The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. Luke 23:45
For a large portion of the Old Testament, the Israelites worshiped God in something called a tabernacle. You can read all about the tabernacle, which was like a portable tent made out of elaborate fabric, in Exodus 26. In Jesus' day, the Israelites worshiped in a temple instead of a tabernacle. It was a permanent building rather than a portable tent. Although different in structure, the temple still had many key features of the tabernacle, including the most important feature: The Most Holy Place. The Most Holy Place, also known as the Holy of Holies, was located at the end of the temple, separated from the rest of the temple by a massive curtain. This was the place where God met with His people, but not every person could enter the Holy of Holies and meet with God. In fact, the everyday, common person could not go into the Holy of Holies. Only priests could go into the Holy of Holies and meet with God. Because of this, most people had to rely on priests to communicate with God on their behalf. This was the practice until Jesus came and changed everything. When Jesus came, He revealed that everyone had access to God. They were no longer separated from Him by a curtain or needed a Priest to communicate with Him on their behalf.
Luke 23:45 tells us that right as Jesus died, the curtain separating the rest of the temple from the Holy of Holies was split down the middle. When this happened, it signified that there was no longer anything keeping anyone from communicating directly with God any time that they wanted to communicate with Him. The barrier separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was gone because we now have access to God. We do not have to rely on a high priest to go to God on our behalf. Now, we can go to Him directly.
It seems that we often take advantage of the access we have to God because we have never known anything different. This was not always the case, as we have seen in our study of the tabernacle and temple today. Before Jesus, going before the presence of God was not even a possibility to the common, everyday person. Yet, we often see praying and reading our Bibles as a duty rather than a delight. As you consider these verses we are studying today, remember that spending time with God is, indeed, a privilege. Praise God that we have direct access to Him because of Jesus' death and resurrection!
How incredible is it that we have the privilege of going directly to God? We do not have to rely on someone else to talk to God and hear from Him. Take some time today to pray to God, acknowledging what a privilege we have to go directly to Him. As you pray, praise God for His grace, confess and repent from sin in your life, and ask Him for His provision in your life. Don't forget to pray for those in your life who are not following Him. Ask Him to work in their lives and bring them to Him.
“Make the Tabernacle from ten curtains of finely woven linen. Decorate the curtains with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and with skillfully embroidered cherubim. These ten curtains must all be exactly the same size—42 feet long and 6 feet wide. Join five of these curtains together to make one long curtain, then join the other five into a second long curtain. Put loops of blue yarn along the edge of the last curtain in each set. The fifty loops along the edge of one curtain are to match the fifty loops along the edge of the other curtain. Then make fifty gold clasps and fasten the long curtains together with the clasps. In this way, the Tabernacle will be made of one continuous piece.
“Make eleven curtains of goat-hair cloth to serve as a tent covering for the Tabernacle. These eleven curtains must all be exactly the same size—45 feet long and 6 feet wide. Join five of these curtains together to make one long curtain, and join the other six into a second long curtain. Allow 3 feet of material from the second set of curtains to hang over the front of the sacred tent. Make fifty loops for one edge of each large curtain. Then make fifty bronze clasps, and fasten the loops of the long curtains with the clasps. In this way, the tent covering will be made of one continuous piece. The remaining 3 feet of this tent covering will be left to hang over the back of the Tabernacle. Allow 18 inches of remaining material to hang down over each side, so the Tabernacle is completely covered. Complete the tent covering with a protective layer of tanned ram skins and a layer of fine goatskin leather.
“For the framework of the Tabernacle, construct frames of acacia wood. Each frame must be 15 feet high and 27 inches wide, with two pegs under each frame. Make all the frames identical. Make twenty of these frames to support the curtains on the south side of the Tabernacle. Also make forty silver bases—two bases under each frame, with the pegs fitting securely into the bases. For the north side of the Tabernacle, make another twenty frames, with their forty silver bases, two bases under each frame. Make six frames for the rear—the west side of the Tabernacle— along with two additional frames to reinforce the rear corners of the Tabernacle. These corner frames will be matched at the bottom and firmly attached at the top with a single ring, forming a single corner unit. Make both of these corner units the same way. So there will be eight frames at the rear of the Tabernacle, set in sixteen silver bases—two bases under each frame.
“Make crossbars of acacia wood to link the frames, five crossbars for the north side of the Tabernacle and five for the south side. Also make five crossbars for the rear of the Tabernacle, which will face west. The middle crossbar, attached halfway up the frames, will run all the way from one end of the Tabernacle to the other. Overlay the frames with gold, and make gold rings to hold the crossbars. Overlay the crossbars with gold as well.
“Set up this Tabernacle according to the pattern you were shown on the mountain.
“For the inside of the Tabernacle, make a special curtain of finely woven linen. Decorate it with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and with skillfully embroidered cherubim. Hang this curtain on gold hooks attached to four posts of acacia wood. Overlay the posts with gold, and set them in four silver bases. Hang the inner curtain from clasps, and put the Ark of the Covenant in the room behind it. This curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.
“Then put the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—on top of the Ark of the Covenant inside the Most Holy Place. Place the table outside the inner curtain on the north side of the Tabernacle, and place the lampstand across the room on the south side.
“Make another curtain for the entrance to the sacred tent. Make it of finely woven linen and embroider it with exquisite designs, using blue, purple, and scarlet thread.
