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The Beginning of the End
to the God of Israel. This custom gives Christians an example for
morning and evening prayer. God looks with great gladness on those
who bow morning and evening to seek pardon and to present their
requests for blessings.
The showbread was an ongoing offering, part of the daily sac-
rifice. It was always in the presence of the Lord (
Exodus 25:30
),
acknowledging human dependence on God for both physical and
spiritual food, received only through Christ’s mediation. God had
fed Israel with bread from heaven, and they were still dependent on
His gifts, both for physical food and spiritual blessings. Both the
manna and the showbread pointed to Christ, the living Bread. He
Himself said, “I am the living Bread which came down from heaven”
(
John 6:48-51
). The bread was removed every Sabbath and replaced
with fresh loaves.
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The most important part of the daily ministry was the service for
the benefit of individuals. The repentant sinner brought his offering
to the door of the tabernacle, and, placing his hand upon the victim’s
head, confessed his sins, thus symbolically transferring the sins from
himself to the innocent sacrifice. By his own hand the animal was
then killed, and the priest carried the blood into the holy place and
sprinkled it in front of the veil, behind which was the ark containing
the law that the sinner had transgressed. By this ceremony the sin
was transferred symbolically to the sanctuary through the blood.
In some cases the blood was not taken into the holy place (See
Appendix, Note 5.), but the flesh was eaten by the priest, as Moses
directed, saying, “God has given it you to bear the guilt of the
congregation” (
Leviticus 10:17
). Both ceremonies symbolized the
transfer of sin from the repenting person to the sanctuary.
This work went on day by day throughout the year. With the sins
of Israel having been transferred to the sanctuary, the holy places
were defiled, and a special work became necessary to remove the
sins. God commanded that an atonement be made for each of the
sacred apartments, as for the altar, to “cleanse it, and hallow it from
the uncleanness of the children of Israel” (
Leviticus 16:19
).
Once a year, on the great Day of Atonement, the high priest
entered the most holy place for the cleansing of the sanctuary. He
brought two kids of the goats to the door of the tabernacle and
cast lots for them, “one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the