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1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now. ~ Hebrews 9:1-5
Having established that the priesthood of Christ is better than the Old Testament Aaronic priesthood. And, having established that Christ's death on the cross made it possible for God to live in His followers, giving us a new heart with His truth written on our hearts, the writer of Hebrews turns our attention to the Old Testament Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was of most great importance to the Jew because that is where God dwelt among them.
In v.1-2 of today's text we read, "1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place."
The Old Testament Tabernacle was the place the Jews knew God's presence. First given to Israel after they left Egypt, the Tabernacle was erected in the middle of the moving city known as Israel. God gave to Moses precise measurements which had to be perfectly put together. And, every time the Jews moved to another place, the Tabernacle had to be taken down, and when they arrived at their new place, the Tabernacle had to be erected perfectly as before.
With the Tabernacle, God gave Israel certain ceremonies. And, in order for the priests to carry out their priestly duties, there were certain pieces of furniture in the Tabernacle. Everything about the Tabernacle was given to point us the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Tabernacle was 150 feet long and it was 75 feet wide. And there was only one entrance, on the east side of it. The entrance was 30 feet wide, seven-and-a-half feet high, a perfect picture of the Lord Jesus who said in John 10:7, "I am the door for the sheep."
In the Tabernacle, there were three separate and distinct parts: the Outer Court, the Holy Place, and, the Most Holy Place. The further one went into the Tabernacle, the more intimacy he would experience with God. This was a picture of our sanctification.
In the Outer Court, there were two pieces of furniture which the writer of Hebrews does not mention because of the Jews obvious familiarity with it. From the east going into the Tabernacle, is first the brazen altar which stood 4 1/2 feet off the ground. The top was covered by a brass grate, and the coals were underneath the grate and the sacrifice was placed on the grate. The brazen altar was a perfect picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who was sacrificed for our sin.
Past the brazen alter, moving west, was the brass laver. Here, the priests washed their hands and their feet as they went about the bloody services of sacrifice. This was another picture of the Lord Jesus Christ whose blood washed away ALL our sins the moment we trusted in Him as our Savior. Past the brazen altar was the brass laver for the daily cleansing that keeps the believer in full fellowship with the Lord. Together, the brazen alter and the brass laver picture the work of Christ on our behalf on the cross.
In the Outer Court of the Tabernacle, everything was connected to our justification, for it was outside of God's presence that the Lord Jesus paid the penalty for our sin. When the priests entered the Holy Place, he would see the Menorah or the golden lampstand picturing Christ as the light of life who directs our paths. He is the One who through the Holy Spirit illumines our minds to understand spiritual truth. He is the One who guides us through this world of darkness.
The Holy Place measured at 15 feet by 15 feet by 30 feet. And, just beyond the Holy Place was the Most Holy Place which was a perfect cube, 15 feet by 15 feet by 15 feet. In the Holy Place, there were three pieces of furniture, and here the writer only mentions two of them. The first was the seven-lit golden lampstand, also known as the Menorah, with pure olive oil. This golden lamp stand was beaten out of solid gold. The lamp stand reveals the Lord Jesus as the One who directs us each day through His Word.
To the right of the lamp stand was the table of showbread. Made of acacia wood, the lamp stand was overlaid with gold. It was three feet long, one-and-a-half feet wide and about two-and-a-quarter-feet high off the ground. And on it every Sabbath they laid 12 loaves, one for every tribe in Israel. The table of showbread reveals the Lord Jesus as the One who sustains us each day through His Word.
In v.3-4 of today's text we read, "3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant."
Beyond the Holy Place, there was the Most Holy Place. In there was only one piece of furniture, the Ark of the Covenant which contained Aaron’s budded rod, manna, and the tables of the Law of Moses. Only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place. The Ark of the Covenant was made of acacia wood. It too was overlaid with gold. And the lid on top of it was called the Mercy Seat.
In Exodus 25:22, God said, "I’ll commune with you from above the mercy seat from between the cherubim."
Under the Old Covenant, only the High Priest could go into the presence of God which was over the Mercy Seat. And the people never got any further than the Outer Court; they never even got into the Holy Place. When we met the Lord Jesus as our Savior, He ushered us into the very presence of God because He is our Mercy Seat.
According to Psalm 99, the Mercy Seat represented the throne of God’s judgment. Since, Christ is the believers Mercy Seat, it is only on the basis of the blood of Christ that God accept us into fellowship with Him. The Greek word for Mercy Seat is hilastērion which means propitiation. Propitiation means satisfying sacrifice. The Lord Jesus was the means by which God removed of penalty of our sin. The Mercy Seat points us to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ where the penalty for our sin, which is death, was paid in full.
