The first that was taken away consisted of three significant things that were copies or shadows of the reality and were replaced by the reality itself and they are:
1.The earthly Tabernacle
The first that was taken away and replaced by the reality is the earthly tabernacle which was concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances that were imposed until the time of reformation. It was(Hebrews 9:9-10).
It has now been replaced by the true tabernacle in heaven and so we have been admonished saying: "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of (Hebrews 12:23-24).
2. Animal sacrifices with its food and drink offerings
The second that was taken away was the animal sacrifices with its food and drink offerings. Every animal sacrifice had to be accompanied with its food and drink offering without which it would be incomplete. These sacrifices, regardless whether they were the regular daily offerings, morning and evening, the fellowship/peace offering on the weekly Sabbath, the monthly offering on every New Moon, the yearly offerings on the Lord's appointed feast days, or for a sin/trespass offering they all were accompanied with their food and drink offerings.
These were abolished and replaced by Jesus Christ as the sacrificial lamb who offered Himself once and for all, but replaced the food and drink offerings by His flesh and blood in the form of the bread and wine. For we are told that, "the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more (Hebrews 10:1-4).
Note carefully that, if these sacrifices could present those who approach the throne of grace perfect, they would not have ceased to be offered. Therefore, when Christ came into the world He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come --- In the volume of the book it is written of Me --- To do Your will, O God. Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the law), then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may (Hebrews 10:5-10).
Now the rationale and objective for this offering is for one thing and one thing only, it is to be able to draw near to the Father in a perfect, holy, sinless and blameless state. And so we have been admonished saying: "For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitable, for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God" (Hebrews 7:18-19).
The law of sacrifices made nothing perfect, but with the reformation, replacing the animal sacrifices with its food and drink by the body and blood of Jesus Christ in the form of the bread and wine, we now have access to the throne of grace with all boldness and confidence which is now the new and living way by which one draws near to the Father. And so the once and for in this instance is, once and for all we have an offering that can present us holy, perfect and irreproachable before the Father.
To be continued
With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph.
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