Hebrews 9:22

On Beautiful Heresy the subject of sacrifice was recently discussed. Someone brought up Hebrews 9:22. I have some articles saved in my favorites that deal with this verse. I was looking through a few the other night (ala google). There were some that discussed Girard's view of Hebrews. In one of his books (Things Hidden, I think) he pretty much excluded Hebrews as a valid book in scripture because it seemed to condone rather than dismiss the sacrificial system. He also thought that it was the only book in the Bible that did not expose mimetic violence and the resulting sacrifice of a scapegoat. He has since reversed that opinion. There were several articles written which explained Hebrews from a non-sacrificial point of view. I was too tired to delve into them. You know...when you read the words but none of them light in the brain?? As to Hebrews 9:22, yes....I have wondered about it. I find something curious about the verse but I have not figured out the significance of it yet. In most of the translations it emphasizes that it is the law...according to the law, under the law, the law requires the shedding of blood.


Quote:
And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. KJV

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

ESV and the NASB translates it in a really interesting way:

And according to the Law, {one may} almost {say,} all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

When I looked up the meaning of the word translated as "law" in the verse in the original languages I found the following meanings.


anything established, anything received by usage, a custom, a law, a command

a) of any law whatsoever

1) a law or rule producing a state approved of God a) by the observance of which is approved of God

2) a precept or injunction

3) the rule of action prescribed by reason

b) of the Mosaic law, and referring, acc. to the context. either to the volume of the law or to its contents

c) the Christian religion: the law demanding faith, the moral instruction given by Christ, esp. the precept concerning love

d) the name of the more important part (the Pentateuch), is put for the entire collection of the sacred books of the OT

Hmmmm......phrases that stick out to me are

"of any law whatsoever" whose law? Man's law or God's law?

"anything established, anything received by usage, a custom, a law, a command anything established"? By who?

"anything received by usage"? From who? A custom? Whose custom?

"A law, a command"? Again, whose law, whose command?

"a precept or injunction" originating from where?

"the rule of action prescribed by reason? Whose reason?

His ways are above our ways...his thoughts above our thoughts....so the sacrificial system was prescribed by whose reason? Man's or God's??? These are all just things I am musing about. So many things to muse, so little time in which to do it!!! Feel like I am on spiritual overload sometimes....mulling over these things in my mind... These definitions, of course, are only part of the meaning of the word as used in scripture but I think they should give us pause....especially when we consider some of the other verses that clearly tell us God abhorred the sacrificial system....and that he did not command it or desire it.....but rather desired "Mercy Not Sacrifice"