The Bible Class

LESSON XXII. Place of the Law

Questions to Lesson 22^*

In the former dispensation the law of God had a particular place of abode. It was the most holy place in the temple. There were two rooms in the temple wherein the priests performed their services. The first earthly temple was a tabernacle or tent, built by the direction of Moses, he being taught of God the form and furniture of the building. It is described in Exodus, beginning at Chap. 25. The Lord charged Moses to make everything belonging to it according to “their pattern,” which was showed him in the mount. While Moses was on mount Sinai, where he received the ten commandments, written with the finger of God on tables of stone, the Lord caused him to see the fashion of the tabernacle and of all its vessels. Exodus 25:40; 26:30. BIC 51.2

The door of this building was towards the east. As we enter the first room, at our right hand, on the north side of the room, we see a table of twelve loaves of shew-bread, a loaf for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. On the south side is a candlestick with seven branches, with seven lamps upon the branches. Towards the west side of this room stands the golden altar, on which incense was offered. This room was called the holy place. BIC 52.1

Passing this altar towards the west we enter the second room, which was called the most holy place. In this room were two cherubim, or angels, made of pure gold, one upon each end of what was called the mercy-seat, which was, like the cherubim, of solid gold. The cherubim spread their wings on high, covering the mercy-seat, and their faces were towards each other, looking down towards the mercy seat. The mercy-seat rested upon, and was the covering of, a chest made of wood, and overlaid with gold. BIC 52.2

These things were the furniture of the most holy place. But was there nothing in that chest? O yes, it was made expressly to contain the testimony which God gave Moses, which was the ten commandments on tables of stone. For this reason it was called, The Ark of the testimony. BIC 53.1

“The sanctuary was the heart of the typical system,” said a certain writer; and we may truly add, The law of God was the heart of the sanctuary. It was the grand center, where God manifested his presence above the mercy-seat, between the cherubim. So important was the law, that it gave to the whole building the name of the Tabernacle of the Testimony. BIC 53.2