THE CLEANSING OF THE TABERNACLE

We have spoken of the daily service of the priests in the tabernacle—the offering of the incense and the lamb morning and evening. But besides these daily sacrifices there was the yearly service on what was called “The Day of Atonement.”

This was the time when the tabernacle was cleansed; the time for the remission—the sending away—of sins. So the people spent that day in seeking the Lord, and confessing their sins, so that He might take them away, and blot them out.

All through the year the people had offered sacrifices, showing in a figure their faith in the Lamb of God whose blood alone could wash away their sins. And in closing the yearly round of service the Lord showed them in a figure how all the sin that had been confessed and put away, was to be blotted out.

The High Priest took two goats, and cast lots upon them, one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for Azazel, or the scapegoat. Azazel was a Hebrew poetical name for Satan. So these two goats were meant to represent Christ and Satan.

Do you think it strange that Christ, the Lamb of God, should then be typified by a goat? Perhaps you remember the Parable of Jesus in which He shows how God will divide between His own people, His sheep, and the wicked, the goats, and will put the sheep on His right hand and the goats on the left. Those at His right hand will be saved, and those on His left will perish. But do you remember what the Bible says of Jesus that when the Lord laid upon Him the iniquity of as all, “He was numbered with the transgressor”? Though “He knew no sin, He was made to be sin for us,” that we might be made pure.

So the goat upon whom the Lord’s lot fell, became the type of Jesus Christ. This goat was slain, and its blood was taken into the tabernacle to make an atonement for the people. It was sprinkled upon the articles of furniture in the holy place, and was then taken into the Most Holy place, and sprinkled before the Ark, and upon the Mercy-seat.

This was the only day in the year that anyone was allowed to enter this most holy place. None but the High Priest ever set foot within that sacred inner apartment where the cloud of God’s glory hovered over the Mercy-seat.

And when on this one in the year he went in to make an atonement for the people, he carried with him much incense, so that the smoke rising from it might shelter him from the glorious brightness, and keep him from being destroyed.

All the while the High Priest was within the tabernacle, the people waited without in solemn silence. He had little bells on the hem of his garment, and as he moved from place to place, the people could tell by the tinkling of the bells where he was and what he was doing.

When the High Priest came out, he raised his hands and blessed the people, and they knew that God had accepted the offering, and cleansed them from their sins.

Then the priest laid his hands upon the head of the scape-goat, and in a figure, all the sins of Israel, for which the Lord’s goat had been slain, were laid upon him. For this goat was a type of Satan, the cause at all their sins.

The blood of the goat that was slain cleansed the tabernacle in a figure and took all the sin away from the people and put it upon the head of the scape-goat. Then this goat was taken away into the wilderness, to wander alone, and it never came back to the camp of Israel.

We have in all our talks about the tabernacle found that it is to teach us of the work of God in our own bodies, to take away our sins, and to make known His own dwelling-place.

His promise is that “as far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.” This He has done through the death of Jesus upon the cross, for He took all our sins upon Himself. He came to “make an end of sin,” to blot it out for ever from His universe, and to cleanse every part of it.

All through the year the people were taught that Jesus had taken their place, and died instead of them because of their sins. But on this day they were taught what His death would do for them and in them.

As the blood of the goat, in a figure, cleansed the tabernacle from sin; so, in reality, the blood of Jesus cleanses our hearts, and blots out all sin from us. His life in us will make an end of sin in us, and make us pure and holy, so that we shall not go on sinning.

Do you remember that the last work of Jesus before His death, was to cleanse the temple, driving out all those things that were defiling it? So His last work before His coming, which in now very near, is the cleansing away of sin from us who are His living temples.

Before He comes, His people must be perfect, “without spot, or wrinkle; or any such thing.” All their sins must be blotted out. So we are living in the great Day of Atonement—the time for the remission and blotting out of sins.

This is a very solemn time, when we should seek the Lord, and confess our sins. God said that if anyone should be careless, and take no notice of the Day of Atonement, “that soul shall be cut off from among his people.” Then is it not very important that we should come to Jesus now, seek Him while He may be found, and call upon Him while He is near, that all our sins may be blotted out when He comes?

“The sprinkled blood is speaking
Forgiveness full and free;
Its wondrous power is breaking
Each bond of guilt for me.”

The Present Truth – November 14, 1901
E. J. Waggoner

The Kings House The Cleansing of the Tabernacle