Tabernacle Study - Holy of Holies
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Holy of Holies
Holy of Holies
Last week, we talked through each of the pieces of furniture in the courtyard and the holy place.
This week, we will pass by the brazen altar, beyond the basin of cleansing, through the curtain entrance of the holy place, past the showbread and the lampstand, and taking in the scent of the altar of incense, we will enter through the veil to the most holy place - the Holy of Holies.
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The public would bring their sacrifices to the courtyard, which we will talk more about next week.
The priests would do their duties in the courtyard and the holy place.
But only the high priest was allowed to enter the holy of holies and only once per year, on the penalty of death.
God’s holiness was evident amongst the people of Israel, and His holiness has not wained even today.
God did not turn off His holiness to accommodate more people.
Regardless of what the culture would try to impose on us, God is still Holy and Holiness is still the standard by which we enter heaven.
Fortunately, Jesus has become the bearer of the standard and empowered us to become His righteousness.
The symbolism of the Holy of Holies points to a day when everyone would have direct access to God at any time and at any place.
Look at where the mercy seat was:
21 “You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you.
22 “There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.
God gave them the commandments, and later aaron’s rod that budded, and the bowl of manna and put the mercy seat above it all.
I believe it was a glimpse that there was coming a day when mercy would reign above the law through Jesus.
Aren’t you glad Jesus provided the perfect sacrifice that we may be able to enter without fear, the presence of God whenever we need Him.
Story Ricky and I talked about worshipping outside.
In the Old Covenant, we were limited to a specific time, and a specific space, and even a specific way the high priest could approach the presence of God.
He had to first make atonement for his own sins, then bring atonement for the sins of the people.
Now, under the new covenant we have a high priest who entered there to make atonement once and for all. He had no sin of his own, and had to make no atonement for himself. Rather, He made atonement for us, wiping away the debt of sin with his own sacrifice, making him both High Priest, and the Perfect Sacrifice.
It has always been the desire of God to dwell with His creation without separation. When adam and eve sinned and separated mankind from His presence, God already had a plan to correct it through the redemption of His own sacrifice.
The Holy of Holies was a part of that plan, foreshadowing what was to come.
The Holy of Holies was a 15’x15’ room separated from the holy place by a large curtain.
We are skipping ahead in the guide to the section labeled “access to God” and we will come back to the description of the ark.
This separation represented more than just a door, it was symbolic of the separation that existed between God’s presence and His creation.
Although the tabernacle represented God’s desire to be amongst His people, it also was a reminder in it’s construction tthat there was separation…
In fact, the author of Hebrews refers to this system as one that was temporary and ineffective shadow that pointed to something greater that was to come through Jesus…
19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,
When Jesus died, this veil that represented the separation of God’s presence from the world was ripped from top to bottom:
51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.
Now, what was allowed only once per year and only to the high priest was suddenly open for all.
Inside the Holy of Holies
Inside the Holy of Holies
There was only one piece of furniture that stayed in the Holy of Holies: The Ark of the Covenant
It was 45 inches long, 27 inches high, and 27 inches wide
10 “They shall construct an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high.
11 “You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding around it.
It was carried by four gold rings through which poles were inserted and not to be removed…
12 “You shall cast four gold rings for it and fasten them on its four feet, and two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it.
13 “You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
14 “You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them.
15 “The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it.
God instructed Moses to place the stone tablets inscribed with the terrms of the covenant inside the ark.
16 “You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.
According to Paul, the law on these tablets would remind the people of their sin..
7 What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
No one could keep every aspect of the law as a way to holiness, because the Law had no power to make holy, rather it was the power of sin…
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;
So God puts a mercy seat, or atonement cover over the law:
21 “You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you.
The “Mercy Seat” is the word kapporet in Hebrew and is literally translated “propitiatory” or “atonement cover”
It means to cover sins, reconcile, or make atonement.
Look at this image:
17 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide.
18 “You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat.
19 “Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends.
20 “The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat.
Sound familiar?
11 But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb;
12 and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying.
This is the picture! John is making a powerful point here: that which was once temporary has become reality. The thing that the ark of the covenant shadowed has manifested… Jesus was the atoning sacrifice whose blood was sprinkled on the atonement cover…
His death opened did away with the veil of separation and his sacrifice was the perfect atonement to grant us access to communion with God… Not only can we come near, but we can commune with Him!
19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
God is no less holy now than He has ever been. He has not laid aside His holiness. Rather, He has provided a way into His presence through the perfect sacrifice, that is Jesus Christ.
Now, we need not to go on sinning as slaves to the power of sin, but we are made alive in Christ Jesus and given the power to overcome.
He is the new and living way, the high priest that is touched by the feeling of our infirmities, the propitiation for our sins, the perfect sacrifice, the ultimate atonement, our pathway to peace and roadway to righteousness.
We are no longer bound by sin, but set free from the shackles it once held over our life.
Therefore, says the author of Hebrews,
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;
24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
He is the only sacrifice that can cleanse us and make us whole. He is the only one who holds the power to death hell and the grave. He is our salvation.