Exodus 26:31-37
A Veil and the Entrance
Read the passage
31Make a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen, with cherubim skillfully worked into it.
32Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood, overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases.
33And hang the veil from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the veil. So the veil will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.
34Put the mercy seat on the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy Place.
35And place the table outside the veil on the north side of the tabernacle, and put the lampstand opposite the table, on the south side.
36For the entrance to the tent, you are to make a curtain embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen.
37Make five posts of acacia wood for the curtain, overlay them with gold, use hooks of gold, and cast five bronze bases for them.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
A veil divides the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Behind it will stand the ark of the Testimony with the mercy seat on top. Outside it, the table will be on the north side and the lampstand opposite on the south. Another curtain will mark the entrance to the tent.
God is choosing to dwell among Israel, but His presence is not something anyone may approach however they please. The veil makes that distinction visible. Being near the sanctuary does not give a person unrestricted access to its innermost room.
Christians can understand the significance of this boundary more fully through Hebrews 10. Because of Jesus' blood, His people can enter the Most Holy Place by the new and living way He opened through the curtain, His body. The invitation is to draw near with a sincere heart and a cleansed conscience. Our confidence rests in what Jesus has done, not in treating God's holiness lightly.
Questions
1 Which two spaces does the veil separate?
AnswerIt separates the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. The ark and mercy seat belong behind it; the table and lampstand are outside it.
2 How is the entrance curtain different from the inner veil?
AnswerThe entrance curtain hangs on five gold-covered posts with bronze bases. The inner veil, worked with cherubim, hangs on four gold-covered posts with silver bases.
3 What does the inner veil teach about approaching God?
AnswerGod is truly present with His people, but access to Him is on His terms. The separation calls for reverence rather than the assumption that anyone can enter at will.
4 Why can Christians draw near to God with confidence?
AnswerHebrews 10 grounds that confidence in Jesus' blood and His priestly work. We come through Him with sincere hearts, rather than trying to earn access or pretending that sin does not matter.
What This Means for Us
When you pray, you do not have to persuade a reluctant God to open the door. Jesus has made a way for His people to come near. Bring the concern you have been holding back, and confess the wrong you would rather hide.
That welcome gives us both confidence and reverence. God receives us through His Son; His grace is a reason to be truthful before Him.
Prayer
We pray: Holy God, teach us to honor the boundary between your holiness and our presumption. Thank you for the access you give through Christ; make our approach reverent, grateful, and marked by honest obedience. Amen.