Commentaries:
Hebrews 9 opens with a description of the earthly sanctuary and its contents. Instructions from Leviticus 16 begin in verse 7: “But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance.” Verses 11-15 show Christ's fulfillment of the cleansing ritual and how He entered the Most Holy Place in heaven with His own blood. Verse 15 points out that our promise of eternal inheritance is based on His mediation; neither He nor we are awaiting Satan to fulfill any part of the sin offering. Verses 22-25 also explain Christ's cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary with His own blood, once for all, in contrast to the yearly purification of the physical sanctuary.
Comparing these explanations with the instruction in Leviticus 16, we see that both passages follow the same general order. Leviticus 16 begins with the instructions for the high priest on Atonement, just as Hebrews 2-9 presents Christ's superior High Priesthood. Next, Leviticus 16 proceeds to the slaughter of the first goat and the use of its blood to cleanse the sanctuary and holy objects. The bulk of Hebrews 9 explains Christ's role in fulfilling that.
David C. Grabbe
Who Fulfills the Azazel Goat— Satan or Christ? (Part Three)
Verse 7 says the priest offered (or brought) blood for himself and the people's sins, and verse 23 underscores that the part of the ceremony involving bringing blood into the Most Holy Place was for purification or cleansing of the objects. This idea is also found in verse 22: "according to the law almost all things are purified with blood.”
The Levitical priest used animal blood, but our High Priest entered the Holy of Holies in heaven with His own blood. His blood provides an entrance into the presence of the Supreme God. Verse 23 says the heavenly things had to be purified, as though simply being in the same universe as humanity meant they had to be cleansed. But Christ's blood provides a cleansing so complete that we now can “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16) His blood appeases the Father, so we can “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience” (Hebrews 10:22).
David C. Grabbe
Azazel: Endings
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Hebrews 9:11:
Leviticus 23:5
Haggai 2:10-19
