I've noticed something unusual. In the old testament, God has the temple built with all of it's ornate detail. In fact, I believe one of the reasons for Exodus chapters 25-31 is so we could understand that our God has an eye for detail. He had everything planned down to the last thread. But that's beside the point for the moment. What was the curtain for? The priest was to take the sins of the people through offering and sacrifice and give it unto the Lord through a series of ceremonial acts and such. Now, I'm not breaking this down lest I lose my train of thought.
My mind is on the curtain. What do we know about the curtain or in this particular case, the veil? We know it was there to separate the high priests (The Levites), chosen by God for their service, from the people. They're job, their life was behind that veil. Notice something...in Exodus 26:31 the word is spelled, "vail." Hm. But now, let's skip over to Matthew 27:51 and it's spelled "veil." Hm, x2.
Well, I'm not a scholar but I know how to look up a word or two. The spelling for "vail" means "to lower as to show respect." However, "veil" means "concealing curtain or cover of cloth." I thought at first the people who put the King James version together did the typo thing. But no, it's like that all the way through the old testament and the same through the new.
May be it's nothing or may be someone will enlighten me as to the something it is. Moving on to the point I wanted to make. In the old testament, no one but the priest was allowed behind the veil/vail. This was something that separated us from God, in a sense. Back then, the people had to rely wholly on that "man" to do for them what they needed. Take their sacrifices and offerings to the alter for them to be burned and offered.
Then, Jesus comes as a Savior to the world and what happens at the very moment that Jesus "...yielded up the ghost," in Matthew 27:50? I'll tell you so you don't have to go look (hey, it's my pleasure). Matthew 27:51 says, "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent (tore) in twain (2) from the top to the bottom;..." Not from the bottom to the top. If it had been tore from the bottom to the top, then we might mistake the act to be one done by the hands of men. But a veil that is "eight and twenty cubits" Ex. 26:2, from floor to ceiling would have needed a few minutes to reach in order to be tore from the top down. Just how tall was the curtain? I could google it or use my head for something besides a hat rack...
Deviating from scripture for a math lesson...let me see if my college math will pay off here, while I try to calculate what the height of a curtain eight and twenty cubits would equate to in our language. One cubit is the equivalent of the length from the elbow to the tip of our middle finger (old testament style). This is 17.5 inches give or take. Square it off to a clean 12 ins. and I'll add the 7.5 along the way. Eight and twenty cubits...hm...would that mean 28 cubits or 17.5 ins. times 28? Shoot, I gotta figure that out too?...sigh...am I sounding crazy yet? Hmph...crazy like a fox...focus Kelline...if eight and twenty means 28 then 28 cubits x 17.5 ins. = 490/17.5 ins = 28 ft tall. That's about equivalent to a 3 story building if the building has 10ft high ceilings. (please forgive me if it's wrong, don't hang me by my toenails for it.)
That sounds worthy of our God. He's worth a temple having a 3-story curtain in it. A curtain handmade from fine linen lovingly dyed blue, purple, and scarlet (Ex. 26:1). The size of the curtain might have been the point when God had them made in the first place. That way, no man could claim glory for the tearing of the curtain in that brief moment of time, (except for may be Peter Pan with his nifty dagger and a flying leap). So, ya, we're going to assume I'm somewhere in the ball park until someone gives me the right answer. Anyway, on with our research...
Those in the temple watched and bore witness to the fact that upon his death the veil tore from the Heaven-side to the earth-side. Do you realize the implications?
No longer did we need a high priest to go in unto the Lord for us. No longer were we separated from entering the throne room. No longer did someone else go behind the curtain and do the talking for us. No longer were we expected to wait outside. The veil was torn and done away with. We were now able to "come boldly to the throne of grace,..." Hebrews 4:16.
There's so much more to the high priest but I won't go into that right now. Even though there's details about his duties such as his life lived totally and ever in the temple. Or the fact that they tied a rope of bells to the priests ankle and if God wasn't pleased with his abilities, words, sacrifices, or the way he presented them, He would kill the priest (I know, atheists everywhere are saying, "I told you so...He's a mean God). Those "banished" to the outside of the veil would know he was dead by the bells not ringing anymore. Then, they'd tow his body out by the rope and wait for God to appoint a new Priest. Aren't you glad we don't have to do that anymore? No more animals without blemish. No more waiting. No more hoping the priest does it just right so we don't have to travel back next year with a posse of beasts to try again for absolution. Yes, it's a true gift, the gift of coming to the throne of grace! Let's not take it for granted.
For all of that I say, 'Praise Your High and Holy Name, Lord, for seeing our need and making a way by sending your Son...the Propitiation for our sins.' I'll see you in my prayer closet, Father. :-)
My mind is on the curtain. What do we know about the curtain or in this particular case, the veil? We know it was there to separate the high priests (The Levites), chosen by God for their service, from the people. They're job, their life was behind that veil. Notice something...in Exodus 26:31 the word is spelled, "vail." Hm. But now, let's skip over to Matthew 27:51 and it's spelled "veil." Hm, x2.
Well, I'm not a scholar but I know how to look up a word or two. The spelling for "vail" means "to lower as to show respect." However, "veil" means "concealing curtain or cover of cloth." I thought at first the people who put the King James version together did the typo thing. But no, it's like that all the way through the old testament and the same through the new.
May be it's nothing or may be someone will enlighten me as to the something it is. Moving on to the point I wanted to make. In the old testament, no one but the priest was allowed behind the veil/vail. This was something that separated us from God, in a sense. Back then, the people had to rely wholly on that "man" to do for them what they needed. Take their sacrifices and offerings to the alter for them to be burned and offered.
Then, Jesus comes as a Savior to the world and what happens at the very moment that Jesus "...yielded up the ghost," in Matthew 27:50? I'll tell you so you don't have to go look (hey, it's my pleasure). Matthew 27:51 says, "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent (tore) in twain (2) from the top to the bottom;..." Not from the bottom to the top. If it had been tore from the bottom to the top, then we might mistake the act to be one done by the hands of men. But a veil that is "eight and twenty cubits" Ex. 26:2, from floor to ceiling would have needed a few minutes to reach in order to be tore from the top down. Just how tall was the curtain? I could google it or use my head for something besides a hat rack...
Deviating from scripture for a math lesson...let me see if my college math will pay off here, while I try to calculate what the height of a curtain eight and twenty cubits would equate to in our language. One cubit is the equivalent of the length from the elbow to the tip of our middle finger (old testament style). This is 17.5 inches give or take. Square it off to a clean 12 ins. and I'll add the 7.5 along the way. Eight and twenty cubits...hm...would that mean 28 cubits or 17.5 ins. times 28? Shoot, I gotta figure that out too?...sigh...am I sounding crazy yet? Hmph...crazy like a fox...focus Kelline...if eight and twenty means 28 then 28 cubits x 17.5 ins. = 490/17.5 ins = 28 ft tall. That's about equivalent to a 3 story building if the building has 10ft high ceilings. (please forgive me if it's wrong, don't hang me by my toenails for it.)
That sounds worthy of our God. He's worth a temple having a 3-story curtain in it. A curtain handmade from fine linen lovingly dyed blue, purple, and scarlet (Ex. 26:1). The size of the curtain might have been the point when God had them made in the first place. That way, no man could claim glory for the tearing of the curtain in that brief moment of time, (except for may be Peter Pan with his nifty dagger and a flying leap). So, ya, we're going to assume I'm somewhere in the ball park until someone gives me the right answer. Anyway, on with our research...
Those in the temple watched and bore witness to the fact that upon his death the veil tore from the Heaven-side to the earth-side. Do you realize the implications?
No longer did we need a high priest to go in unto the Lord for us. No longer were we separated from entering the throne room. No longer did someone else go behind the curtain and do the talking for us. No longer were we expected to wait outside. The veil was torn and done away with. We were now able to "come boldly to the throne of grace,..." Hebrews 4:16.
There's so much more to the high priest but I won't go into that right now. Even though there's details about his duties such as his life lived totally and ever in the temple. Or the fact that they tied a rope of bells to the priests ankle and if God wasn't pleased with his abilities, words, sacrifices, or the way he presented them, He would kill the priest (I know, atheists everywhere are saying, "I told you so...He's a mean God). Those "banished" to the outside of the veil would know he was dead by the bells not ringing anymore. Then, they'd tow his body out by the rope and wait for God to appoint a new Priest. Aren't you glad we don't have to do that anymore? No more animals without blemish. No more waiting. No more hoping the priest does it just right so we don't have to travel back next year with a posse of beasts to try again for absolution. Yes, it's a true gift, the gift of coming to the throne of grace! Let's not take it for granted.
For all of that I say, 'Praise Your High and Holy Name, Lord, for seeing our need and making a way by sending your Son...the Propitiation for our sins.' I'll see you in my prayer closet, Father. :-)
Great article! keep on sharing...and thank you for visiting my blog :))
ReplyDeleteKelline, I'm so bad at math. That I admonish you for even trying. Also even if you are right or wrong I give you an A for trying. And I'm glad you did, because I never visualized the veil that high. That's quite the image. Oh how the Pharisees must have trembled as the earth shook, the veil ripped, and the clouds and wind burst forth. "On the cross..He saved me , He healed me, and He took me in His arms and He loved me." Hallelujah!
ReplyDelete:-) INDEED sis!!!!
ReplyDelete