The Mustard Seed Mill

What was God thinking?

What was God thinking when He was giving instruction for the tabernacle? What was He thinking when He was sharing every design and detail for what He wanted crafted? What was He thinking when He gave the vision for the veil?

In Exodus 26, God gives instruction to Moses for how the tabernacle should be designed. The tabernacle was a place where the Israelites would come and make sacrifices, be cleansed of their sins, and where the priest would be able to meet with God in the Most Holy place.

Within the tabernacle was a specific place, the Most Holy place, the Holy of Holies. This place was secured in the tabernacle by an inner veil. Only the priest could enter there and if the priest was not right before God, he would meet his death there. It is told that the priests would wear bells and a rope around their foot when they would enter the Holy of Holies so that the people outside would be able to know if they had dropped dead and have a way to retrieve them if so. If the priest died inside, the people outside would be able to drag him out without themselves going in and meeting their death.

In this Holy of Holies place was the Ark of the Covenant. The place where God said He would manifest His presence. A place where the Israelites would be able to meet with Him. A consecrated place. A Holy place.

When God gives detail for how to build the tabernacle, He details how to make the veil. The veil that would be a divide between the holy place and the Holy of Holies. The veil that would be a divide between the Israelites and the Ark of the Covenant. The veil that would be a divide between sinful man and the presence of God.

I wonder what God was thinking when He gave instructions for that veil.

Was He thinking of the day that was described in Luke 23:45?

Was He thinking of the day when Jesus would die? Was He thinking of His son on the cross bearing the weight of all of our sin? Was His heart broken in that moment? Was He rejoicing at the thought of making a way for us to be in His manifest presence permenently?

Luke tells us that on that day that Jesus bore our sins that the sun was darkened and the veil was torn in two. When God gave instruction for the veil, was He thinking of the moment the veil would be torn in two?

When Jesus died, He not only paid the price for our sins, He purchased for us full and total access to God in a way that we haven’t had since sin entered the world. Because of Christ’s death, we have a way to be in God’s presence without the fear of death! When that veil was torn in two, it was a symbol of our access to the throne room of God. The Holy of Holies.

Because of the death of Jesus and the price He paid, we now have unveiled access to the Holy of Holies at any moment! This is a place where priests would risk their lives to go. We now have access to this place at any time. The thought of this, for me at least, can be overwhelming!

What was God thinking when He gave the vision for the veil?

Was His vision always for it to be torn? Was He thinking of you? Was He thinking of me? Was He thinking of how much He longed for us to be in His presence?

I can’t say exactly what God was thinking when He had a vision for the veil, but I can say that I am completely wrecked and eternally grateful that my vision of the veil is one that is torn in two.