The beautiful veil of which we spoke last week separated between the holy place and the most holy. In the most holy place there were but two things—the ark and the mercy seat on top of it. In the holy place there were three things: the table of showbread, the candlestick, and the altar of incense (although this has not, yet been mentioned). Now, since the veil has been rent, we as believers can enjoy them all, in perfect liberty as purged worshipers.
There was also a hanging for the door of the tabernacle, made of the same materials as the veil, except that there were no cherubim wrought upon it. Then too, it was held up by five pillars instead of four (as for the veil inside the tabernacle), and these pillars stood in sockets of brass instead of silver.
It is as holy priests that we draw near in worship (1 Peter 2:55Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5)), but it is as royal priests that we serve the Lord (1 Peter 2:99But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (1 Peter 2:9)), and just as these five pillars held up the outer hanging of the tabernacle which met the eye of those outside, so it is our privilege to “show forth the praises of Him who hath called (us) out of darkness into His marvelous light.” It is in confessed weakness, like the five pillars, but it should ever be in the sense and joy of our place in Christ, for the pillars were overlaid with gold. Then too, just as these pillars stood in sockets of brass, we need to have the sentence of death in ourselves, for brass speaks of the judgment of sin as seen at the brazen altar (for us at the cross).
These five pillars, though they symbolized weakness, yet they held up that beautiful hanging. May this be a lesson for an of us who preach the gospel, and for all, whether young or old, who try to point others to Christ. Let us not speak of ourselves, or even he occupied with expounding deep truth to the unsaved. Let us hold up the veil— let us speak of the beauties and glories of Christ and seek to attract sinners to Him. This is what, is needed today, for there is nothing sweeter than a powerful message, wherein Christ is presented to the lost from a full heart. Remember the woman of Sychar’s well: her message was “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did.” The blind man whose eyes were opened at the pool of Siloam said, “Will ye also be His disciples?” Philip, the evangelist, preached CHRIST to the Samaritans, and Paul was determined to know nothing among the Corinthians “save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” Oh, for more of this in our Sunday schools, from our platforms, and in our conversation with our friends. Let us always present CHRIST to the lost.
We have noticed too, that this hanging did not have cherubim. (judgment) wrought upon it, for the Lord Jesus did not come to condemn the world—He came to save. Some day He will appear as the Judge, but He came first as the Saviour, and this is still the day of His grace. While we must warn of coming judgment, let us extol the precious name of Christ as Saviour, remembering that the Scripture tells us that “the goodness of God leadeth ... to repentance.” Romans 2:44Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? (Romans 2:4).
ML 01/08/1950