Sanctuary: God’s Dwelling Place in Israel
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pleading His blood in the sinner’s behalf, bears upon His heart the
name of every repentant, believing soul.
At the right and left of the breastplate were two large stones known
as the Urim and Thummim. When questions were brought before the
Lord, a halo of light encircling the stone at the right was a token of
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divine approval, while a cloud shadowing the stone at the left was
evidence of denial.
Everything connected with the apparel and deportment of the
priests was to impress the beholder with the holiness of God and
the purity required of those who came into His presence.
The Sanctuary Ministry a Foreshadow of Heavenly Things
Not only the sanctuary but the ministry of the priests was to “serve
unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.”
Hebrews 8:5
. The
ministration consisted of two divisions, a daily and a yearly service.
The daily service was performed at the altar of burnt offering in the
court of the tabernacle and in the holy place, while the yearly service
was in the most holy.
No mortal eye but that of the high priest was to look upon the inner
apartment of the sanctuary. Only once a year could he enter there. The
people in reverent silence awaited his return, their hearts uplifted in
prayer for the divine blessing. Before the mercy seat the high priest
made the atonement for Israel, and in the cloud of glory, God met with
him. His stay beyond the accustomed time filled them with fear, lest
because of their sins or his own he had been slain by the glory of the
Lord.
The Daily Service
Every morning and evening a lamb of a year old was burned upon
the altar, symbolizing the daily consecration of the nation and their
constant dependence upon the atoning blood of Christ. Only an offer-
ing “without blemish” could be a symbol of His perfect purity who
was to offer Himself as “a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
1
Peter 1:19
. The apostle Paul says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
Romans