"Behind
the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the
Holiest of All, which had the golden censer and the ark of the
covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden
pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of
the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing
the mercy seat."
(Hebrews 9:3-5)
The
“Holiest of All”
is the same thing as “The
Most Holy Place” or
“the Holy of
Holies.” Only the
High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and he could only enter it
once a year on the Day of Atonement. There was only one piece of
furniture in this room – the Ark of the Covenant. It was overlaid
with pure gold. Inside the ark were three special items of
significance to God’s people –the
golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the
tablets of the covenant.
The jar of manna was a memorial of God’s miraculous provision for
the people of Israel during their time in the wilderness. Manna
signifies Jesus as the living bread who daily sustains us by his
grace. Each day the Israelites had to go out and gather the manna.
If they kept it over to the next day it would spoil. So the believer
in Jesus needs to feed on Him daily and receive new grace each day.
We cannot rely on yesterday’s prayers and time in the word. We
must seek the Lord each day and abide in him always.
Aaron’s
rod was also inside the Ark. This was Aaron’s rod which had budded
overnight to indicate that out of all the tribes, the tribe of Levi
and the descendants of Aaron alone were authorized to serve in the
Tabernacle. According to Numbers 17 each of the 12 tribes were to
place a rod with their name on it before the Lord. The name of Aaron
was written on his rod. The next day the one which budded would be
the one God had chosen. The reason this was done was to
silence the complaints of the people against Aaron and Moses and to
prove that Aaron’s authority as High Priest was of God. Aaron’s
rod budded, proving that he was the one God had chosen.
Aaron's
rod that budded also speaks of Jesus. The rod was something that had
died and supernaturally came to life again. Jesus died and came to
life again on the third day. He also said, "I
am the resurrection and the life."
The
last item mentioned that was in the Ark were the two unbroken tablets
of the covenant with the Ten Commandments written on them. The
unbroken tables of stone set forth Jesus as the One who perfectly
kept the Law and never broke God's Commandments. The Bible says that
He "committed
no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth."
The Ten Commandments reflect the very character of God and also
reveal His will for our lives. He desires that we be like His Son
Jesus, who kept the law perfectly. The Ten Commandments show us our
sin, our need of a Savior and then they show us the way of life as
saved sinners.
The
Ark itself was important for it was the place where God especially
dwelt and would speak from there. We might say that the Ark was
God’s throne on earth. Verse 5 says that above
it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat.
The
Ark of the Covenant was
where Gods justice and judgment toward sin was satisfied.
It represents the Lord Jesus because he is the Mercy Seat where sin
was atoned for. When Jesus died, the veil of the Temple was torn in
two. It was the veil to the Holy of Holies, which signified that
through the atoning death of Christ the way has now been opened for
believers to be ushered into the very presence of God and His throne
of grace. God no longer communes with man from between the wings of
the cherubim on top of the mercy seat. He communes with man through
his Son Jesus Christ. He alone is the propitiation for our sins, the
one true Mercy Seat. When we come to God by Him, we have atonement
for our sins, we have access to God and we have communion with God.
The
Tabernacle was a symbolic sanctuary. It was an outwardly beautiful,
sensory experience of worship. But remember, it was all a parable
for the true sanctuary and the true worship we are to bring to God in
and through Jesus Christ. Today in the church we must not become
enamored with the material building of worship and its accouterments.
When we make the outward, visible things more important than the
things of the Spirit, we are in danger of going back to a form of
Judaic religion. The worship of the New Covenant is simple worship
of the Father in spirit and truth. Apart from the elements used in
the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the worship we
engage in today is not focused on earthly things, but on heavenly
realities.
In
conclusion, the Tabernacle was given by God as a display of grace and
truth as it is found in Jesus Christ. Each item in the Tabernacle
was a visual aid to show the sinner his true need, to symbolize God’s
provision to meet that need, and to point them to the coming Messiah
who fulfilled all that it symbolized. Thank God for this symbolic
sanctuary. And thank God for the true Tabernacle of God, the person
of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, the Lord of Glory, the true
Mercy Seat, the Lamb of God, the Great High Priest, the Way, the
Truth and the Life! Come to Jesus today. Worship Him, trust Him,
serve Him. "Worthy
is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, And
strength and honor and glory and blessing!"
