Pointers From the Ancient Tabernacle (Exod. 25:9, 40)
Moses was told to build the tabernacle according to the pattern God had shown him on Mount Sinai (Exod. 25:9, 40). And while common sense would lead us away from the conclusion that every board and nail of the tabernacle (and later the temple) had theological significance, we should, nevertheless, take with all seriousness the teaching function of the Old Testament sanctuary system. Even so, we are not given a great deal of information on the meaning of the symbolisms; in fact, in most cases, none at all. Yet piecing together the little we find in the Old Testament with what we have in the New, we are able to arrive at a fairly good understanding of the overall meaning of certain fundamental aspects of the ancient—sanctuary system and service that point beyond themselves to a greater reality.
Consider the following:
- The morning and evening sacrifice (Exod. 29:38-42; Num. 28:1-6)
- The shewbread and candlesticks (Exod. 25:23, 30, 31, 37)
- The Day of Atonement ceremonies (Lev. 16; Heb. 9:1-12)
- The high-priestly garments (Exod. 28:6-21)
The morning and evening sacrifices symbolized "the daily consecration of the nation to Jehovah, and their constant dependence upon the atoning blood of Christ"(Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 352). Many allusions to bread in the New Testament seem to suggest that the bread in the tabernacle/sanctuary pointed forward to Christ (see, for example, Matt. 26:26; John 6:48-51). "Both the manna and the shewbread pointed to Christ, the living Bread, who is ever in the presence of God for us."—p. 354. Similarly, the candlesticks seem to point to Him who said: "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12). "Those semiprecious gems of the [high priest's] breastplate . . . bore the names of the tribes of Israel, suggesting, says Ellen G. White . . . that as Christ our Great High Priest pleads His blood before the Father, He bears upon His heart the name of every repentant, believing soul" (Roy Adams, The Sanctuary, p. 38; compare Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 351.
Review, to the best of your understanding, the earthly- sanctuary service. How does it help you understand the plan of salvation?
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