Lechem Panim #14 ”When God Wore a Veil” (Exodus 26:31-33) Pastor Cameron Ury

During out time together, in recent weeks we have been studying the Tabernacle of God; it’s furnishings and rituals that point us to the person and work of Jesus Christ. And we have moved in our study past the altar of incense and come to the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, wherein lay the Ark of the Covenant, where the presence of God came and rested upon (Exodus 25:22). And it is on that veil that I would like to dwell on a little bit longer during our time together today…

Exodus 26:31-33 (ESV)-- 31 “And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. 32 And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. 33 And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy”

Not long ago Tanya and I were traveling internationally and therefore had to adventure our way through a number of international airports. And sometimes it is so fascinating, as you are sitting at your gate waiting for your next flight, to observe other people from other cultures as they go about the same business that you are. And they do so using different languages, different customs, and of course wearing different dress. And I remember one airport in particular had a high concentration of Middle Eastern men and women, (most of whom were Muslim) and some of whom dressed ultra conservatively. Muslim women in particular would sometimes wear veils that would completely cover their faces to where you could only see a tiny sliver of their eyes. The only other skin that you could see was that of their hands and sometimes feet. 

Now the use of the veil stretches back into ancient times. But in ancient times the use of the veil was far less constrictive (generally speaking) than it has become since the birth of Islam and the Koran many years after the death and resurrection of Christ. But even in ancient times “the veil was regarded from ancient times by women of character as indispensable.” And there were many different kinds of veils and headdresses, which varied from one another in style. [In patriarchal times wives (Gen. 12:14) and young women (24:15) went about, especially when engaged in their household duties, without veils; and yet in early times the betrothed veiled herself in the presence of the bridegroom ({as Rebekah did when she approached Isaac in Genesis} 24:65), and lewd women veiled themselves ({as revealed to us in Genesis} 38:15) {with the account of Judah and Tamar in order to conceal their identity, as Tamar did.}.]

Now whatever your reason for wearing a veil (in order to be modest because you are moral or to conceal your identity because you are immoral), it is a very clear way of saying, “You don’t have access to me. My face (the essence of my personhood and who I am is reserved for somebody else. Access to my face is a level of relationship not available to you.” 
And in scripture we find that God Himself reveals that there is that same kind restriction on access to His face. It says in…

Exodus 33:18-23 (ESV)-- 18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

This is why you might say, when God visited His people in the Tabernacle, He wore a veil. You may have never heard it put quite like that before, but that is what is going on. God wears a veil, which is seen in the Tabernacle, separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy place. It was a barrier that could not be crossed save by the High Priest, and that only once a year on the Great Day of Atonement, when he would sprinkle the blood of the Sin Offering on the mercy seat, and burnt incense within the veil (Lev 16:1).

Now the blood of the Sin Offering was of course a temporary sacrifice for sin. You will remember that because man sinned in the Garden of Eden, we were cut off from the presence of God. Because we partook of The Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil, we could no longer partake of The Tree of Life, which was a manifestation of the presence of God. So the first thing we lost in the Garden was the presence of God; we lost the Tree of Life, which caused us to begin to experience this new abnormal reality called death. And Adam and Eve are forced out of the Garden. And what is placed to guard the way back to the Tree of Life? It says in…

Genesis 3:24 (ESV)-- 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Now it is no coincidence then that it says of the veil in…

Exodus 26:31-33 (ESV)-- 31 “And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it.

So the cherubim woven onto that veil (and which were also incorporated in the mercy seat itself) may have reminded and represented to those who saw them that those cherubim that had been placed in the Garden were (in a sense) still in place; access to God (to the Tree of life) was still barred. And God was not trying to shut Israel out because He didn’t wasn’t to be close to them; the reason He had the Tabernacle instituted at all was so that He might be near His people. But rather it was to protect his people (who were still under sin and were themselves sinful) from coming into His presence and (because of His holiness) getting killed. The veil was a means of protection. But we know that as close as God was, it was not close enough. He wanted to dwell not only with His people, but in them. And in order for that to take place, we needed to be cleansed of our sin. Before we could come into His presence, the veil (the barrier) needed to be crossed (every pun intended).

And it is crossed in and through the obedience of Jesus. Jesus lived that fully obedient human life that we ourselves were never able to live. And He did it in our very flesh. He succeeded where Adam failed and through His obedience in our very flesh and in His death on the cross. He tears that holy veil away because He lived a perfect human life and His humanity was therefore perfect. And the tearing of humanity; his flesh it what saved us. In fact, the writer of Hebrews reveals how what the veil actually represented was the flesh/humanity of Jesus Christ. He says in…

Hebrews 10:19-20 (ESV)-- 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,

Remember Jesus’ last moments on the cross. It says in…

Mark 15:37-39 (ESV)-- 37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. “38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

You know I have been to a number of weddings in my lifetime, as I am sure that you have as well. And some of them can be very elaborate and well-planned out. And there is a remarkable symbolism inherent in a lot of the rituals we engage in during a wedding ceremony. And the highlight of every wedding ceremony is no doubt that incredible moment when the bride comes down the aisle (face covered with a veil) towards her prospective groom, who is waiting in anticipation for her. And then comes that moment when they exchange vows and commit to a deeper relationship of service and love. And the minister tells the groom he can kiss the bride. And so her face is unveiled and they kiss for the first time as man and wife. Why did the veil in the temple tear? Because it was the moment that all of humanity had been waiting for since the creation and fall of the world into sin; the moment the veil was lifted so that we could again share a relationship with God that is as close as a kiss. It is the moment that we are enabled (through the torn body of Christ represented by that torn veil) to enter into the presence of God.

The moment Jesus’ body is torn, the veil in the temple is torn. And as the writer of Hebrews points out in Hebrews 9:12, Jesus is our High Priest; yet the first High Priest to make atonement with His own blood rather than the blood of animals. He is both victim and High Priest. And He crosses into the Holy Place (heaven) in order that we also might gain entrance to heaven through faith in Him.

Now what God has been speaking to me in this passage is really a challenge. And that is, “Am I taking advantage of my access to God as much as I should be?” Am I coming into His presence on a regular basis. Am I drawing from Him the strength that I need for my day; for my family and my ministry? Or do I treat lightly the amazing gift that Jesus gave me in and through the shedding of His blood. Am I denying myself the strength and renewal He wants to give me and that can be found in and through simply coming into His presence? I am challenged by the words of…

Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.

Are you exercising your privilege of access to God? Today I encourage you to come into the presence of God; and not just today, but everyday. Take time to come into the holy of holies and experience the life-giving presence of Jesus Christ, who can restore your life; who can renew your strength; who can make you mount up with wings as eagles. Take advantage each and every day of the awesome privilege we have of coming into the presence of God. Amen.