Exodus 26:31  And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:
32  And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.
33  And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.
34  And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.
35  And thou shalt set the table without the vail, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side.
36  And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.
37  And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.

There is a separation between God and man. Before the fall of man, God came and spoke with Adam in the Garden. There was still a separation, but there was a closeness at that time, that man lost due to sin. In Genesis 5:22,24 we read that Enoch walked with God. He did not see God, but he had a close relationship with God. In Genesis 6 we read that Noah also walked with God. The only way that man can know how to live successfully is when he chooses to walk with God.
Walking with God is the right place to be; however, even for those who walk with God, there is a separation from God. We see that in the structure of the Tabernacle. The curtains that covered that structure were dense so that the people could not see into the Tabernacle. The priests could walk into that Tabernacle in order to light the lamps and trim them, etc. They could also replace the shewbread daily and they also needed to offer up the sacrifices of the people in the larger part of the Tabernacle. However, the holy place was separated from the sanctuary by a heavy curtain as well.
Inside that holy place was the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat and the cherubims. That ark of the covenant and the mercy seat were a representation of God. The high priest was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. The only way that high priest could enter into that holy place was after he first of all offered a blood sacrifice for his own sins. He also needed to wash his body and put on a clean robe before he entered that place. He also needed to bring a blood sacrifice for his own sins and the sins of the people into that holy place. That blood needed to be offered on the mercy seat on behalf of the nation. That blood was a type of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, which would be shed for the world. After Jesus’ death and prior to His ascension, He presented His blood to His Father in heaven.
The vail which God instructed Moses of here, provided that needed separation of the people from a holy God. Once a year the high priest could enter that holy place if he obeyed the command of the Lord as described above. Man cannot come into the presence of the holy God on his own.
The vail was made of special material and special colours. These again would represent the Lord Jesus Christ. When He died on the cross, the vail of the Temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. Jesus Christ made the way for repentant sinners to come into the presence of the Holy God. The colours and the design of the vail was again a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. No man can have access to God the Father but through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Far too many people assume they can come to God without Jesus Christ. It is not just the Mormons and the J.W.’s that reject the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Many ecumenists think they can talk to the Lord, not sure who they consider the Lord, but they do not mention the name of Jesus Christ in the closing of their mantra. Many people also assume they can pray to Jesus. Those who refuse to follow God’s law, have no access to God. They assume they do, but they do not.
Moses was given specific and detailed instructions on access to God the Father. He was in the presence of God as he was given these instructions. This was prior to Jesus’ incarnation and His crucifixion. The animal sacrifices and the blood of the animals provided the means of coming before God prior to Jesus shedding His own blood.
The details for the hanging of this vail are given in our text. We see as well that inside the holy place was the ark of the testimony and the mercy seat.
Moses was also given instructions as to the placement of the candlestick and the table. They were placed in the sanctuary opposite one another. Moses was also given instructions for the hanging that was for the door of the Tabernacle. This curtain was also of blue, purple and scarlet and with fine twined linen and with needlework. As the people would approach this Tabernacle, they would know this was a special place.
Reverence for God is important. God is the Creator of all things. He has the power to end a life in a moment of time. He is the only One Who provides the ability for man to function and succeed. He deserves the worship of all people. Instead, most people want God to worship them. They want to change what He has decreed and make Him their puppet. Of course this does not work. Many people are living in a deluded world of make-believe.
Israel was given a constant reminder of Who God is with this Tabernacle. Just the outward appearance of that structure would remind them of His greatness. The messages that Moses and the priests would have were also there to teach them and to remind them. Later God would give them true prophets, many of whom were hated by the people because they did not want to hear the truth.
God is still facing massive opposition in our time. None of that changes Who He is. True churches and true Christians are to be a light in this dark world. Amazingly, most professing Christians want to be friends of this world. They have nothing worth offering the world. They can only mirror the world and hope people will notice them. The wise person rejects all this and trusts in the true God. As we will see yet, Aaron led the people into sin while God was instructing Moses in Truth. Aaron and the people were the losers. Moses was greatly disturbed by this rebellion. God was still God and He was and still is long-suffering. His longsuffering does not mean tolerance for sin. It means He gives man the Truth and gives man the evidence needed to receive the Truth. Man is the loser when he rejects God. God remains holy and true. The Tabernacle was built in such a way that it would look good and function as that earthly representation of something much greater than that Tent could ever be. It would serve God’s purpose.
Pastor Bartel