Basic HTML Version
Sanctuary: God’s Dwelling Place in Israel
217
the glories of the temple of God in heaven, the great center of the
work for our redemption.
Building the tabernacle took about half a year. When it was
completed, Moses examined all the work of the builders. “As the
Lord had commanded, just so had they done it. And Moses blessed
them.” The people of Israel crowded around to look at the sacred
structure. The pillar of cloud floated over the sanctuary, and “the
glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” There was a display of the
divine majesty, and for some time even Moses could not enter. With
deep emotion the people gazed at the sign that God had accepted the
work of their hands. A solemn awe rested on everyone. The gladness
of their hearts welled up in tears of joy, and they whispered sincere
words of thankfulness that God had lowered Himself to dwell with
them.
In the days of Abraham, the priesthood was the birthright of the
oldest son. Now, instead of the first-born, the Lord accepted the
tribe of Levi for the work of the sanctuary. However, only Aaron
and his sons were permitted to serve as actual priests before the
Lord; the rest of the tribe were entrusted with responsibilities for the
tabernacle and its furniture.
Special clothing was worn by the priests. The robe of the com-
mon priest was of white linen, woven in one piece, held at the waist
by a white linen belt embroidered in blue, purple, and red. On his
head was a linen turban or miter. This completed his outer attire.
The priests were to leave their shoes in the court before entering
the sanctuary, and were also to wash both their hands and feet be-
fore ministering in the tabernacle. This made the lesson clear that
those who would approach the presence of God must put away all
[170]
defilement.
The garments of the high priest were made of costly material and
revealed beautiful workmanship. In addition to the linen clothing
of the common priest, he wore a robe of blue, also woven in one
piece. The skirt was decorated all around with golden bells, and
pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet. The ephod, a shorter
garment, was held by a belt of the same colors. The ephod was
sleeveless, and on its shoulder pieces were two onyx stones contain-
ing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.