“Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy” (Ex. 26:33b).
The veil in the tabernacle functioned in several ways. It taught the people to revere God, teaching them that holy things are to be handled with great care and seriousness. The veil that covered the ark teaches us today that God’s throne is not to be approached lightly and carelessly, but with honor and respect.
Secondly, the shadows of the old covenant, of the law, were denoted by the veil. The time of fuller revelation had not come; the spiritual worship of God remained enshrouded by a veil, by a barrier between God and His people. This veil taught the Israelites to look forward to the day when the Messiah would come, when the truth would come to light—that truth being that all men can approach God in faith, through the mediation of the Messiah who would go ahead of all believers into the presence of God, preparing a way into the Holy of Holies.
And so it was that when Christ died on the cross for sinners, purchasing their redemption by the perfect sacrifice of His own body, that the veil was ripped (Matt. 27:51). At that time an end was put to the ceremonies of the law. This was because God would now present Himself in the image of His Son, and the perfect reality of all ceremonies was manifested in Christ. What was hidden from ancient Israel is now revealed in the Gospel: “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12).
Only the high priest of Israel could go behind the veil into the Most Holy Place, and this only once a year on the Day of Atonement. Christ, as our perfect and final High Priest, has gone into the presence of the Most Holy on our behalf, once and for all: “We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man” (Heb. 8:1–2).
Although there is now no veil to prevent us from coming to the Lord, we should learn from this figure that the manifestation of God in the flesh is a mystery to us (1 Tim. 3:16). The fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ’s body. This union is a great mystery that should cause us to stand in awe before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
How did Christ fulfill the Old Testament priesthood? Why is there no longer a veil or a temple today? What kind of freedom do you have in Christ? What does this mean for you as you approach God in worship? What does it mean for you when you sin? This week, memorize Hebrews 10:19–25.
