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Category: Messianic Theology

The Holy of Holies

"And let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them" (Exodus 25:8).

The above verse reveals the heart of God and His purpose for the Tabernacle (Mishkan) —that He should dwell among His people. Unlike the pagan gods who resist contact with mortals, the God of Israel longs, as a Father, to commune with His children. However, the dwelling of God among His people brings into focus a fundamental problem: Can a God who is kadosh (holy) dwell among people who are unholy? How can the Holy One commune with sinners? Herein lies the wonder and mystery of the Tabernacle (and the Temple which eventually replaced it), for in the very architecture and detailed plans which God gave to Moses on Sinai, He revealed both His desire to dwell with His people as well as the means by which He would accomplish that dwelling. Emphasized through repetition, God commands Moses regarding the construction of the Tabernacle that it should perfectly match the pattern shown to him on Sinai (Exodus 25:9, 40; 26:30). God intended the design to reveal important truths.

Pattern of Holiness

The pattern of the Mishkan itself, later repeated in the Temple in Jerusalem, comprised two rooms: the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, as well as a surrounding courtyard. Degrees of holiness (separation) are evident as one considers restrictions on who may and may not enter. All who were ceremonially clean could enter the courtyard, while only priests could come into the Holy Place. But only one person, the High Priest, could enter the Most Holy Place, and that was only once a year, on Yom HaKippurim.

The Most Holy Place was endowed with this extreme level of holiness because it was the very place where the invisible God would make His presence known—where He would dwell in the radiance of His glory. The Shekinah—שכינה (from לשכן—‘to dwell’) rested over the A...

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© 2009 First Fruits of Zion. All rights reserved. We encourage you to share this material with your friends for further personal study. However, This material may not be republished, in print, electronically, or any other form without our prior permission. Adapted from Bikurei Tziyon #64 .

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