Topical Bible: Holy of Holies: Contained: A Written Copy of the Divine Law

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The Holy of Holies, also known as the Most Holy Place, is the innermost and most sacred area of the ancient Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem. It is here that the presence of God was believed to dwell, and it was separated from the rest of the sanctuary by a veil. The Holy of Holies held profound significance in the religious life of Israel, serving as the focal point of divine worship and the place where the high priest would enter once a year on the Day of Atonement to make atonement for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:2-34).

Central to the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant, a sacred chest that contained the tablets of the Law, also known as the Ten Commandments, which were given to Moses on Mount Sinai. These tablets represented the written copy of the Divine Law, serving as a tangible reminder of the covenant between God and the people of Israel. The Ark itself was a symbol of God's throne on earth, and its presence in the Holy of Holies underscored the centrality of God's law in the life of the nation.

The significance of the Divine Law within the Holy of Holies is emphasized in several biblical passages. In Exodus 25:21-22 , God instructs Moses, "Place the mercy seat on top of the ark, and put the tablets of the Testimony that I will give you into the ark. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the Testimony, I will speak with you about all that I command you regarding the Israelites." This passage highlights the Ark as the meeting place between God and His people, with the Divine Law as the foundation of this relationship.

The presence of the Divine Law within the Holy of Holies also served as a constant reminder of the holiness and righteousness required by God. The Law was not merely a set of rules but a reflection of God's character and His expectations for His people. As such, the Holy of Holies was a place of reverence and awe, accessible only to the high priest and only under strict conditions, symbolizing the separation between a holy God and sinful humanity.

The New Testament further illuminates the significance of the Holy of Holies and the Divine Law through the work of Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 9:3-4 , the writer describes the Holy of Holies, stating, "Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, containing the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant, covered with gold. Inside the ark were the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant." The epistle to the Hebrews goes on to explain how Christ, as the ultimate high priest, entered the heavenly Holy of Holies once for all, securing eternal redemption for believers (Hebrews 9:11-12).

Thus, the Holy of Holies, with its written copy of the Divine Law, stands as a testament to God's covenantal relationship with His people, His holiness, and the ultimate fulfillment of the Law through Jesus Christ.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 31:26
Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Kings 22:8
And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Faustus States his Objections to the Morality of the Law and the ...
... the precepts and symbols of the Old Testament contained both what ... 832] He should
have written, say they ... actions of the saints as recorded in the holy books, that ...
/.../faustus states his objections to.htm

The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs.
... bread and wine, the holy of holies, and clothed ... And the holy writing came in sight
which spake ... has been sadly mutilated, and originally contained much material ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the testaments of the twelve.htm

The New Covenant.
... which is called the Holy of holies; having a ... it necessary to enumerate in detail
what the tabernacle contained. ... And the Holy Ghost also beareth witness to us ...
/.../chapter viii the new covenant.htm

Funeral Oration on the Great S. Basil, Bishop of C??sarea in ...
... We were contained by Athens, like two branches of some ... We manufacture those who are
holy in a day ... the care of maidens; legislation [4456] written and unwritten ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xliii funeral oration on.htm

The Cavils of the Pharisees Concerning Purification, and the ...
... Even the Phylacteries, because they contained portions of the sacred ... the Ten Words'
were the Holy of Holies of the ... to the profanation of what was holy; to rash ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xxxi the cavils of.htm

Babylonia and Assyria
... The image of the god stood in the innermost shrine, the Holy of Holies, where also ...
Rassam, the mercy-seat was shaped like an ark, and contained two written ...
/.../early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter vi babylonia and assyria.htm

The Old Testament and Comparative Religion
... for the priests, the sanctuary, and the Holy of holies. ... to Sheol; Neither wilt thou
suffer thy holy one to ... of a Deluge, and other narratives contained in the ...
/.../eiselen/the christian view of the old testament/chapter v the old testament.htm

Book ii. Jerome Answers the Second, Third, and Fourth Propositions ...
... Then it is written that Daniel fasted for three weeks; he ate ... at these and similar
passages of Holy Scripture which ... of good and bad fish being contained in the ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/book ii jerome answers the.htm

Period I: the Imperial State Church of the Undivided Empire, or ...
... on the question of the deity of the Holy Spirit. ... the reason and consideration that
they are not contained in the ... of the Son, of whom it is written: "Who shall ...
/.../ayer/a source book for ancient church history/period i the imperial state.htm

Augustin's Part in the Controversy.
... issue with the denier of the Holy of holies of his ... In this book, too, which was written
in 415, Augustin ... shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, without ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/iii augustins part in the.htm