How does the veil in Exodus 26:32 foreshadow Christ's role as mediator? Setting the Scene “Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood, overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases.” (Exodus 26:32) What the Veil Meant in Moses’ Day • A real, heavy curtain inside the tabernacle, separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place • A visible reminder that God’s holiness cannot be approached on human terms • Only the high priest could pass through—only once a year, and only with sacrificial blood (Leviticus 16) • Its materials—blue, purple, scarlet yarn, and fine linen (Exodus 26:31)—signified royalty, purity, sacrifice Barriers and the Human Problem • The veil declared, “STOP—sinful people cannot walk in on the Holy One.” • It dramatized Isaiah 59:2: “Your iniquities have separated you from your God.” • Silver bases under the posts highlighted the cost of redemption; silver in Exodus often pictures ransom (Exodus 30:11-16). How Christ Fulfills the Veil • Incarnation: “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us” (John 1:14). He is God’s presence in human form, the living meeting place. • Sacrifice: “When Christ appeared as High Priest…He entered the greater and more perfect tabernacle…by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:11-12). • Mediation: “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). • Access: At His death “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51). God Himself ripped it—signaling that the barrier is gone for those in Christ. • New and living way: “We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His flesh” (Hebrews 10:19-20). Mediator and Access—Key Connections • The high priest needed the veil; Jesus replaces it. • The veil was supported by four posts; the cross has four arms—His sacrifice stands where the veil once stood. • Gold hooks held the veil; divine glory holds our salvation steady (John 10:28-29). • Only one entry point then; still only one now: “I am the way…no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Living Implications Today • Draw near: “Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16). • Enjoy peace: Barrier removed, enmity gone (Ephesians 2:13-18). • Adore the Mediator: Worship centers not on a curtain but on a crucified-risen Savior. • Proclaim the access: Invite others—“We have found the way in!” Summary Snapshot The veil once stood as a literal, God-given wall between sinner and Sovereign. Christ, the greater High Priest, stepped behind it with His own blood, tore it forever, and now ushers us past where we could never go alone. |
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