Dispensation Bible Study #7

Dispensation of Law - The Tabernacle and Day of Atonement

The entire Old Testament (with the exception of the book of Genesis) describes events within the Dispensation of Law. A lifetime of study could not thoroughly uncover all of the truths and stories in the Old Testament books! Since, in this Bible Study, we are concerned with what man had to do to be saved, we will briefly outline the events of the Old Testament and learn which book corresponds to which event. Before we delve off into a brief historical study, we need to learn about two other important aspects of the Mosaic law: The Tabernacle, and the Day of Atonement.

Exod 25:1-8 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. 3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, 4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, 5 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood, 6 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, 7 Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. 8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

In His law, God commanded for the children of Israel to make him a sanctuary, or dwelling place! Unlike past dispensations, God was now going to permanently dwell with His people. This is the first church building ever built. From Exodus 25 through Exodus 27, God gives in detail the plan for His Tabernacle. How exciting it must have been for Moses to realize that God’s presence would dwell in the middle of their camp!

Exod 27:9 And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:

Exod 27:17-18 All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass. 18 The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.

First God gave the outer dimensions of the court of the tabernacle. This was not the actual building, but the area around the tabernacle which was fenced with fine linen. A “cubit” was a unit of measure about 18 inches in length, so the court was rectangular shaped and measured 150 feet by 75 feet. The linen wall was 7.5 feet tall. Any Israelite could enter into the court but only the priests could enter into the tabernacle building itself.

Exod 27:1-2 And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. 2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.

Within the outer court, was the “brazen altar” where the priests offered the burnt sacrifices to God. It square and measured 7.5 feet by 7.5 feet. It was 4.5 feet high and covered with brass and had horns on each corner. It was the first item encountered upon entering the court. It represented the importance of the blood sacrifice for sinful man to even get near God’s holy presence!

Exod 30:17-20 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 18 Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. 19 For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: 20 When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD: 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

Once the priest had killed the sacrifice upon the brazen altar and offered it unto God, He then had to wash his hands and his feet in the laver of water before entering the tabernacle or Holy Place. Notice this was to be a statute (meaning law or rule) forever! We still must be washed in water before we can enter into the holy presence of God!!!

Exod 26:1, 7, 14-16 Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them. ... 7 And thou shalt make curtains of goats' hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make. ... 14-16 And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers' skins. 15 And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up. 16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board.

The tabernacle itself would consist of boards 15 feet high and 2.25 feet wide standing on end. The tabernacle was a rectangle measuring 20 boards by 6 boards with doubled boards in the corners. So the tabernacle was 45 feet long and 13.5 feet wide. The boards were gold covered. On the inside of the boards were hung beautiful woven linen of blue, purple, and red having cherubims (two-winged angels) woven into them. The outside of the tabernacle was made of goat skin for weather proofing. Upon the goat skin was a layering of red-dyed ram’s skins and, upon that, badger skins. While the inside was beautiful, the outside was certainly not! To appreciate the beauty of this building one had to view the inside! However, only the priests were allowed into this holy place.

Exod 26:31-33 And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made: 32 And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver. 33 And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.

Inside, the tabernacle was divided into rooms by a large vail. Upon entering the door of the tabernacle was the largest room before the vail called the “Holy Place.” Behind the vail was the smaller room called the “Holiest of Holies.”

Exod 25:23-24, 29-30 Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 24 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about. ... 29 And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them. 30 And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.

In the Holy Place were several items. The first was the table of shewbread. It was 3 feet long by 1.5 feet wide and 2.25 feet high. It was also overlaid with gold and had dishes and spoons made of pure gold. Every Sabbath (Sunday to us) fresh-baked loaves of bread sprinkled with frankincense were placed upon the table for the priests to eat while in the Holy Place. The bread symbolizes the Word of God which God gives to us freely!

Exod 30:1-2, 7-8 And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it. 2 A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same. ... 7 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. 8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.

The altar of incense was a smaller version of the brazen altar outside. It was 1.5 feet by 1.5 feet and was 3 feet high. Upon it, the high priest burned incense at morning and at evening so that incense was continually burning before the Lord. This is a sign of our praise and prayers!

Exod 25:31-32, 38-39 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. 32 And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side: ... 38 And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold. 39 Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.

Also in the Holy Place was the Golden Candlestick. It was an elaborate candelabra made of a talent of pure gold! The gold itself would today be worth over $33,000!! The candles burned from evening until morning when the priests “snuffed” them out!

Exod 25:10-11, 16-22

10 And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. ... 16 And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. 17 And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. 18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. 20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. 21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. 22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

In the Holiest of Holies (behind the vail) was only one piece of furniture. It was called the “Ark of the Covenant.” It was a box 3.75 feet long and 2.25 feet wide and tall. It was overlaid with pure gold and within it were placed the Ten Commandments. Aaron’s rod that budded and a pot of manna would also eventually placed inside. A lid (called the “mercy seat”) was made having two cherubims (two-winged angels) on each end. The wings of the angels stretched themselves out over the mercy seat. Here above the mercy seat, between the two angels, the presence of God dwelt and communed with the High Priest! All priests could enter into the Holy Place, but only the High Priest could enter into this Holiest of Holies! Even the High Priest could not enter into the Holiest of Holies every day but only once a year on the special “Day of Atonement.”

Lev 23:27-28 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.

Upon this special day, the high priest was given specific instructions on what to do:

Lev 16:2-3 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. 3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.

Aaron first had to sacrifice a sin offering for himself.

Lev 16:7-22 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. 10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. 11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself: 12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: 13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: 14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. 15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: 16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. 18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. 19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. 20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: 21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: 22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

This elaborate ceremonial ritual was instituted by God to make atonement for Israel’s sin. God then commanded them to perform this ritual each year:

Lev 16:29-30 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: 30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.

What a special day of atonement this must have been for the High Priest to be able to go into the very presence of God. This sacrifice only lasted for one year, however, because in the following year, the priest had to perform it all over again. This statute was to be forever and we too are required also to have a Day of Atonement in our lives. In the dispensation of Grace, however, we will see how the price of sin has been met through Jesus Christ! Throughout the dispensation of Law, this process of annual atonement was to be met. After the children of Israel were in the Promised Land, God permitted Solomon to build a more elaborate, permanent tabernacle referred by bible scholars as Solomon’s temple. Yet within the Holy places of this temple, all of the essential items and ceremonies were kept intact. Because of Israel’s idolatry, this temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and later rebuilt in smaller and inferior dimensions with the help of Zerubbabel and Ezra in the reign of Cyrus of Persia. Hundreds of years later, when the Romans had ceased control of Israel, King Herod tried to appease the Jews by building a more elaborate temple. Construction on this temple (referred to by biblical scholars as Herod’s temple) began in 19 B.C. and the main building was finished in 9 B.C. This was the temple of Jesus’ time and was the one that He prophesied would be destroyed. This prophecy came true in A. D. 70 when the Romans leveled it. To this day the Jews have no temple. Paul said that Spirit-filled believers are now the temple of God (I Cor 6:19). In the endtimes the Antichrist will sit in a rebuilt Jewish temple claiming to be God (II Thessalonians 2:3-4), and an angel gave John measurements of this temple in Revelations 11:1. After the old earth and old heaven pass away at the end of time as we know it, the “New Jerusalem,” will have no temple because the Lamb of God (Jesus Christ) will be it’s temple (Rev. 21-22)!!