INTRODUCTION:
Today we featuring a section of our Community’s previous study through Exodus. In this past study, we explored the wonder of The Magnificent Veil of the Wilderness Tabernacle. This was a thick, heavy curtain placed between The Holy Place and The Holy of Holies.
Thank you for joining us for a short review of part of our on-going page-to-page bible study called COME AS A CHILD. The current study held every Thursday is walking through the Book of Samuel. As I said before, this is a review lesson. We picked it because it has elements of Atonement and we are quickly approaching The Day of Atonement for 2024.
All of the lessons for our Exodus study have now been compiled into a published book called “Exodus to Freedom” by Gail Landgraf. You can purchase it from Amazon.com.
For this subject we began with following the scriptures in Exodus Chapter 26. If you wish to review the lesson before this one you can find it at: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/silver-sockets-of-redemption-come-as-a-child-lesson-156-amazing-silver-sockets/.
CREATING THE CURTAIN
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 scripture passage 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 was made of finely twisted linen threads of blue, purple and scarlet yarn. Woven into the curtain were designs of beautiful cherubim.
RECOGNIZING THE SKILLED WORKERS
I love the part of the scriptures which describe this work of the veil. The work is spoken of it as being done by “a skilled worker.”
God showed Moses those who were capable of implementing this magnificent design for the wilderness sanctuary. They were indeed very skilled workers. Some of their excellent skills were probably gained during the time they spent as slaves in Egypt. What a blessing it must have been for them to put such previously bad experiences to good use.
However; The GREATEST of the skilled workers was God. I suppose you might call Him The Great Designer.
God very skillfully implemented the whole story of the gospel and somehow wove it all 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
The veil we speak about today is a large and magnificent curtain divider hung within the wilderness tabernacle. However, the word “veil” has also implies something that a bride would wear.
The church that would grow 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. They would no longer be divided by any barriers.
This time during the forming of the wilderness tabernacle was not that time for the unveiling of The Bride. It was only the very beginning of the beautiful love story which 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 the significance of these elements held hints of past, present and future. The veil hinted of 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.
This was a process that took time and effort of great skill to obtain. The dyes for the colors had been forming and coming to be from the very foundation of the world at Creation.
FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD
God had provided everything that was needed. He did this way back in the very beginning of our gift called “time.” Certain elements of the creation were constantly being groomed for their moments of magnificence. Their dyes eventually enhanced the beauty of the veil’s design by giving royal colors to the curtain.
This curtain had embroidered designs upon it which were mystical elements of the heavens. It revealed the vast blueness of the skies.
Angels 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 secured. It separated off the most holy space in the world; the Holy of Holies. That sacred space held the Ark of the Covenant; the place of God’s throne.
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 stationed. Once inside they were to be quickly and quietly about their business. It was not a place to enter casually and just “hang out” for the day. The priests carefully focused on what God ordained to be done. Afterwards, they left and went on about their day.
Only the high priest could go behind the veil. He could only do that once a year for less than an hour’s time. Annually, he went inside to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the Mercy Seat. This always happened on The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur.)
ATONEMENT
The High Priest would never dream of entering The Holy of Holies without bringing the blood of a lamb. It was known that men could not look on the face of God and live. So it was that this huge thick curtain served to separate mankind from God.
For years and years men were unable to have direct access to God. The common people were told to stay on the other side of the curtain. Until the time that Christ came. He lived and died to give atonement for our sins. He lifted the veil and allowed us to come closer.
THE CHERUBIM ON THE CURTAIN
The cherubim were designed into the curtain/veil. They guarded the Ark. 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. They were symbolically guarding the Ark, the place of The Throne of God on the earth.