SEALED within the Ark of the Covenant as testimony of the LORD on Sinai — the TEN WORDS –– written in Exodus and Deuteronomy as you know, but also referenced in Leviticus.
The Office of Priest – כָּהַן
“So the priest who is anointed and ordained to ministerH3547 asH3547 aH3547 priestH3547 in his father’s place shall make atonement:
he shall thus put on the linen garments, the holy garments, and make atonement for the holy sanctuary,
and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting
Who would know more about the Altar of Sacrifice than the Priest appointed to the atonementfor all worshipers of the LORD?
The LORD established certain laws of holiness for the priests in addition to the Commandments of the LORD for His chosen people.
“Then you shall bring the bull near before the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. “You shall slaughter the bull before Yahweh at the doorway of the tent of meeting.
“For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and set it apart as holy; then the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.
כָּפַר kâphar, kaw-far’; a primitive root; to cover (specifically with bitumen);
Bitumen, also known as mineral tar, is derived from the partial distillation of crude petroleum. - source
figuratively, to expiate or condone, to placate or cancel:—appease, make (an atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, purge (away), put off, (make) reconcile(-liation).
‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement by the [soul] life.’
Picture it: a Priest standing between the HOLINESS of God and the Altar upon which your sins have been covered with blood of the sacrifice and the remains burned beyond recognition.
“According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall make it.
A brief look at the LORD's instructions for building the Tabernacle (LIST from the CSB should help us visualize it in contemporary terms and measurements.)
8 “They are to make a sanctuary for me so that I may dwell among them.
10 “They are to make an ark of acacia wood, forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.
Overlay it with pure gold; overlay it both inside and out. Also make a gold molding all around it. 12 Cast four gold rings for it..
14 Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark with them.
14 Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark with them.
17 Make a mercy seat of pure gold, forty-five inches long and twenty-seven inches wide.
18 Make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat.
21 Set the mercy seat on top of the ark and put the tablets of the testimony that I will give you into the ark. 22 I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony; I will speak with you from there about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.
IT IS A MOST HOLY PLACE OF THE MOST HIGH!
Table for the Ark of the Covenant
23 “You are to construct a table of acacia wood, thirty-six inches long, eighteen inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.
31 “Youa are to make a lampstand out of pure, hammered gold.. 37“Make its seven lamps,and set them up so that they illuminate the area in front of it.
26:1 “You are to construct the tabernacle itself with ten curtains.. 2 Each curtain should be forty-two feet long and six feet wide;
7 “You are to make curtains of goat hair for a tent over the tabernacle; make eleven of these curtains. 8 Each curtain should be forty-five feet long and six feet wide.
15 “You are to make upright supports of acacia wood for the tabernacle. Each support is to be fifteen feet long and twenty-seven inches wide.
31 “You are to make a curtain .. bring the ark of the testimony there behind the curtain, so the curtain will make a separation for you between the holy place and the most holy place.
34 Put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.
35 Place the table outside the curtain.. 36 “For the entrance to the tent you are to make a screen…
Exodus 27:1 You are to construct the altar of acacia wood. The altar must be square, 7 1/2 feet long, and 7 1/2 feet wide; it must be 4 1/2 feet high. 2 Make horns for it on its four corners..
9 “You are to make the courtyard for the tabernacle. Make hangings for.. the courtyard out of finely spun linen, 150 feet long.. 12 For the width of the courtyard, make hangings 75 feet long,, 14 make hangings 22 1/2 feet long for [each] side of the gate,
16 The gate of the courtyard is to have a 30-foot screen
18 The courtyard is to be 150 feet long, 75 feet wide at each end, and 7 1/2 feet high..
21 In the tent of meeting outside the curtain that is in front of the testimony, Aaron and his sons are to tend the lamp from evening until morning before the Lord.
In addition to these for the place of worship, Exodus provides instructions related to worship and the Priests, followed by a book with more detail.
Leviticus – Prescription for Perfect Worship, Priestly Requirements
Speak to the whole congregation of Israel and tell them:
Observe the progressive path of worship established between the people worshiping the Lord our God from beyond the tent of meeting, to the altar of sacrifice, into the more holy hidden places and before the Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy Seat and the Very Presence of the LORD — and again, atonement from the LORD via the Priest to the tent of meeting.
No man should know the significance of the sacrifice — and atonement — more than the Priest.
Think about his separation of holiness from the everyday people as you view the priests preparing for worship. Let’s look at a few of the requirements from their prescriptive handbook.
True worship requires priests set apart in holiness
And Moses did as the LORD commanded him; and the assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation…
And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them.
Leviticus 8:4,10 KJV
And he brought the people’s offering, and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin, as the first.
Leviticus 9:15 KJV
True worship requires people set apart in purity
“When a case of serious skin disease may have developed on a person, he is to be brought to the priest.
Leviticus 13:9 CSB
True worship requires propitiation in blood
Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered profane fire before the LORD, and died; and the LORD said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.
“Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said,
“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent…
When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered.
![Leviticus [written in Hebrew] photo representation of the Tabernacle of the LORD in the wilderness](https://talkofjesus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Leviticus-tabernackle-in-the-wilderness.png)
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