*** Why was Abel’s
sacrifice more acceptable to God than Cain’s?
“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than
Cain.” Heb. 11:4.
*** To what did his
sacrifice point forward?
“Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things,... but with the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the
world.” 1 Peter 1:18-20.
*** By his sacrifice,
what did Abel obtain?
“He obtained witness that he was righteous.” Heb. 11:4.
*** With what sacrifice
did God command Abraham to worship Him?
“And He said unto him, Take Me a heifer of three years old, and a
she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old... And he took
unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one
against another.” Gen. 15:1, 10.
*** How did Jacob
manifest his faith in the promised Redeemer?
“And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to
Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.” Gen. 46:1.
*** What did the lord
command Moses to have made?
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children
of Israel, that they bring me an offering; ..and let them make Me a
sanctuary: that I may dwell among them.” Ex. 25:1, 8 (Acts 7:44)
(Heb. 8:5). “Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten
curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with
cherubim of cunning work shalt thou make them.” “And thou shalt
make curtains goats’ hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: even
curtains shalt thou make.” “And thou shalt make a covering for
the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers’
skins.” Ex. 26:1, 7, 14.
*** How many apartments
had the sanctuary?
“And the veil shall divide unto you between the holy place and
the most holy.” Ex. 26:33.
*** What was in the
first apartment?
“For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the
candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the
sanctuary.” Heb 9:2.
*** What other article
was in the first apartment?
“And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation
before the veil.” Ex. 40:26 (Ex. 30:1-6).
*** What was contained
in the second apartment, or the most holy place?
“And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the
Holiest of all; which had the golden censer, and the ark of the
covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot
that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the
covenant.” Heb. 9:3-4 (Ex. 40:20, 21).
*** By what name was
the cover of the ark known?
“And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and
in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.” Ex.25:21.
*** Where was God, by
the symbol of His presence, to meet with Israel’s high priest?
“And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from
above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the
ark of the testimony.” Ex. 25:22.
*** What was
in the ark,
under the mercy seat?
“And He wrote on the tables, according to the first writing,
the ten commandments... And I turned myself and came down from the
mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made.” Deut. 10:4, 5.
*** When this building
was completed, for what purpose was it used, and who daily officiated in
the first apartment?
“Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went
always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of
God.” Heb. 9:6.
*** Who only was
allowed in the second apartment? How often? And for what purpose?
“But into the second went the high priest alone once every
year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the
errors of the people.” Heb. 9:7.
*** How does one commit
sin?
“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for
sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4.
*** And what is the
wages of sin?
“The wages of sin is death.” Rom. 6:23.
*** When one of the
common people thus sinned, what must he then do, to save his life?
“And if anyone of the common people sin through ignorance, while
he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord,... then he
shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish,
for his sin which he hath sinned. And he shall lay his hand upon the
head of the sin offering, and slay the sin-offering in the place of
the burnt offering.” Lev. 4:27-29.
*** What was done with
the blood?
“And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger,
and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour
out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar.” Lev. 4:30.
*** How was the body of
the sin offering to be disposed of?
“This is the law of the sin-offering: In the place where the
burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the Lord;
it is most holy. The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it; in
the holy place shall it be eaten.” Lev. 6:25, 26. See verse 16.
*** After making an
offering for himself, what did the high priest next do?
“And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the
Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast
lots upon the two goats; one lot for the lord, and the other lot for
the scapegoat.” Lev.16:7, 8.
*** What was done with
the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell?
“Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for
the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that
blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the
mercy seat, and before the mercy seat.” Lev.16:15.
*** Was it necessary to
make this atonement?
“And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of
the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their
transgressions in all their sins; and so shall he do for the
tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of
their uncleanness.” Lev. 16:16.
*** After the high
priest came out of the sanctuary with the sins still on him, having atoned
for them in the most holy place, what did he next do?
“And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and
the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live
goat: and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live
goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel,
and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head
of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the
wilderness.” Lev. 16:20, 21.
*** Then who bore the
sins of the people, after the high priest had put them off, and the camp
was cleansed from them?
“And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto
a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the
wilderness.” Lev. 16:22.
*** The sanctuary in
the wilderness was constructed under the direction of Moses, in accordance
with the pattern shown him in the mount (Ex. 25:7-8, 40; Heb 8:5).
*** Enclosing this
wilderness tabernacle was a Court (sometimes called the Outer Court) which
was made of white curtains attached to poles (Ex. 27:9-18) , and was about
75 feet wide by 150 feet long (based on an 18-inch cubit). Within the
Court was the Altar of Burnt Offering, the laver and the Tabernacle. This
altar was also called the Brazen Altar since there was a second altar, the
Golden Altar, inside the Tabernacle. This outside Altar (Ex. 27:1-9) was
hollow inside and overlaid with brass, and was 5 feet high and 7 1/2 feet
square. Upon this altar were placed the animals that were offered as burnt
sacrifice. Just beyond, stood the brass laver (Ex. 30:18-21), where the
priests washed before entering the Tabernacle.
*** The earthly sanctuary
(Ex. 26:1-37) was a tent with wooden walls, 4 layers as a roof covering,
and gold and beautiful curtaining inside. About 15 by 45 feet in size,
this Tabernacle was portable, so it could be taken apart and moved from
place to place in the journeys of Israel through the wilderness. Divided
by an inner veil into two rooms or apartments, it was the holiest place on
earth. The priest entered the First Apartment every day with blood, and
went past the seven-branched Golden Candlestick, with its seven lamps of
fire (Ex. 25:31-40); past the Table of Shewbread, containing the dedicated
bread that stood before the Presence of the lord (Ex. 25:23-30); and on to
the Altar of Incense, or Golden Altar (Ex. 30:1-10), from whence the smoke
of a specially prepared incense wafted up, over the top of the dividing
veil (which did not reach to the ceiling) and into the Holy of Holies
beyond. Upon the Golden Altar and dividing veil, the priest sprinkled some
of the sacrificial blood (Lev. 4-5). A partial description of this may be
found in Hebrews 9:1-7. All of the furniture within the First and Second
Apartments was of solid gold, or covered with gold.
*** The Second Apartment,
or Most Holy Place (Ex. 26:33) contained the Ark of the Covenant (Ex. 26:17-22). Between two Cherubim was the glory of the Shekinah the Presence
of God (Ex. 26:22; 40:34). Beneath it was the Mercy Seat, a solid gold
slab that covered the top of the Ark, wherein lay the foundation of God’s
government: the Moral law of Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:3-17) which was
written by the finger of God on stone (Ex. 24:12) and then placed in the
Ark (Ex. 40:20). All of mankind is to be governed by those holy precepts,
even down to the end of time (Rev. 12:17; 14:12) and beyond (Rev. 22:14;
Isa. 66:22). Only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, did the high
priest enter the Second Apartment to cleanse the Sanctuary and the people
of sin (Lev. 16:30, 33-34 and all of the chapter; Dan. 8:14).