Hebrews 10:1 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

HEBREWS CHAPTER 10 Hebrews 10:1-4 The sacrifices of the law, being often repeated, could not take away sins. Hebrews 10:5-9 The abolition of them, and substitution of Christ's body in their stead, foretold by the psalmist, Hebrews 10:10-18 by the offering of which body once for all we obtain perfect remission. Hebrews 10:19-25 An exhortation to steadfastness in the faith, and to love and good works. Hebrews 10:26-31 The danger of a wilful relapse after having received the knowledge of the truth, Hebrews 10:32-39 and of forfeiting the reward of a good beginning for want of perseverance. For: this for is connecting this to the foregoing discourse, and is a further improvement of the argument laid down, Heb 9, proving the necessity and excellency of the one sacrifice offered by Christ for sinners unto God, from the weakness of all the legal ones. For if all the multitude of them were not able to take away sins, and Christ's one offering is mighty to abolish them, and to perfect all who use it, then not these legal ones, but his is necessary to be valued by the Hebrews, and preferred to that end; the demonstration of which takes up from Hebrews 10:1-18 of this chapter. The law; the whole Mosaical economy given from God to Israel by him in the wilderness of Sinai; priesthood, covenant, sacrifices, and services, which that did contain. Having a shadow of good things to come: see Hebrews 8:5. A shadow is lower than an image, and of another kind from the reality or substance; a dark, obscure representation sentation of what was to fulfil them, viz. of Christ, with all his ministry and privileges attending his covenant, both for time and eternity; this the Mosaical law-real comprehended, but all in shadow-work. And not the very image of the things; they are not the very essence and substance themselves of these things, the pattern, or real sampler, but a shadowy representation; they lead their users to Christ and his matters, which they represented, but were not the substantial good things themselves. So image is read, 1 Corinthians 15:49, we have borne the image of the earthy Adam, that is, his nature. Can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect: the legal sacrifices are not only impotent in respect of their constitution, but of their very nature, being only shadows, so as they cannot render a soul complete, either in respect of justification or sanctification; they could not free any either from the guilt or punishment of sin at present, much less eternally: with all the renovation of them either on the day of atonement yearly, or those daily offered by them, though they should continue to be offered for ever, yet could they not perfect either the priests ministering, or those for whom they ministered, who were externally humbling themselves on the expiation day; they being designed only to point the people to this better sacrifice of Christ, which was to perfect them, that work being so noble, and above, the power of shadows to perform.