. What about your heart. Choose your heart, not a stone.