“By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use” (Hebrews 9:8 NLT).
In speaking with His disciples in John 15:26, Jesus identified the Holy Spirit as the parakletos in the original language of that passage. This word is used to describe someone who serves as an advocate who seeks to aid, counsel, and help others. (1) Jesus alluded to these aspects of the Holy Spirit’s ministry in other portions of the Gospel of John as well…
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:16 NIV).
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26).
In commenting on the Holy Spirit’s instructional role, Jesus also said, “…when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13 NIV). These doctrinal truths prepare us to move into a discussion concerning the Old Testament sacrificial system and the Holy Spirit’s revelation to us here in Hebrews 9:8.
You see, the Holy Spirit uses the limitations placed upon the High Priest to teach us that free and open access to God was unobtainable under the Old Covenant. Three commentators lend their insights to this important revelation…
“The Levitical system did not provide any direct access into God’s presence for His people. Rather, it kept them away. Nearness had to be provided by another way (v. 12). This is the primary lesson which the Holy Spirit taught concerning the tabernacle. It teaches how inaccessible God is apart from the death of Jesus Christ.” (2)
“There were deep spiritual truths connected with this. The Holy Spirit was teaching that sin had created distance between man and God, that man must approach God through a mediator, and that the mediator could approach God only through the blood of a sacrificial victim. It was an object lesson to teach that the way into God’s presence was not yet opened for worshipers” (3)
“The veil that screened the Most Holy Place and forbade entrance, save once a year, taught that fellowship with God was not fully open. Ignorance, unbelief, unpreparedness of heart still weave a heavy veil which screens God from the soul’s gaze” (4)
(1) G3875 parakletos Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?t=kjv&strongs=g3875
(2) John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Heb 9:8.
(3) William Macdonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary Edited by Arthur Farstad Thomas Nelson Publishers (Hebrews 9:2) p.2261
(4) F. B. Meyer, B.A., Through the Bible Day by Day, Hebrews 9:1-10 The Imperfect Way Of Approach To God