INTRODUCTION:
Thank you for joining us in this on-going chronological bible study called COME AS A CHILD. Today we are looking at the magnificent veil. This is the thick, heavy curtain placed between The Holy Place and The Holy of Holies.
We have been following the scriptures in Exodus Chapter 26. If you missed our lesson last week you can find it at: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/silver-sockets-of-redemption-come-as-a-child-lesson-156-amazing-silver-sockets/.
CREATING THE CURTAIN/VEIL
Exodus 26:31: “Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim woven into it by a skilled worker.
This is speaking of the “veil” that God had Moses to construct. The veil separated The Holy Place from The Holy of Holies. It hid the Ark of the Covenant from the view of those inside The Holy Place. This huge, thick curtain made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn had finely twisted linen threads. Woven into the curtain design were designs of beautiful cherubim.
RECOGNIZING THE SKILLED WORKERS
I love the part of the scriptures that describe this work of the veil as being done by “a skilled worker.”
God pointed out to Moses who the skilled earthly workers were. He showed Moses those who were capable of implementing this magnificent design for the wilderness sanctuary. They were indeed very skilled. Some of their excellent skills were probably gained during their time as slaves; but these bad experiences were now put to good use.
However; The GREATEST of the skilled workers was God!
God very skillfully implemented the whole story of the gospel into the elements of the wilderness tabernacle. The placement of the veil was a very significant part of the whole story of man dwelling with God.
SEPARATING THE BRIDE
Though it was a large and magnificent curtain divider within the wilderness tabernacle; the word “veil” implied something that a bride would wear. The church that would come out of the beginnings of this tabernacle would be the church that would also be known as The Bride of Christ. At some point in time the veil of the Bride would be lifted. She would see her beloved clearly with an unveiled face and they would no longer be divided by any barriers.
This time of the forming of the wilderness tabernacle was not that time of the unveiling of The Bride. It was only the very beginning of much more of the love story that was to come later.
The skilled storyteller of all storytellers had very carefully woven His design into the place of worship for His people. Every corner, wall, covering and furnishing told a piece of His story. All of the significance of these elements held hints of past, present and future. The veil hinted at the coming days when men and God would finally be united forever.
FIRE, EARTH, SKY AND SEA
Josephus describes this “veil” as being a kind of image of the universe; “for by the scarlet there seemed to be enigmatically signified fire, by the fine flax the earth, by the blue the air, and by the purple the sea; two of them having their colors the foundation of this resemblance; but the fine flax and the purple have their own origin for that foundation, the earth producing the one and the sea the other.”
He speaks of the fact that the dyes for the colors used came from the earth and the sea. It was a process that took time and effort of great skill to obtain. These dyes for the colors had also been forming and coming to be from the very foundation of the world at Creation. God had provided everything that was needed way back then and certain elements of the Creation were constantly being groomed for their moments of magnificence. The dyes enhanced the beauty of the excellent design by giving royal colors to the veil.
This curtain also had embroidered designs upon it that were mystical elements of the heavens; the vast blueness of the skies and the angels that were woven into the design.
Exodus 26:32 explains how the veil was to hang in the tabernacle. “Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood over laid with gold and standing on four silver bases.”
The curtain must be secure as it separated off the most holy space in the world; the Holy of Holies that held the Ark of the Covenant; the place of God’s throne.
THE VEIL/CURTAIN UNDERLINED THE SEPARATION OF MAN AND GOD
Even the priests were not allowed to go behind this curtain. They could go no further than The Holy Place where the table of shewbread and the menorah were. They were to be about their business when they were there; it was not a place to enter casually and just “hang out” for the day. They carefully came inside; they focused on what God had ordained to be done; and they left and went on about their day.
Only the high priest could go behind the veil, and he could only do that once a year for less than an hour’s time in order to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the Mercy Seat on The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur.)
The High Priest would never dream of entering The Holy of Holies without bringing with him the blood of a lamb.
So it was that this huge thick curtain served to separate mankind from God. It was known that man could not look on the face of God and live. For years and years and years man was unable to have direct access to God; until Christ came and lived and died to give atonement for our sins. Until that time; all of the common people as well as the priests were told to stay on the other side of the curtain.
THE ARK WAS GUARDED BY THE CHERUBIM REPRESENTED ON THE CURTAIN
The curtain was guarded by the cherubim that were designed into it. Just like the angels that guarded the entrance to the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve sinned; angels were in the design of the veil covering The Holy of Holies; symbolically guarding the place of The Throne of God on the earth.