priests went through the blood sacrifices at the Brazen Altar, washed their hands and feet at the Laver for holiness, and waved the incense in the Holy Place for a sweet fragrance, yet the old Adamic nature of the flesh was still present. Every year, the priests were required to do the same ritualistic practices to make the atonement for the sins of the nation of Israel because they were dead in their trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1).
The apostle Paul talked about the blood offerings of bulls and goats that could never take away the sins of man, but only atoned for them which basically meant to make amends for an offense or error (Hebrews 10:4, 11). What the law could not do was remove the sins of the fleshly nature; therefore, there remained a separation from God no matter how many bulls and goats were sacrificed. But Jesus came to make a remission for our sins and fleshly nature, and we are now released from the debt and penalty of those sins. Jesus said that we are no longer obliged to serve the sin because He has granted us forgiveness and pardoned us from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2-4).
Therefore, as beautiful as this veil was, God was still separated from His people. But praise God! Jesus came to remove that Veil of Separation through His blood once and for all (Ephesians 2:12-19). Jesus became the substitute so that we can now freely enter into the Holy of Holies by accepting His forgiveness at the Brazen Altar, and having our sins washed away from the filthiness of the flesh at the Laver. We can now walk into the Holy Place to commune with the Bread of Life, partaking of the Word of God which is a lamp to our feet, then offering the fruit of our lips of praise unto Him as we enter into the Holy of Holies. What a delight that we no longer have to stand on the outside of God’s presence, but we can enter into the next dimension and experience His manifested glory!
The Most Holy Place
The Most Holy Place was also known as the Holy of Holies. The only item here was the Ark of the Covenant.
The Ark of the Covenant was square, made of acacia wood and overlaid in gold, as was the Mercy Seat covering it. The mercy seat was designed with two cherubims facing each other with their wings spread and between them is where the glory of God manifested (Exodus 25:17-22; Leviticus 16:2; Hebrews 9:5). The only two people who were allowed to remove the covering of the mercy seat were Moses and Aaron the high priest, and only for the purpose of placing three items within.
The first item God instructed Moses to place inside the Ark was the Testimony, known to us as the Ten Commandments (Exodus 25:16; Deuteronomy 10:5); hence it is also called the Ark of the Testimony or Ark of the Witness. Therefore, the Ark first contained the holy laws and principles of God, showing God’s sovereignty to hold all things to the gospel of His truth.
The second item placed inside was the Pot of Manna (Exodus 16:31-34), which was the supernatural bread He fed the Israelites while in the wilderness. This was symbolic of Jesus being our spiritual, holy bread (John 6:48-51).
The third item was Aaron’s Rod that budded almonds after being only a dead stick (Numbers 17:1-10). Can a dead stick live? Only if God says. Can a man who is dead in trespasses and sin live? Yes. This is symbolic of the Holy Spirit that comes to bring spiritual life back the mortal body unto a resurrected life in Christ Jesus. What was once dead can live again (Colossians 2:13).
On the Day of Atonement, the high priest consecrated himself, put on his holy garments, and was fragranced by the holy anointing oil. A bullock sacrifice was made to atone for himself and for the sins of his own house. Then he waved sweet perfume behind the veil and went into the Most Holy Place to meet with God (Exodus 30:1, 6-10; Leviticus 16). After the high priest sprinkled the blood seven times upon the mercy seat, he pronounced the sins of the nation upon the scapegoat and released it into the wilderness. That’s when the fire of God came down, consumed the offering, and the glory of God filled the house to overflowing with His presence (Leviticus 9:24).
Two Davidic Tabernacles
During David’s reign, the Mosaic Tabernacle, with all the items in place and with the priests serving as was customary, was functioning on Mt. Gibeon just as God had instructed Moses (1 Chronicles 16:39) with one exception. Instead of the Ark of the Covenant being in the old tabernacle behind the veil, it was now the exclusive item inside the tent that David had prepared for it in the fort called Zion also known as the City of David (1 Chronicles 16:1).
The pattern of worship that God had given to Moses was still in operation, but David must have felt that God deserved more than just dutiful worship. So after the processional ended and the Ark was placed in the tent, David made appointments for the Levites to joyfully worship day and night around the Ark. David’s joy of worshiping God had caused him to invite the Ark of God’s presence next to his home in the City of David for the pure pleasure and delight of being with Him. In essence, David brought the presence of God into the daily lives of every priest, not just the high priest. Now instead of one tabernacle to worship in, there are two. This was symbolic of how we are not just to worship God at a church building but to bring it home to where we live, in our daily lives.
The following diagrams are not an exact replica, but they do show the pattern of each tabernacle.
The Gates
Because David enjoyed the Lord, he didn’t wait until he came through The Gates before beginning his worship; no sacrifice was worth all the glory – God was! From his heart David declared he would, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving…be thankful unto him…” (Psalms 100:4), and it manifested in his songs. David also saw the spiritual gates that ushered in the King of glory, and thus he commanded, “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle” (Psalms 24:7-8). David took every opportunity to incite God in everything he did. Whereas the gates had formerly been just an object, they were now an opportunity for worship.
The Outer Court
Furthermore, where the Outer Court had been a solemn, dutiful repentance, now it would be changed. David instructed them to “…enter the courts with praise…” (Psalms 100:4), meaning they were to repent with joy. David saw the Brazen Altar for repentance of sins as something that God loved because he said in Psalms 86:5, “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” He saw the Laver for the washing away of sins as the way back to joyful living and proclaimed, “… wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow… make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice” (Psalms 51:7-8). Furthermore, he saw that the washing unto holiness was beautiful. David writes, “O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness…” (Psalms 96:9). The Outer Court of worship was no longer solemn, but was filled with the joy of the Lord.
The Holy Place
David also saw the Holy Place and all its items different from the former dutiful religion. For the Table of Shewbread, David expressed how good it is to eat of the Bread of Life, and said, “O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalms 34:8). He wanted the people to taste of God and know that God is a good God. David also knew the importance of the Lampstand and said in Psalms 119:105, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” David’s love for the Word of God was because he knew the God behind the words and how it had kept him from troubles many times. Furthermore, the Golden Altar of Incense took on a deeper, richer meaning. David said, “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Psalms 141:2). He knew that what God really wanted was a morning and evening oblation from a fragrant heart out of pure worship!
Veil
