Sosoma Jr
JF-Expert Member
- Aug 7, 2020
- 312
- 281
JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF GOD
There is a path that leads to the most incredible place you could imagine. God has provided a map to reach this destination. That map is found in the sanctuary system God gave to Israel.
A SYMBOLIC PATH
All human beings find themselves, at some point, feeling lost in this world. We sense there must be something more than this emptiness, this addiction, this failed relationship, this aching. We long to find our way to the freedom and love we know we were made for. The Bible says were made for a love relationship with our Maker. The problem is we've been separated from God by our sins: "But your iniquities have separated you from your God. . ." (Isaiah 59:2).
God has provided a spiritual map through. It shows the steps of the journey He has taken to save us. It also shows the steps we can take to follow Him. He has given us this guide in a powerful visual lesson called "the sanctuary." The sanctuary was a building God told Moses to make. It was to be a house for God, so He could be with Israel.
Psalm 77:13 says, "Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary. . . " The Hebrew word here translated as "way" is derek. Derek means path and has the idea of making a journey. So according to Scripture, the sanctuary shows a path. It's not a literal path but rather an experience God wants us to have. It's a journey where we move from being lost to being found. We go from being separate to being friends with God. So, let's map out the journey.
First, the sanctuary was made of three spaces. They were separated by veils. The entire building had six pieces of symbolic furniture ( see Exodus 26-27). This means each piece represented or stood for something.
1. The Courtyard was the first area. It contained the (a) brass altar of sacrifice and (b) laver, or pool, of washing.
2. The Holy Place was the second area. It contained (c) the table of shewbread, (d) the seven branched candlestick, and (e) the altar of incense.
3. The Most Holy Place was the last area. It contained (f) the Ark of the Covenant.
THE SANCTUARY
Each area stood for a specific part of God's plans to save humanity through Christ. Read the following New Testament verses. What does each piece of furniture teach us about Jesus and the plan of salvation?
The only way to enter area of the sanctuary was through each veil. Each one pointed to Jesus. Jesus said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture" (John 10:9). Paul wrote that through Jesus we have "a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh" (Hebrews 10:20).
There were different ceremonies ( or events) that took place in the sanctuary. The main one was the sacrifice of the lamb. It was killed on the brass altar. John the Baptist pointed to Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins: "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!' " (John 1:29).
The laver, or pool, was used for washing during the ceremonies. It teaches us about "the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5).
The table in the Holy Place was kept supplied with fresh bread. This bread pointed to Jesus, who said, " 'I am the bread of life. He who come to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst' " (John 6:35).
The seven branched lampstand was kept burning. It provided light in the sanctuary. Jesus said of Himself, " 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life' "(John 8:12).
The altar of increase pointed to a specific part of the Christian experience: " He [the angel] was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne " (Revelation 8:3). So the altar was about coming to God through prayer.
The Ten Commandments are God's ten laws of love engraved on stone tablets. They were kept in the Most Holy Place inside a golden box called the Ark of the Covenant. But really, the ark stood for God's desire to put the Ten Commandments somewhere else: " 'This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them' " (Hebrews 10:16).
THE DAILY AND THE YEARLY
The sanctuary showed the whole story of salvation through ceremonies. These ceremonies formed a yearly cycle. Israel could see how God would wipe out evil. They could learn the truth through symbols.
The sanctuary was placed at the center of Israel's camp and had a wall around it. From every direction, everyone could see the high white linen wall. This wall showed that sin has separated humans from God. But it also told the people that God has made a way to save us and restore our relationship with Him.
The Daily Service (see Leviticus 1-4): Each morning and evening, sacrifice was made for the sins of the people in general. Individual Israelites would bring their spotless animals to the priest to sacrifice. The Israelite would place both hands on the innocent animal. This showed the guilt was moved from the sinner to the animal. Then the sinner would slit the animal's throat. This act showed that our sin would cost God suffering and death. Some of the blood was caught in a bowl by the priest. Then the lamb was placed on the brass altar and burned to ashes. Now the sinner was free from guilt. Then the priest would continue the symbolic process by washing his hands and feet in the water of the laver. After, he would take the bowl of blood into the Holy Place. The next act was special. He would dip his fingers in the blood and sprinkle it on the veil before the Most Holy Place. He would do this seven times. This act was a symbol, showing that the Messiah's blood would bring perfect atonement someday. Atonement refers to what Jesus did to fix the separation between God and man. He would satisfy justice and mercy through His death. Day by day through the year the ceremony was repeated.
The Yearly Service (see Leviticus 16): There was one day each year called Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. On this special day there was a different ceremony. It symbolized two things:
4. The complete end of the sin problem and evil.
5. The full recovery of the broken relationship between God and mankind
A book on Jewish traditions says, "The sages taught that the fate of every person, which has been left pending from Rosh Hashanah [the Jewish New Year], is finally determined on Yom Kippur. Thus a Jew feels that his or her entire existence hangs in the balance."
So in other words, each Israelite's future was decided on Yom Kippur. The Day of Atonement was the day of final reckoning or judgment. It was the day each person's case was sealed. All of Israel came before the sanctuary. Two goats were brought to the high priest. One was chosen "for the Lord." The other was "the scapegoat" (see verse 8). The scapegoat is called Azazel in Hebrew.
The Lord's goat was killed. This act pointed to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Some of its blood was brought into the Most Holy Place and sprinkled seven times over God's law of love. The sprinkling showed that complete atonement was made for all the sins Israel had confessed throughout the year in the daily service.
Then the high priest placed both hands on the scapegoat. He confessed over it all the sins of the people. However, Azazel's goat was not killed. Rather, it was led into "an uninhabited land," to perish in "the wilderness" alone (see verse 22).
The scapegoat was not the Lord's goat. Its blood was not shed as a sacrifice. So, Azazel's goat must stand for another person who bears responsibility for the existence of evil and sin. As we've learned before, Satan is the one who started evil. So the scapegoat must represent him. Thus the Day of Atonement stood for the final part of human history when sin and Satan will be fully wiped out.
Discussion: The death of Jesus on the cross fulfills the Courtyard part of the plan of salvation. Jesus rising from the death and working in heaven as our High Priest fulfils the Holy Place part. What part of the salvation plan are we now living in? Which part matches the Most Holy Place? Read the following verses for help:
" 'I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened' "(Daniel 7:9-10).
" Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people saying with a loud voice, 'Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water' "( Revelation 14:6-7).
CONNECT
All the symbols of the sanctuary meet in Christ. In Him, they are perfectly fulfilled.
Jesus described the journey He made from the Father to us and back again: " I came forth fr from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father " ( John 16:28). Picture the journey shown in sanctuary. We see that Jesus came from the Most Holy Place into our separated "camp" here on earth. Then He went back to the Most Holy Place on our behalf. He is inviting us to follow Him on the path He has marked out . We can follow through the veil into the Courtyard. There we find His selfless death for us at the alter of sacrifice. If we keep going, we find the laver for moral cleansing. In the Holy Place, we can partake of the bread of life. The seven branched lampstand allows us to experience the ministry of the the Holy Spirit that gives spiritual light. We can approach God through Christ in prayer at the alter of incense. And finally, we can enter the Most Holy Place to have His law of love written in our hearts.
EXPERIENCE
I want to take this journey to the heart of God as shown in the sanctuary.
It's amazing that God would love me so much that He would make a way for me to be fully restored to fellowship with Him. "O God, You are my God . . . my flesh lonngs for You . . . So I have looked for You in sanctuary . . . . My soul follows close behind You . . . ( Psalm 63:1-2, 8).
GOD BLESSED YOU.
