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Part 3 One of the least understood parts of the Old Testament begins in the 25th chapter of Exodus and continues through the entire book of Leviticus. Called the Hebrew Sanctuary Service, at first glance, most of its rituals seem very strange to us today. It is said that God gave Moses the Law on Mount Sinai and then demonstrated the Gospel in the desert below---through the object lessons in the sanctuary service. In Exodus 25:8,9, Moses is told, "And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it." God instructed them to build a tent made of wooden walls with a roof covering of animal hides and linen. The building was about 15 x 45 feet. It was placed within a fence called the court, which was about 75 feet wide and 50 feet long. It would become their national religious center. The tabernacle was made to be taken apart and moved. The furniture was built with handles so that it would be easily transported from place to place as the Israelites journeyed in the wilderness. It seems that the tabernacle was intended to serve only until such time as Israel should settle in the Promised Land and a more permanent building could be erected. The building, or tent, was divided into two parts by a curtain.
The front two-thirds is referred to as the holy place and the
back one-third as the most holy place. There were no windows.
In the first apartment was a seven-branched candlestick, and
altar for burning incense, Outside in the court, immediately in front of the door of the tabernacle, was a large basin containing water. The priests were to bathe their hands and feet before entering the tabernacle or beginning the service. In the court was also the altar of burnt offering. This altar was 5 feet high and 7-1/2 feet square, hollow inside and overlaid with brass. Twice a day, every morning and evening a lamb was offered on this altar for the nation. The Sanctuary was an object lesson for a nation of former slaves, most of whom probably could neither read or write. The lessons were taught through a series of sacrifices, both animal and vegetable. All of the rituals were done by priests, a layman could not directly approach God or enter the Sanctuary, the priest was always the go-between or mediator. One of the lessons taught was that forgiveness of sin can be obtained only through confession and ministration of blood. The lesson was that it costs something to forgive, and that cost was the life of an innocent one. This was taught in many ways, but the most impressive must have been when a man brought his own animal, confessed his sins over its head and personally cut its throat. The priest ministered the blood, but the man killed the animal with his own hand. The Hebrew Sanctuary Service has been compared to a spiritual object lesson to help a nation of people who were just coming out of Egyptian slavery. The object lessons or rituals performed by the priests were live picture illustrations of things that could be especially helpful to persons who had no Bible. However, the rituals were only types or examples of the real thing. In "stained-glass language" we would say that the imaginary is the type and the real is the anti-type. The lamb was the type, Jesus Christ was the anti-type. When John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus the Messiah to the world he said, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29. Even though the term "Lamb of God" does not appear in the Old Testament, it is obvious that the New Testament writers clearly understood Jesus Christ to be the Lamb of God. For a clearer explanation we read in Exodus 29:38, "This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight." NIV. It is clear that the Apostles understood the type (a spotless lamb) to represent Jesus Christ the Messiah. Peter refers to Christ as "a lamb without blemish or without spot" in 1 Peter 1:19. St. Paul clearly refers to Jesus Christ in an Old Testament connection as he writes, "...For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us." 1 Corinthians 5:7. In the Book of Revelation, John mentions Jesus Christ as the "Lamb" some 28 times. The sacrificed lamb of the Old Testament (the type) represented Jesus the crucified Messiah of the New Testament (the anti-type). With this basic understanding we can better understand some of the symbolism found in the Hebrew Sanctuary Service. It seems reasonable to assume that the people were taught the meanings of the rituals by the priests. Many things done in the Sanctuary had obvious lessons, but others remain unexplained until this day. Were it not for the insights of the New Testament much of the meaning of the sanctuary furnishings and rituals would be unclear. The book of Hebrews is especially helpful. The New Testament book of Hebrews is thought to have been written as a general letter to those who were Hebrews by birth and Christians by rebirth. The writer refers to Christ in Old Testament Sanctuary terms, "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God..." Here, in the book of Hebrews, the writer repeatedly refers to Jesus Christ as performing duties of a "high priest"---the highest ranking member of the priesthood in ancient Israel. Indeed there were numerous priests, in fact by the time of Jesus there were so many that they could only serve part-time so that everyone could have a turn. However, there was only one High Priest. Only he could enter into the place where the Ten Commandments were kept---and that was only once a year on the Day of Atonement. Every year, in the early fall, Israel's high priest conducted a special service that is often referred to as the Day of Atonement. It was the day of "At-One-Ment" or the day when God and His people were "at-one." In the Contemporary English Version of the Bible (copyright the American Bible Society, 1995) this day is referred to as "The Great Day of Forgiveness." The sanctuary services all year long built up to this special day. As we see it now, this was the final part of the object lesson that demonstrated God's plan of salvation. The people were told: "No one is to work on that day---it is the Great Day of Forgiveness, when sacrifices will be offered to me, so that I will forgive your sins." Leviticus 23:28 CEV. The 16th chapter of Leviticus contains very detailed instructions for the priests and people. In brief, the high priest represented the people and stood before God on their behalf. Through the rituals and animal sacrifices the people were shown that one time, once and for all, sin would be forgiven and the record wiped clean. God instructed: "Aaron, you must next sacrifice the goat for the sins of the people, and you must sprinkle its blood inside the most holy place...... By doing this, you will take away the sins that make both the most holy place and the people of Israel unclean." Leviticus 16:15,16 CEV. The New Testament writer of the book of Hebrews says of Jesus, "We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God." This statement brings us back to the Old Testament object lesson that pointed forward to Jesus Christ our high priest in heaven, who, for real---takes away the sins that make us unclean. Or as we read in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The ritual of the high priest going yearly into the most holy place and acting out his special role continued down until the time of Christ's death on the cross. It was at the cross where the object lesson ended. A true sacrifice for sins was made. The death of Jesus is described as, "Around noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until the middle of the afternoon. The sun stopped shining, and the curtain in the temple split down the middle. Jesus shouted, 'Father I put myself in your hands!' Then he died." CEV. The curtain splitting down the middle marked the departure of the presence of God from the most holy place. When Jesus died, the whole purpose of the object lesson of the Hebrew Sanctuary ended. It ceased to have a purpose. The type had met the anti-type. The real replaced the imaginary. The rituals of the priests were no longer necessary because the true Lamb of God had been slain. Recalling the words of John the Baptist we read, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29. Letting the New Testament Writers Explain Salvation: 1. Who needs what Jesus Christ has to offer? _________________________________ "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. 2. What can you do? _____________________________________________________ 3. Can I really know I'm saved?_____________________________________________ 4. And Jesus assures us:______________________________________________________
5. Jesus Christ is our High Priest: _______________________________________________ 1 Timothy 2:5, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all," We can get out of this world alive, but just like the Hebrews of old, we must look by faith to the Lamb of God. It is the way out, then and now. The conditions are still the same. By faith we look back to the cross and the Lamb that was slain, just as those of old looked forward in faith to the Lamb that would be slain. Step Three to having a wonderful life is to accept the free gift. Will you accept this gift today? Click here to go to Study #4 "The Great Mystery of You" Definitions that will help you better understand this study. |