“For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives…Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:16-17, 23-24).
God’s word is not absurdly ideal or illogical. Instead, the Scriptures are the perfect blend of idealism and realism.
Often, when critics seek to loosen what God has bound, the tip of their spear of attack is the charge: “That’s too hard; it’s not realistic.” The use of ananke (“of necessity” in verse 16 and “was necessary” in verse 23) belie this bogus assertion. Consider the realism of its usage in these two verses.
The brutal, bottom-line reality about a personal will or testament is the document is expressly intended to govern your estate after you die. While you are alive on this earth, it has no authority. Once you die, it becomes omnipotent in authority. Therefore, for the covenant God made with Israel at Mount Sinai to go into effect, death(s) had to and did occur. For His new covenant—as prophesied by Jeremiah (Hebrews 8:8-12)—to become authoritative, His Son—the One through whom He made it—had to die. It was necessary because that is in perfect harmony with reality.
In light of the fact that the old covenant’s tabernacle and vessels of ministry required sanctification by blood before the priests could serve in its precincts, the same would necessarily be true for the new covenant. And, since the new covenant is superior to the old, the blood used to sanctify its holy place would (logically) have to be superior to the blood of bulls and goats. The logic is inescapable.
The Scriptures are not a fairy tale or a tall tale. God’s word always corresponds to reality, sound reasoning, and good common sense.
