SACRIFICES & OBEDIENCE
Jer 7:22-23 For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or slaughters. But this thing commanded I them, saying, "Obey my voice, and I will be your Elohim, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you".
Heb 10:1-3
The Torah has in it shadows of good things yet to come, not the very
image of those things. That is why a slaughter which
the high priests offered once a year (Lev 16:34) could not make
those who draw near (Deu 21:5, the high priests,
who were themselves only a "shadow of a good thing to come",
Lev 10:1-3 & Lev 16:1-2; Heb 3:1) of full age
(Heb 7:23-24). For then would a slaughter
not have ceased to be offered? Because those servants (the high priests)
once purged,
should have had no sense of
mortality. But in
a slaughter there is a
reminder of their sins every year (Heb 9:7
& Eze 18:4).
The Abrabanel (Don Isaac Abrabanel of Spain, 1437-1508) reminds us of the significance of the death of a high priest: "The high priest was a prince and a leader of Israel and was consecrated to God. Upon his death the whole nation would tremble and the living would recognize that the days of man are like a shadow".
Heb 10:4-9a It is impossible for blood of bulls, goats, or any other animal or human slaughter (Mic 6:6-8) to remove sins. Wherefore when the Messiah comes into the world, he cites Psa 40:6-8 saying, “Slaughtering and offering thou would not, but a body hast thou prepared me. In burnt offerings (Lev 1:3-17) and sin offerings (Lev 4:1-35) thou have had no pleasure. Then said I, lo, I come; in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O Elohim, thy Torah is in my inmost parts”. In the first portion of this verse it said, “Slaughtering and offering and burnt offerings and offering-for-sin thou would not, neither had pleasure therein”, (although they are offered in accordance with the Torah). Then the verse said, ”Lo, in the body you prepared for me I come to do thy will, O Elohim”.
Heb 10:9b The point is, when the priest slaughters the first portion of that verse (the offerings, vs. 6 & 8) he upholds the second part of the verse (obedience, vs. 7 & 9).
Heb 10:10-14 Likewise, by means of the Messiah's obedience, we priests are prepared through the offering of the body (the emphasis is on obedience, not substitution, Rom 12:1: Heb 9:11-14; Jam 3:3) of Yeshua the Messiah, once. Indeed, every priest stands daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same victims, which never take away sins. But he, after he had offered only one victim for sins (i.e. "obedience", vs. 9; 1 Sam 15:22; Psa 50:9-15), settled at the right hand of YHVH for all time waiting (Josh 18:11; Eze 43:6-7) until his enemies be made his footstool (1 Cor 15:24-28). For by one offering he has prepared forever those who are set apart (the priests, Exo 19:22; Heb 10:19-20).
CONCLUSION: The Messiah came to satisfy the obedience of the High Priest (Heb 5:6-9), not the offering system (cp. Eze 44:26-27; 45:21-25; 46:2-8, etc.); keeping in mind that the animals slaughtered were not substitutes. If a slaughtered animal was some type of payment for sin, to who was the payment made? Certainly not to the Majesty on High, because there is no forgiveness or mercy, when a debt is paid (cp. Psa 103:10-18; Mic 7:18-20).