Lesson 73 - Junior

Memory Verse

Notes

The Sanctuary

We have learned that the Holy Place occupied two thirds of the Tabernacle.-Here only the priests could enter. Let us consider its holiness.

The walls were covered with pure gold (gold is a type of purity), and purity is a condition of holiness. The inside covering for the Tabernacle was of fine linen, with cherubims cunningly woven into the fabric. As one entered this holy place he saw on his right the table of shewbread, overlaid with pure gold and containing the twelve loaves of unleavened bread, which typified the Bread of Life, and the spiritual food of which the sanctified partake. The number of loaves represented food for each tribe of Israel. The loaves were replaced each week so there would always be a fresh supply on hand. Do you remember that Jesus aid, "I am the bread of life:-he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst" (John 6:35)? Can you see how Jesus drew pictures of Himself and the plan of salvation in the erection of the Tabernacle and all its furnishings and forms of worship?

The Light

There was no light in the Tabernacle except that furnished by the golden candlestick containing seven lamps, made of pure gold. This was placed to the left as one entered the Holy Place. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). There we se a likeness to Jesus in the candlestick.

Jesus told His disciples, too, that they were the light of the world. The fully consecrated Christians form the Church that lights the world. "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined" (Psalm 50:2). Zion is the Church of the First-born, the perfect, sanctified Church, which is shining in the midst of sinful darkness. It is the sanctified, who are enjoying the illumination of the golden candlestick in the Holy Place.

The Golden Altar

Opposite the entrance into the Holy Place was the altar of incense, also called the golden altar. It was overlaid with gold on tope and all sides; on each corner was a horn upon which the priests placed some of the blood from the sin offerings brought for sanctification. Poles, covered with gold, passed through gold rings on each side to carry the altar when the Children of Israel were on the march. The golden altar was placed next to the heavy veil separating the Holy Place from the Holiest of All. Incense was kept burning always, as an emblem of continual prayer and praise to God.

Tabernacle Sanctified

When the work of building was completed the Lord gave Moses instructions for preparing a holy anointing oil with which to sanctify the Tabernacle, the Ark, the golden table and its dishes, the candlestick and its vessels, the golden altar; the brazen altar, the laver " all must be made holy for use in the service to God. Aaron and his sons, the priests, were also to be anointed with oil in consecration. Oil is a type of the Holy Spirit, which is present at salvation and sanctification, but we do not enjoy His abiding presence until we receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

Sanctification by Blood

It took more than oil to sanctify the priests and the Tabernacle. "Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry" (Hebrews 9:21); and after the priests had been washed with water and had been anointed with oil, a ram was killed and some of its blood was placed upon their right ear, their right thumb, and their right big toe, signifying an entire covering of the blood to purify them. They could not enter the Holy Place in the Tabernacle until this purification had been accomplished.

Just think how holy the Tabernacle was. First we considered the perfection of the materials that went into the building and furniture " pure gold and fine linen. Then it was consecrated by the oil and the blood; and then the priests were made holy before they could enter. Cannot you see how important holiness is with God?-He told the people: "Ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy" (Leviticus 11:44).

We cannot here speak particularly about the priests' robes, but we want to mention the mitre, or crown, which the high priest wore on his head. On it was a plate of pure gold upon which were engraved the words HOLINESS TO THE LORD. Whenever the people looked at Aaron they would be reminded of the holiness of God and feel their need of holiness, too, in order to be accepted of the Lord.

Sin Offering

We read in [LEV:4:1-35] of a sin offering in which was sacrificed a bullock or kid for certain kinds of sin. This was not the same as the trespass offering when each man brought his own lamb to atone for his transgressions. After we are saved, have pardon for the sins we have committed, there is a need of a purification through which the inbred sin, the nature of sin which we inherited from Adam, is purged out.

After the bullock or kid was killed, the priest took some of the blood and entered the sanctuary, or Holy Place, and sprinkled it seven times "before the LORD, before the veil." Remember that the Ark and the mercy seat were just beyond the golden altar, on the other side of the veil; and God's presence dwelt between the cherubims above the mercy seat. So in sprinkling the blood over the golden altar there was only the veil between it and the Shekinah. Some of the blood was also placed upon the four horns of the golden altar.

Burned Outside the Camp

Only a small part of the sin offering was burned upon the brazen altar. The rest of it was taken outside the camp and completely burned. What lesson do we learn from that?

This sin offering is what Paul spoke of in [HEB:13:11-12]. The body of the beast, whose blood had been taken into the Holy Place and sprinkled on the altar of incense, was burned without the camp as a picture of Jesus' suffering on Golgotha's hill outside the city of Jerusalem, and shedding His Blood to sanctify His people. Paul definitely states: "That he might sanctify the people with his own blood."

The Blood Essential

We want to emphasise that it took blood to sanctify the people. Some would have us believe that we are sanctified by the oil, the Holy Spirit (and indeed the Spirit is present at different times in our Christian experience, for Christ breathed the Holy Ghost upon His disciples the first day He had risen from the dead [JHN:20:22], but they did not receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost until the Day of Pentecost). Aaron and his sons were anointed with oil, but they still had to have the blood applied to their ears, thumbs, and toes before they were holy enough to enter the Holy Place.

Other people would have us believe that the laver in the outer court where the priests washed was typical of sanctification, but there was no blood in the laver " and Jesus sanctifies us with His Blood! We understand the laver to represent water baptism.

Others say that the meat offerings (which include unleavened bread, fine flour, oil, and incense) were typical of sanctification; but again we note the lack of blood. We can see our consecrations in these offerings. We must give our best, without sin (leaven), and the incense of our prayers rising continually from our hearts will bear our consecrations to the Lord. The Spirit (oil) will bless our sacrifices, but we must wait for the Blood to be applied to our hearts the second time before we are sanctified. (The first application of the Blood was at salvation when we brought our offering of a lamb as our trespass offering.)

None but the priests were allowed to enter the Holy Place. The high priest wore a breastplate set with stones engraved with the names of the twelve tribes. So the people were represented to God before the golden altar of sanctification. The blood of the bullock upon the golden altar did not sanctify the people, but it was a type of the Blood of Jesus who was to come; and by looking to Him in faith, they all could have been sanctified even in those days, for some were sanctified.

Holiness Essential

Is holiness necessary for us? If God told the Children of Israel "Ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy," how much greater is our obligation in this "better" dispensation after Jesus shed His Blood for our sanctification. If God took such great pains to see that everything in the earthly Tabernacle was holy, and only holy people could enter, do you think anyone could get into the true Tabernacle of Heaven without holiness? "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall se the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14).

How can we become holy? We have been saved from our sins through repentance, and have asked Jesus to cover them with His precious Blood. He has forgiven every wrong thing we ever did, and has given us power to go and sin no more. But we are still in the outer court. How can we enter the Holy Place if it was only for the priests?

Kings and Priests

Peter said of the Christians: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light" (I Peter 2:9). John also spoke of it: "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father" (Revelation 1:5, 6).

So if we are priests of God, we, too, can take the blood of the sin offering into the Holy Place for our sancti-fication, and enjoy its resplendent, purified, and golden interior.

Oh, the beauties of holiness!-We have entered into God's Holy Place and have companionship with Jesus, our High Priest. "For both he that sanctifieth and they who arse sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren" (Hebrews 2:11). We eat of the heavenly shewbread and enjoy the glorious light of the golden candlestick.

Questions

1. Describe the Holy Place. Who could enter it?

2. What was offered on the golden altar?

3. What was the candlestick a type of?

4. What did the table of shewbread represent?

5. Why did Jesus suffer outside the gate?

6. Is holiness necessary for us today?