Bible study of the Sanctuary -- Part 3

Bible study of the Sanctuary -- Part 3

Significance of the articles of the Sanctuary, and the Ceremonies.

The apparel of the priests.

“In accordance with their office, a special dress was appointed for the priests. “Thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for glory and for beauty,” was the divine direction to Moses. The robe of the common priest was of white linen, and woven in one piece. It extended nearly to the feet and was confined about the waist by a white linen girdle embroidered in blue, purple, and red. A linen turban, or miter, completed his outer costume. Moses at the burning bush was directed to put off his sandals, for the ground whereon he stood was holy. So the priests were not to enter the sanctuary with shoes upon their feet. Particles of dust cleaving to them would desecrate the holy place. They were to leave their shoes in the court before entering the sanctuary, and also to wash both their hands and their feet before ministering in the tabernacle or at the altar of burnt offering. Thus was constantly taught the lesson that all defilement must be put away from those who would approach into the presence of God. {PP 350.2}

The garments of the high priest were of costly material and beautiful workmanship, befitting his exalted station. In addition to the linen dress of the common priest, he wore a robe of blue, also woven in one piece. Around the skirt it was ornamented with golden bells, and pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet. Outside of this was the ephod, a shorter garment of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and white. It was confined by a girdle of the same colors, beautifully wrought. The ephod was sleeveless, and on its gold-embroidered shoulder pieces were set two onyx stones, bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. {PP 350.3}”

The breastplate:

“Over the ephod was the breastplate, the most sacred of the priestly vestments. This was of the same material as the ephod. It was in the form of a square, measuring a span, and was suspended from the shoulders by a cord of blue from golden rings. The border was formed of a variety of precious stones, the same that form the twelve foundations of the City of God. Within the border were twelve stones set in gold, arranged in rows of four, and, like those in the shoulder pieces, engraved with the names of the tribes. The Lord’s direction was, “Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.” Exodus 28:29. So Christ, the great High Priest, pleading His blood before the Father in the sinner’s behalf, bears upon His heart the name of every repentant, believing soul. Says the psalmist, “I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me.” Psalm 40:17. {PP 351.1}”

“At the right and left of the breastplate were two large stones of great brilliancy. These were known as the Urim and Thummim. By them the will of God was made known through the high priest. When questions were brought for decision before the Lord, a halo of light encircling the precious stone at the right was a token of the divine consent or approval, while a cloud shadowing the stone at the left was an evidence of denial or disapprobation. {PP 351.2}”

The Miter upon the Priest’s head:

The miter of the high priest consisted of the white linen turban, having attached to it by a lace of blue, a gold plate bearing the inscription, “Holiness to Jehovah.” Everything connected with the apparel and deportment of the priests was to be such as to impress the beholder with a sense of the holiness of God, the sacredness of His worship, and the purity required of those who came into His presence. {PP 351.3}

The purpose for the all the apparel of the priest’s and of the Sanctuary were all purposed to point the beholder to Humbleness and reverence to God.

What was the ministration of the priests to serve unto the example and pattern of?

Hebrews 8:5
Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

“Not only the sanctuary itself, but the ministration of the priests, was to “serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.” Hebrews 8:5. Thus it was of great importance; and the Lord, through Moses, gave the most definite and explicit instruction concerning every point of this typical service. The ministration of the sanctuary consisted of two divisions, a daily and a yearly service. The daily service was performed at the altar of burnt offering in the court of the tabernacle and in the holy place; while the yearly service was in the most holy. {PP 351.4}”

What do the articles of the Sanctuary represent?

The first thing we notice as we approach the sanctuary is that there is only one door. Not even a fire exit! Remember Jesus' words: "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved" (John 10:9).
All that are saved are redeemed by Jesus alone. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). The only way to God is through Christ, the only door.

               The wood wrapped in gold represents the human nature covered by the pure nature of Christ.

The walls of the Tabernacle were decorated with palm branches and open flowers (palm branches were used for Jesus returning to Jerusalem) (The palm branch is a symbol of victory, triumph, peace and eternal life).

Altar of burnt offerings

Immediately upon entering the door of the courtyard sat the brazen altar of burnt offerings. The altar was actually made of acacia wood and overlaid with brass. Some have likened the wood portion to human works and the brass to Christ's work. Without the brass, the wooden frame would have been consumed by the fire during the burning of the offerings, just as we will be consumed by the lake of fire if we do not believe that Jesus' grace must eclipse our good works.

The Laver

Between the altar of burnt offerings and the tabernacle itself stood the laver. It was also made of brass and was filled with water for the cleansing of the priests.
The picture of sinners' justification became clear in the courtyard. Before God gave the Israelites His Law on tables of stone, He saved them from slavery in Egypt by virtue of their faith in the Passover Lamb (symbolized by the altar) and baptized them in the sea (represented by the laver). God takes us just as we are and forgives our sins. When we accept Christ, confess our sins, and ask for forgiveness, our heavenly record of sin is covered by Jesus' blood.

Candle sticks

Just inside the holy place on the left (south) side, stood the golden menorah that had seven candlestick branches (see Exodus 25:31-40). They were not wax candles as we know them, but lamps fueled by pure olive oil. The priests trimmed the wicks daily, and refilled the bowls with oil so that the menorah would constantly be a source of light for the holy place. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12).
He also said, "Ye are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14). The olive oil in the lamps symbolized the Holy Spirit that illuminates the church. The lamp is a symbol of the Word, as well (Psalm 119:105).
The oil in the Candle sticks represent the holy Spirt (Like with the ten virgins)

Shewbread
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4

The shewbread, being stacked in 2 sets of 6, (66) can represent the books of the bible, the Spiritual food.

“The showbread was kept ever before the Lord as a perpetual offering. Thus it was a part of the daily sacrifice. It was called showbread, or “bread of the presence,” because it was ever before the face of the Lord. It was an acknowledgment of man’s dependence upon God for both temporal and spiritual food, and that it is received only through the mediation of Christ. God had fed Israel in the wilderness with bread from heaven, and they were still dependent upon His bounty, both for temporal food and spiritual blessings. Both the manna and the showbread pointed to Christ, the living Bread, who is ever in the presence of God for us. He Himself said, “I am the living Bread which came down from heaven.” John 6:48-51. Frankincense was placed upon the loaves. When the bread was removed every Sabbath, to be replaced by fresh loaves, the frankincense was burned upon the altar as a memorial before God. {PP 354.1}”

Altar of Incense
Hebrews 4:16 (KJV)

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

The altar of incense was located directly across from the door standing against the ornate veil that separated the holy place from the most holy place. Like several other items in the sanctuary, it was also made of acacia wood and covered with gold (Exodus 30:1-3). It was much smaller than the altar in the courtyard and contained a brass pot that held hot coals from the brazen altar of burnt offerings. It was here that the priest burned a very special blend of incense which filled the sanctuary with a sweet-smelling cloud, representing the prayers of intercession and confession of the believers sweetened by the Holy Spirit (Exodus 30:8).

Note: the fire on the Altar of Incense was lit by holy fire from God. It was kept burning by Him. The Altar was located directly before the Curtain, and, as it represents prayer, signifies the approach to the Mercy seat and throne of God. When we pray, we are approaching the Throne of God, and thus we must do so with a humble heart in sincerity and utter respect unto God.

Sanctification is the process in the Christian's life of learning to obey. It is made up of a series of justifications. Each time we sin we ask for forgiveness, and we are justified again. However, God offers more than forgiveness when we confess. In 1 John 1:9, He promises us that, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
It is that "cleansing from unrighteousness" that constitutes sanctification. The key ingredients in our sanctification are a devotional life in the Word, prayer, and witnessing. The sanctuary's bread, incense, and lamp represent these elements.

 The veil

This veil, or curtain, separating the holy and the most holy places of the sanctuary has great significance, because it was this veil that tore at the very moment Jesus died on the cross (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). His death symbolized the end of the need for the exclusive Levitical priesthood to mediate between man and God.
The veil represents the body of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19, 20). It was only by passing through this veil that access was possible to the most holy place (Hebrews 4:16). The tearing of the veil symbolized the death of the Lamb of God, which now permits the believer in His atonement immediate access to the most holy place through the new High Priest-Jesus Christ-the one and only Mediator between man and God.

Ark of the Covenant, Mercy seat

Inside the most holy place, or "holy of holies," was one piece of furniture-the ark of the covenant. This sacred box, also constructed of acacia wood and covered with gold, contained the tables of stone upon which God had written the Ten Commandments. Later it also contained Aaron's rod that had budded and a small pot of manna.
The lid of the ark was called the "mercy seat" (Exodus 25:17), and above it was the shining glory of the Lord, or Shekinah (which literally means "the dwelling"), radiating between two covering cherubs, or angels, on either end of the ark. This was a symbol of the throne of God and the presence of the Almighty in heaven. The walls of the most holy place were engraved with many angels, representing the clouds of living angels that surround the person of God in heaven (1 Kings 6:29).

Conclusion

The Tabernacle, as we have seen, was built to signify many things. The wood covered in Gold representing the nature of man being covered by the Nature of Christ; the Altar of Burnt offering signifying repentance and confession of sin, and forgiveness of sin; the Laver representing Baptism and Purification; the candlesticks representing the holy Spirit and the light of truth; the table of shew bread representing the word of God as spiritual food and the Holy Spirit; the altar of incense represents prayer (located just before the veil before the Mercy seat); then in the Most Holy place is the Ark of the covenant which enclosed the Two stones where the Law of God was written upon with His finger, representing the throne of God being the place of unchanging Judgement and mercy; the mercy seat as the throne where God abode among His people. All of these things, Patterned after the design of the Heavenly Sanctuary, all pointed forward to when Jesus Christ would shed His blood to wash the sins of the sinners away. What an Amazing God who would give so much to us who are so unworthy.