What role does the veil play in separating the Holy Place and Most Holy? Setting the Scene: The Tabernacle’s Two Rooms • Exodus 26 describes a portable sanctuary with two distinct chambers: the Holy Place (first room) and the Most Holy Place (inner room). • Exodus 26:33-34 states, “Hang the veil under the clasps and bring the ark of the Testimony there, behind the veil… Place the mercy seat on the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy Place.” • The veil—an ornate curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn with embroidered cherubim—hung on four gold-covered posts, literally marking the boundary between everyday priestly ministry and the concentrated presence of God. The Veil’s Physical Role • Divider: It created two separate spaces, ensuring no visual line of sight from the Holy Place into the Most Holy. • Shield: Its thick fabric (later tradition says a handbreadth thick) physically blocked priests from accidentally peering into the Most Holy. • Gatekeeper: Only the high priest could lift or pass that curtain—and only once a year on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:2, 15-17). Spiritual Significance in the Old Covenant • Boundary of Holiness: God’s glory dwelt above the ark’s mercy seat (Exodus 25:22). The veil emphasized His unapproachable purity (Habakkuk 1:13). • Reminder of Sin: The curtain preached that humanity, stained by sin, cannot casually enter God’s presence (Isaiah 59:2). • Provision for Access: Though restrictive, the veil also highlighted God’s mercy—He provided one safe, regulated pathway through priestly mediation and sacrificial blood (Leviticus 16:30-34). Connection to the Mercy Seat • Exodus 26:34 links veil and mercy seat: once inside, the high priest applied atoning blood upon the mercy seat. • The mercy seat became the place where God’s law (inside the ark) met God’s mercy (sprinkled blood) but only after passing the veil. Foreshadowing Christ • Hebrews 9:3 calls the curtain “the second veil,” explaining its role as a barrier. • Hebrews 10:19-20 identifies Jesus’ flesh as “the veil,” teaching that His broken body grants believers new access. • At Christ’s death “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51)—God Himself removed the barrier, signaling completed atonement. Living Implications Today • Bold Access: “We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19-22). • Worship with Reverence: The literal history of the veil reminds believers that God remains holy even as He invites intimate fellowship. • Ministry of Reconciliation: Because the veil is torn, believers become living witnesses, urging others to be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). |
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