A Look at Tabernacles and Priests in the Old and New Covenants
Pre-read – There is a dangerous trend in evangelicalism today to dumb down the teaching of the Word. The seeker sensitive movement has received an unspoken government mandate for “No worshipper left behind” and pastors everywhere are running to make sure they comply with this new “politically correct” version of the Gospel. They want to make sure everyone has this mediocre Gerber step 1 indoctrination into the Christian life. Now basics are necessary but we can’t remain in basics as hopefully you remember the author’s admonition in chapter 5 to press on to maturity. And though I don’t want to leave anyone behind when we get to a deeper passage like this, instead of dumbing this down so no one gets fed I want to pull you up. I want you to stretch your thinking so you can grasp more clearly the central important truths of the Christian faith. And so I encourage you to set your mind to worship the Lord as we look into this passage with deep implications for how we are to worship. And if you don’t get everything today that’s OK come back next week and get a little more. We are here to grow up into maturity in Christ and it doesn’t happen overnight. And it won’t happen unless I challenge you to think a little bit harder and deeper in the truths of Christ.
I think in our human nature there is always a constant longing for something better or perfect. You see the advertisements, “Never scrub your shower again” or “Get rid of old, inconvenient, expensive two bladed razors that cut you, try the new . . .” Oh we listen to these ads and hope for the perfection these new products promise us.
But in this passage of Scripture the author tells us of a new way to God was given that did not have the flaws of the Old system as we discussed last week in the closing verses of chapter 8. The key idea of the passage is the New Covenant has replaced the antiquated system of worship under the Old Covenant with a better tabernacle and a better priest. And this new system is not just better it is in this way, perfect. In this passage the author looks at these two aspects (tabernacle and priest) found in both covenants and how they differ.
I. The Tabernacle
A. The earthly (under the Old Covenant)
So we will look first this morning at the aspect of these covenants, the tabernacle. First we will note the earthly tabernacle under the Old Covenant. In verses 1-5 the author gives in slight detail a description of the earthly tabernacle. God gave this layout to Moses some 1500 years before the author of Hebrews writes about it. The author says he cannot describe the objects in detail, literally “piece by piece” and so neither will we look at them in detail but let me just mention what the set up was like. If you want more detail you should read in Exodus 25ff to see how it was all put together.
There were two parts to this tabernacle (or temple). There was a first room into which the priests went daily and offered the ongoing sacrifices to the Lord. This is called the holy place. The next room was called the holy of holies or the most holy place. The most holy place was where God’s special presence dwelt on earth. Between these two rooms there was a large veil to separate them. This barrier showed that access into the most holy place was not open to the public or even to the priests in general.
The Ark of the Covenant, which would be like God’s throne, sat in the holy of holies. There were three items inside the Ark. All three of these items were made during Moses’ tenure as leader of Israel. The first was a jar of manna. Manna was the supernatural bread God gave the Israelites while they were in the desert. God told Moses to place some in a jar as a token of God’s faithfulness. And it was preserved even though the bread normally rotted after 1 or 2 days. The second item in the Ark was Aaron’s staff. You can read about this in Numbers 17. When some of the tribal leaders challenged Aaron’s leadership God commanded each leader to cut a branch and write his name on it. Then they placed their staves before the Lord in His presence. The Lord said He would cause the rod of the leader He had chosen to sprout. When the people went to retrieve their rods the following day not only had Aaron’s rod budded but it also had produced almonds. The third item in the Ark was the Ten Commandments (in verse 4 the author calls them “the tables of the covenant.” These were the very tablets upon which the finger of God had written the Law. All these items were testimony to the character of God. God’s justice is seen in His law. God’s faithfulness is seen in the bread. And God’s holiness seen in the need for a priest to intercede for the nation.
1. It provided a limited key to worship
Now let’s look at the first characteristic of the earthly tabernacle. As the author notes there was an earthly tabernacle (or tent) through which the priests offered worship to God. In this we must understand it provided a limited key to worship. The Old Testament sacrifices did not remove sin between the worshipper and God. That may surprise you but as we will note in the next section, they were never meant to do this. The sacrifices operated on a level to allow an individual to participate in the community life in Israel. These sacrifices were a picture of what God was going to do but did not actually remove sin.
Look at verses 8-10. “The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshipper perfect in conscience, since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.”
Let me explain what it is happening through these sacrifices. Important to this discussion is a word called “atonement.” If you want to understand atonement, simply break the word into its parts. Atonement is “at-one-ment.” Atonement is the process by which one thing is brought together with or restored to something else. The Old Covenant dealt with “atonement” on an earthly level. To remain as part of the community of Israel (to remain within the nation) you had to remain “atoned for.” And to remain at one with the nation of Israel you had to provide atonement (different sacrifices) for various things you did or took place to you. These sacrifices would allow a person to continue within the community of Israel, that is, participating in the life of the nation. In a sense they would be a “member in good standing.” But participating in this community life and these sacrifices did not provide forgiveness of sin between the individual and God.
As we discuss some passages from the Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers it should become clearer to you about the purpose of these atoning sacrifices. When you see what is being atoned for you should understand it is not speaking in terms of sin and its forgiveness but, as the author of Hebrews notes is simply a ritual type of cleansing imposed upon the body until a time of reformation.
The first case of atonement to notice is atonement made for a house. Leviticus 14:33-53, describes a house that has a mark of leprosy (or mildew) in it. The passage notes how the priest is to isolate the house, remove the stones that have the mark, scrape the plaster around it and replaster it and recheck it. If the mark does not spread and has been removed then the priest is to offer a sacrifice and perform a ritual. Verse 53 says, “So he shall make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.” Now I ask you, “Did the house sin?” Did this sacrifice remove sin? The answer to both questions is obvious. No. Then what was the purpose of the sacrifice? It was a ceremonial cleansing. Atonement was made so the house could remain within the nation of Israel. What happened if the leprosy could not be removed or atonement was not made for it? Verses 43-45 describe what happens. “if the mark breaks out again . . . he shall tear down the house, its stones, its timbers, and all the plaster of the house, and he shall take them outside the city to an unclean place.” The house no longer has the joyous privilege of being part of the community of Israel. No big deal for the house I suppose but the owner would probably be a bit miffed. What else did people in the nation make atonement for?
Leviticus 16 notes the most holy place, the tent of meeting and the altar all had atonement made for them by sacrifice. In what way did they sin? This was to cleanse them ritually so they could partake of the worship ritual (presenting a picture that they were clean from any kind of defilement). If they would not have atonement made for them they could not participate in the temple worship of the Lord. A “ritually” cleansed altar was needed otherwise it would not be allowed to participate in the Yahweh worship ritual. However in Leviticus it was mostly people who were made atonement for. Atonement was made for people in regard to sickness or other uncleanness. Atonement was made for someone who had leprosy, a woman who had a child, someone who touched a dead body. These things all made people “ritually” unclean. It was not a matter of sinfulness though these might be seen as a consequence of sin in general. Without sin in the world there would be no leprosy, no blood borne disease that could be given or received during a woman’s childbirth and no dead bodies to touch but these events would keep a person from participating in the Lord’s temple worship. And if the person would refuse to have atonement made for them what would take place? They would be placed outside of the community. The phrase used in the Old Testament is “cut off from the community.” Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers describe these events. A person would be cut off from the community if they (Ex. 12) ate unleavened bread during the Passover, (Ex 30) used or made the anointing oil specifically designed for the priests, (Ex 30) used or made the incense specifically intended for the tabernacle, (Ex. 31) profaned the Sabbath, (Lev. 7) ate a sacrifice while unclean, (Lev. 7) ate the fat of an animal, (Lev. 17) ate an animal with the blood still in it, (Lev.20) if they put infants to death, (Num. 9) if they failed to observe the Passover, (Num 15), if they committed defiant sins. These would be some of the events to cause an individual to be cut off from the community. In some of those instances there was no sacrifice or atonement that could be made for them. They would no longer be able to participate in the temple worship of the Lord. And it would usually result (when the law was enforced) in a painful and deadly rock bath. The people were stoned to death.
So the atonement offered in all these cases did not provide forgiveness of sin but provided a restoration for an individual to participate within the community and in the temple worship ritual of the Old Covenant. Now, having said that, there was atonement made for sin. What was the purpose for this? Along with the atonement we previously spoke of, this atonement for the sin of the people did not remove the sin from them except to allow them to participate in this temple ritual. It was ritual and did not forgive their sin. Why do I say this? I say it because the Scripture says it. Hebrews 10:4 tells us, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” Then why do this? Why have this ritual at all? I am glad you asked, for this brings us to the second characteristic of the earthly tabernacle.
2. It presented a sign for true worship
The second characteristic of the earthly tabernacle is it presented a sign for true worship. In verses 8-9 we read, “The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time.” The offerings for sin showed the people three truths. First, it spoke to them of the awful consequences of sin. Sin, in all its forms, produces death. Death is the ultimate consequence for the sinner. Remember now the Scripture defines death as separation. Every person who is a sinner is separated from God. There is no connection between God and the sinner. This is death. And the person who dies physically while in this condition will be separated from God forever in torment. The slaying of this lamb, goat or bull revealed to the people the dreadful consequences of sin. It was an ever-present reminder of what they deserved. Secondly, it taught the people the principle of substitution. As they placed their hands upon the animal to symbolically transfer their sin upon him and took the knife and slew the creature they understood this animal did not die because of any defect in itself but because of the worshipper’s sin. Since it did not remove their sin but only made them aware of their sin it taught them one other truth. God would one day provide a true substitute for their sin. And so in this sign of the tabernacle there was a longing for, a looking forward to in the heart of these believing Jews, a perfect Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world once and for all. And so they practiced these rituals in hope as they waited for the Messiah to be revealed.
The author says this tabernacle was a symbol for the present time. What was this symbol? It was a symbol of the real tabernacle, the heavenly one. This was the tabernacle in which God, in all His glory, dwelt. And so we look to the heavenly tabernacle. Here we see it is the key to worship or the key to genuine worship.
B. The heavenly – It is THE key to worship
The author describes the tabernacle to which the Old Covenant worshippers had no access. He mentions this in verse 11. “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation.” When Jesus made His offering to the Father He did not enter that temple in Jerusalem, a mere copy, but into heaven itself. Heaven is not part of the physical creation. It has always existed as God’s dwelling place long before the earth and its creation took place.
The heavenly tabernacle, heaven itself, is the true key to worship because this is where God truly dwells. The earthly high priest did not enter into heaven itself when he went into the holy of holies every year. But Christ has. He has opened access to heaven itself. This is why the veil into the holy of holies was torn in two when Jesus finished His sacrifice upon the cross.
Jesus spoke of this change to take place in the plan of God when He spoke to the Samaritan woman in John 4. When Jesus brought up her sin and she came under the conviction of her wrongdoing she tried to change the subject. She attempted to move the conversation between differences of worship between the Jews and the Samaritans. This issue had caused a big rift for years between the two groups. The Samaritans were a group of half-Jewish people who were not allowed to worship with the Jews when they returned from the captivity in Babylon. Because the Samaritans were not allowed into the temple on Mount Zion (Jerusalem) they created a rival worship system upon Mount Gerizim. And from that time the Jews and Samaritans fought over where the correct place to worship is (when they spoke to each other). The Samaritans even took the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible written by Moses) and doctored it to make it seem as if Mount Gerizim was the right place for worship. So to move the conversation away from her personal sin the woman tells Jesus, “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” But Jesus brought home the point that real worship is not about a mountain or other “holy place” but about being able to connect with God Himself. He said, “Believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father . . . But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers, will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshippers.
The woman understood what Jesus was saying. She too had heard about the Messiah who would make things right and forgive sin. And when Jesus told her He was the Messiah she repented of her sin and believed. She no longer tried to hide her sin but forsook it because she had found Him for whom her soul had desired for so long.
This is the key to true worship. It is not about some manmade tabernacle on earth. It is not in finding some place to house God here on earth but true worship is found in the fact we can have access to the true tabernacle in heaven.
What does this say about our relationship with God? First, there is no place more holy than another. The type of building we meet in does not determine whether we can worship God or not. A building labeled “church” does not give better access to God. It is not like being near a cell phone tower that gives you better signal strength.
Why is this? The true tabernacle is in heaven. Heaven is not part of this creation. It is not located in this time-space universe of which we are a part. So one place in our universe is not closer to heaven than another part. What determines a person’s proximity to the throne room of heaven, the real tabernacle? It is their relationship to the true high priest of whom we will speak next week. If you know Jesus as your Savior then you can enter into the very throne room of God while kneeling in your bedroom or as you are walking in the woods. You are not closer to God’s throne in a church building than when you are in the town hall or even in a mason lodge.
It is only those who live by their feelings that find themselves closer to God in a building with a steeple than in a building with a thousand children. Quietness may lend itself to worship but does not bring you closer to God. What can we say about those faithful Christians of past centuries who were thrown into the dungeons? Were they hindered from entering the throne room of heaven because they were confined in a place that did not have a cross in its entryway? In chapter 4 we noted the author of Hebrews told us to boldly come to the throne of grace. We can come before His throne boldly because of our relationship to Jesus Christ.
But those whom the Lord desires to worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth. Unless repentance and faith in Christ have caused you to be born again you do not have access to God’s true tabernacle in heaven. God may have answered some of your prayers but that is simply out of His mercy not because you have the ability to enter His throne room. The king may have visited you but you cannot enter to see Him. You may enter a church with a thousand panes of stained glass, two hundred golden crosses and 500 choir members singing The Hallelujah Chorus but without a relationship to Jesus Christ born out of the Spirit and the truth you have no more access to God than a rodent in its den.
But if you are here without Christ today let me encourage you with Jesus’ own words. He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” If you understand that your sin has separated you from God and that should He not maintain His hand of mercy upon you right now by sustaining your physical life you would immediately plunge into the lake of fire forever and ever, and if you realize that Christ did everything necessary to pay for your sin through His death upon the cross then you may come to Him and receive Him as your Savior so you would be free from the penalty and power of your sin. Don’t delay if that is you. Come to Him and receive access into the throne room of God’s presence and grace.
And let me say to you Christian take advantage of this relationship with God in which you are no further away from Him than a whisper and you have access to Him that includes all the promises of Scripture for you to claim. The problem with each of us dear believer isn’t that we do not have adequate access to God but that we do not avail ourselves of such a privilege. Let us therefore fall upon our faces and seek Him early for the strength and grace He desires to give us through the favor of His Son.