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"It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be
purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than
these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the
figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us"
(Heb. 9: 23, 24).
These two references to the Tabernacle are followed by two to the Heavenly City or
Country.
"Now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly."
"But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem" (Heb. 11: 16; 12: 22).
The heavenly calling of Heb. 3: 1 is therefore that which all of like faith with
Abraham and the other witnesses to faith in Heb. 11: share, the New Jerusalem, the
heavenly country and city being its sphere. The church of the One Body finds its sphere
of blessing "where Christ sits at the right hand of God", a sphere distinct from the
Heavenly City which will eventually come down from God out of heaven. In connection
with the participation in this heavenly calling, the Hebrews are called upon to "consider
the Apostle and High Priest of their profession, Christ Jesus". Katanoeo "consider"
occurs fourteen times in the New Testament and about twenty times in the LXX of the
Old Testament where it translates the Hebrew bin, nabat, sakal, shamem, tsaphah and
raah. These Hebrew words respectively mean understand, regard, understand as the
result of wisdom, to be astonished, watch and behold. In all these terms, patient, careful
regard is implied. Our English word "consider" comes from "watching the stars", sideris
being the Latin for "star".
"There is most caution in considering; most attention in regarding. Consideration is
employed for practical purposes; reflection for matters of speculation" (Crabb).
The scope of the consideration enjoined in Heb. 3: 1 may be estimated by the other
occurrence of the same word:
"Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works" (Heb. 10: 24).
This consideration embraces the apostle, the High Priest, and one another in its
embrace, the Redeemer and the redeemed, the Captain and His followers, and is far
removed from mere curiosity and academic interest. In Heb. 7: 4 the apostle directs
our attention to Melchisedec saying:
"Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave
the tenth of the spoils."
Here the attention is turned from the true High Priest Himself to His most exalted
type, Melchisedec. Again our attention is drawn to Christ, this time as the Author, the
Captain, as the word is translated in chapter 2:, and the Finisher and Perfecter, the
Beginning and the Ending, and related to the race set before Him, the endurance of the
cross, the Overcomer.