The contrast here is between Mt. Sinai and Mt. Zion. Mt. Zion refers to Zion in the kingdom age (cf. Psa. 2:6; 48:1-2, 8; 102:12-22; 132:11-18; 146:10; Isa. 2:1-5).
The heavenly Jerusalem is in existence now and will be related to the millennial earth and on the eternal earth (Gal. 4:24-31; Heb. 11:10, 16).
After referring to the heavenly Jerusalem in verse 22, the writer describes its inhabitants in verses 22b to 23. Five categories are given: (1) Myriads of angels in festal assembly, (2) the church of the firstborn (the church of Christ in the N.T. age), (3) God, (4) the spirits of righteous people made perfect (O.T. saints), and (5) Jesus.
In verses 18-21, the writer vividly pictured the situation at Mount Sinai where the Old Covenant was given and its awesomeness and fearful nature were described (cf. Ex. 19:9–23; Deut. 9:8–19).
In verses 22-24, the realities that relate to New Covenant people and to which they have come are even more impressive because they are “heavenly.” Not only is there the heavenly city, but there are also heaven-related beings, both the “myriad of angels” and the people (“spirits of the righteous made perfect”), associated with it. But above all, it is to “God, the Judge of all,” that they have come—and there are some who indeed can stand His searching scrutiny of their lives (“the spirits of the righteous made perfect;” cf. 10:14; 11:40)—and to “Jesus, the Mediator (cf. 8:6; 9:15) of a New Covenant” whose atoning blood does not cry for judgment as did Abel’s but secures the acceptance of all New Covenant persons.
If the readers would contemplate these things properly, they would be awed by them and more inclined to fulfill their call to the highest privileges that the New Covenant can provide.
18 For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, 19 and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words, which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. 20 For they could not cope with the command, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I am terrified and trembling.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. (NASB)
Key Takeaways:
- Simply, this section can be summarized as: The writer of Hebrews contrasts Mt. Sinai and the giving of the Law with the heavenly Mt. Zion and the blessings of grace in the church
- Abel’s blood made Cain feel guilty (and rightly so) and drove him away in despair; but Christ’s blood frees us from guilt and has opened the way into the presence of God.
- The greater privileges of the new covenant demand greater responsiveness from believers.
- The patriarchs endured as they looked ahead to the city God was preparing for them. One way to lay hold of God’s grace is to look ahead by faith to the wonderful future He has prepared for us.
Closer Look:
Verse 18: The reference to “a mountain that can be touched” reminds us of the giving of the Law at Sinai (Exod. 19:12–22; 20:18–21). The Israelites and their animals were forbidden to touch Sinai. The descriptions of “fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind” portrayed the giving of the Law so as to affect the senses of sight and sound. The awesome details inspired reverence.
Verses 19–20: These verses continue the majestic description of the giving of the Law at Sinai. The “blast of a trumpet” conveyed an authoritative command not to be ignored. The “sound of words” (“voice” speaking words) proved terrifying to the listeners. The communications which the people could receive filled their hearts with dread (Deut. 5:23–27). The fright of the people was such that they begged: “that no further word be spoken to them.”
God communicated a moving reminder of the unworthiness of the people by prohibiting their approach to the mountain. Any human being or animal who touched the mountain would die. The glory of the experience thoroughly awed the people so that “they could not cope with the command.”
The separation of God from His people under the Law stands in contrast with His accessibility under the gospel. Believers receive a command to “approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Heb. 4:16). The consequences of rejecting the gospel which offers such privileges will be even more fearful than the effects of rejecting the Law.
Verse 21: The Israelites were filled with dread even though God kept them at a distance from the mountain. Moses, who was in the midst of the turbulent events, received the revelation that was withheld from the people. In the grand scheme of things, it is not overly concerning that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.” The description of Moses’ fear may come from Jewish traditions about the giving of the Law and may not reflect the content of any single passage of Scripture, since these exact words do not appear in the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 9:19 does narrate Moses’ fear. Whether or not Moses said those exact words, we do not know. But what we do know, is that it must have been an awesome sight. I cannot imagine what Mount Sinai was like. We just feel like the ground is trembling beneath our feet and the sound of a trumpet. I do not think it was rat-tat-tat-tat. I imagine it was just a long solid blast, and to me clouds and fire and it must have been an awesome sight.
These words conclude the comments on the old order. The next verses emphasize the added responsibilities of believers under the new covenant. This is why the writer essentially says that is not what you have and that is why we can say there is a contrast between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion.
Verse 22: This verse begins the description of the superior spiritual approach available to believers. The dread and fear of the old have vanished. Now, believers can worship God in full fellowship and joy!
Look closely again at verses 18-21 and see that the name Mount Sinai, where Israel received the Law, does not appear. The location at which believers meet with God is called Mount Zion. The mount is identified as “the city of the living God” and as “the heavenly Jerusalem.” The picture is one of calmness as God and His people enjoy fellowship together. There will be debate among some about what does Mount Zion refers to. Some will take it symbolically as referring to one thing and others to another thing. To me, Mount Zion refers to Zion in the Kingdom Age. We also find Mount Zion is used in the Old Testament of Jerusalem, especially the Temple Mount. But here, it is looking ahead to the Kingdom Age. But the point is that there is a Mount Zion in the Old Testament past and that is probably the Temple Mount. If you want illustrations of Mount Zion being Jerusalem here are some illustrations: Psalm 78:68-69, Psalm 87:12, Psalm 132:13, and others. But that does not appear to be what we have here. We have come to this new Kingdom Age that the writer is talking about positionally. The writer is pointing to this Kingdom Age. After referring to the heavenly Jerusalem in verse 22, the writer describes its inhabitants in verses 22b to 23.
Not all of the inhabitants are given as we notice the Holy Spirit is not mentioned. We see these broken into five categories. Utilizing the Greek, we see the use of “kai” which will divide these into various groups.
“Myriad of angels” (“innumerable angels in festal gathering,” ESV) surrounding God show that He is approachable. He lives among a society of followers who worship Him. These angels were the ministering spirits presented earlier in 1:14. Christians do not come together to worship these angels but to worship and serve the God who sends them forth.
This verse does not refer merely to a communion which believers enter at death. At conversion, Christians become members of a community of those who can worship the living God and receive from Him grace for daily needs (Heb. 4:16). Christians already experience a fulfillment of fellowship with God. The future will bring a complete consummation of this fellowship.
Verse 23: This verse describes those in God’s church and their relationship with God. The term “church of the firstborn” may mean the assembly of those whose inheritance rights are already won (since under the OT Law the “firstborn” was the primary heir; cf. v. 16). They have already gone on to the heavenly regions where the angels are. Those in the church are “firstborn,” a reference to rebirth through Christ. This term refers to the entire fellowship of believers and not merely to those of pre-Christian days. The term might also designate Christ as the one who is “firstborn” (Col. 1:15). With their names “enrolled in heaven,” believers are already members of the heavenly Jerusalem.
The third category is God Himself (one wonders why He is not listed first?). These members of the church come to God as the “Judge of all.” As the all-knowing God, He will carry out judgment one day in accord with His nature and in conformity to His truth. This phrase calls us to live in fear of falling into apostasy through rejection of the work of Christ.
The church also contains “the spirits of the righteous made perfect.” These are probably believers of pre-Christians days such as those mentioned in Hebrews 11. These are also the OT saints.
The last category is Jesus. The righteous have become just because of the work of Christ. Their perfection does not suggest flawlessness. They are perfected in the sense that they already enjoy fellowship with God in heaven.
Verse 24: The superior privileges of Christian believers allow us to come directly into God’s presence and to fellowship with reborn believers. We come to Jesus, “the mediator of a new covenant” (cf. 8:10–13). One nerdy note to mention. The word for “new” is the word neos, which means recent. It is not the word kainos, which means new, but the word neos for recent. Neos can also be new in kind as well or new in quality, but really it is recent, meaning “recent covenant.”
Jesus protected the readers of Hebrews by standing between guilty sinners and a holy God. Bringing Abel back into this, what does this really mean about Jesus’ blood speaking better than the blood of Abel? It probably means that Abel’s blood called for vengeance, whereas Christ’s blood calls for forgiveness. The “sprinkled blood” of Jesus had a better word to speak because it proclaimed forgiveness of sin, reconciliation with God, and spiritual power for believers.