The Minneapolis journal., 1901-05-25
Sabbath School Lesson.
Jesus Our High Priest I'm Heaven
Heb. TX. 11-14. 24-2s.
FOR JUNE 8, 1901
BY John R. whitney-copyright, 1901.

heD' IA. 11-14 %4-$Ss
By John R. Whitney-Copyright, 1901.
Golden Textile ever liveth to make inter-
cession.-Heb., VIII, %.
For fifteen hundred years the great truths
which have lately come before us were pre-
sented to the Jews in a very picturesque
manner by the Mosaic ritual. In this ritual
they saw the shadow of good things to come
and not the very image of the things" *, u,
but they never realized that 1t was only "a
shadow the patterns of things in the heaY-
ems" Gx., 23)-on which they looked. SO
they were satisfied with religious services
which were only outward and visible-just as
many are to-day.
with those to whom this epistle was ad-
dressed. To meet 1t, the writer, with great
clearness, points out the spiritual meaning OF
the services, the priesthood, connected with
the tabernacle which Moses set up in the
wilderness, and which was the model for al
that was afterwards seen in the temple. TO
understand the significance OF the passage
appointed for our lesson, therefore, brief
glance at the origin and arrangements OF this
tabernacle will be helpful.
About three months eek, xix, u after the
deliverance OF the people OF Israel from me
bondage of Egypt they were gathered to-
gether at the foot of Mount Sinai. There God,
in the midst OF thunderings and nghtnlngs
and the noise of the trumpet, and the noun
to the people His formulated law, which
we call "rhe Deealogue," or The Ten Com
mandments." After this, Moses drew neal neal
unto the thick darkness where God wa"
| (Ex Xxx 2D and God gave him various
directions to regulate the conduct or the peo-
pie and special Instructions concerning the
tabernacle, its construction, its furniture, It's
priests its sacrifices and its feasts.
! Although the very first demand of the
Law" was Thou shalt have no other goos
before me- (Ex. Xxx, -, and although IL was
given in the midst Of such scenes OF majesty
and power and impressgeness as led the peo-
pie to tremble and to beg Moses: speak
hrlf Let 0n
God speak with US; lest we die" (Ex. XXX, l9),
yet when Moses came down from the mount
at the end of forty days, he found the people
dancing and rejoicing in the worship OF a
golden calf. They had deliberately and viii
| fully broken the very first commandment.
| Then God turned away from his people.
thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people; lest
consume thee in the way. And when the
people heard these evil tidings they mourned,
and no man did put on his ornaments. lex.
xxxiii., g. ~ 1t was day of great darkness,
| for they now realized that they had sinned,
and were without hope and without God.
| Moses, however, interceded for them. His
prayer was heard, and God again promised,
| ''My presence shall go with thee, and l will
give thee rest" lex. xxxiii., 14.l Then Mo-
ses went up again into the mount. and again
| he received 1.-THE Law When he came down
he was prepared to instruct the people in re-
gard to the only way in which the presence
of God would go up with them. 1t was in the
1 Tabernacle, and by its services.
The Tabernacle was not reared up" how
ever as place where the people could come
| together to worship God. as in our modern
| in its structure and in everything connected
with it, was to emphasize two great truths,
| viz;
First-God's hatred of sin.
! Second-Gods love for the sinner.
| They are the same great truths which are
| emphasized by the plan of redemption.
! Gods abhorrence of sin was very impress
1 siYely set forth by the position and by the
general features of the structure itself. Be-
| fore 1t was set up, his dwelling place in the
| cloudy pillar, which hung over the camp,
could be seen by every one, at all times and
| from every place. But now 1t was only in
| the tabernacle. This was surrounded by. a
high wall of thick curtains, through which
no man could look, and it is probable that no
! Israelite was allowed, at any time, to pitch
| his tent within 1900 cubits, or between 5000
and 1900 feet of it. This was certainly the
case when they entered Canaan. (Joshua
i'll, A. And the law said for every en-
campment, Far off about the tabernacle of
the congregation shall they pitch plumbers
| H., D( for as a people they could not come
nigh God or even look to him.
I Within the enclosure, ors'court," formed
| by this high wall of thick curtains, stood the
tabernacle. 1t was divided into two rooms,
/ called, respectively, the sanctuary" or "the
| holy place, T" and 1.-The most holy place." or
1.-The holest of ALL" CHebrews tx, 2-9.)
In the latter was Gods chosen and peculiar
( dwelling place 1t was room closed in On
every side and without any window. In it
I the only artlcle OF furniture was the ark.
This small. box-like structure. made of
| 'incorruptible wood" overlaid with gold.
I Within this ark wer deposited the two
| tables of stone on which the law of God was
written. 1t was, therefore, sometimes called
the ark of the testimony" The cover was
made out of pure gold" and was called
/ the mercy seat. Upon this, at ''the two
| ends" stood two cherubims of gold" each
beaten out of one piece and with their
faces looking toward each other and toward
| the mercy seat" Ex xxxvif., 1-9.) Be-
| tween these cherubims was 'the shekina," or
the symbol of Gods presence, and its glori-
GUS light filed the whole room. There was
no other light in it. Rev. xxi, 22-27.) Here
alone could God ever be approached.
! But to approach Him one must enter into
! the Court" surrounding his dwelling place
/ by one-and only one-door. For the ordi-
nary Israelite this was as far as he could
ever go. None but the priests could 60 step
further and even they could go no further
! than the outer room-or The Holy Place
OF the sanctuary. And-fike the "CouFt"-tO
! it there was but one door of entrance
! Entering through this door on the right
dietely opposite it was The Golden Candle
stick the light from which Illuminated the
whole room. At the end of the room stood
The Altar OF Incense, near the great cur
/ tain, or we'll" which effectually separated
1 1.-The Holy Place" from The Holiest of all .
| Out of all the millions composing the camp,
however, there was only one man. the high
priest, who was ever permitted to pass
i through The Holy Palace, into The Holi-
est of all and to stand at The Mercy Seat .
And he could go there only Onee every
] year" Heb. 9:7.)
Nothing could more distinctly impress upon
the people how sin separated them from God
| For he could be found now, only in one
place, by one way Of access, by only one man.
/ and only once a year. No rank of person.
no abundance of riches, no cultivation OF
mind no attainment of moral character could
( give access to God. by any other way or in
| any other place. 1t was q wonderful and
striking type of our Lord Jesus Christ
When 1.-The first man, Adam" q Cor. 15:45l,
sinned In ali of the creation Of God there was
J found no man who could by any means
redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom
for him. Psalm 49:7) No angel, arch
angel. cherubim or seraphim was equal to
the task. But God sent forth his son."
| (Gal. 4:4.) He was made flesh and dwelt,"
or .'tabernacled" { r. w. margin) 'among
| u.s." (John 1:14) So "being come by a
greater and more perfect, tabernacle, not
| made with hands-that is to say-not Of this
| building" ". III, Gods own son, Jesus
Christ our Lord, himself declared, 81 am the
way, and the truth. and the life: no man
| cometh unto the father but by me-" John
! 1850 Therefore the apostle. also declares
Neither is there salvation in any other; for
there is none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved =
| (Acts 412J
| But whilst 'the Incarnation, like the set
/ ting up OF 1.-The Tabernacle" !" declared Gods
adherence OF sin, it also ike it-proclai