Topical Encyclopedia The Tabernacle, as described in the Old Testament, served as the portable dwelling place for the presence of God among the Israelites during their journey through the wilderness. Central to its function and symbolism was the practice of blood sprinkling, a ritual act that underscored the themes of atonement, purification, and covenant.Biblical Foundation The practice of sprinkling blood in the Tabernacle is rooted in the sacrificial system established by God through Moses. In the Book of Exodus, God provides detailed instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle and the consecration of its furnishings and priests. The blood of sacrificial animals played a crucial role in these rites, symbolizing the purification and sanctification necessary for approaching a holy God. In Exodus 24:6-8 , Moses takes half of the blood from the sacrifices and sprinkles it on the altar, while the other half is sprinkled on the people, signifying the ratification of the covenant between God and Israel: "Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people, who replied, 'All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.' So Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, 'This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.'" Atonement and Purification The sprinkling of blood was integral to the Day of Atonement, as described in Leviticus 16. On this solemn day, the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place, the innermost part of the Tabernacle, to make atonement for the sins of the people. Leviticus 16:14-15 details the procedure: "He is to take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger against the front of the mercy seat on the east side; he shall also sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the mercy seat. Then he shall slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and bring its blood inside the veil. He is to do with this blood as he did with the blood of the bull: He shall sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it." This act of sprinkling blood on the mercy seat, the cover of the Ark of the Covenant, symbolized the covering of sins and the restoration of the relationship between God and His people. The blood served as a means of purification, cleansing the Tabernacle and the people from the defilement of sin. Foreshadowing the New Covenant The New Testament writers, particularly in the Book of Hebrews, interpret the Tabernacle's rituals as foreshadowing the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 9:21-22 reflects on the significance of blood in the old covenant and its fulfillment in the new: "In the same way, he sprinkled with blood the tabernacle and all the vessels used in worship. According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." The sprinkling of blood in the Tabernacle prefigures the atoning work of Christ, whose blood was shed once for all to secure eternal redemption. As the high priest entered the earthly sanctuary with the blood of animals, Christ entered the heavenly sanctuary with His own blood, obtaining a more excellent ministry and mediating a better covenant (Hebrews 9:11-12). Symbolism and Significance The act of sprinkling blood in the Tabernacle underscores the gravity of sin and the necessity of atonement. It highlights the holiness of God and the need for purification to approach Him. The blood rituals of the Tabernacle point to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, whose blood cleanses believers from sin and establishes a new covenant relationship with God. Through the lens of the Tabernacle, the sprinkling of blood emerges as a profound symbol of divine grace and redemption. Nave's Topical Index Leviticus 16:15-20Then 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 on the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: Nave's Topical Index Hebrews 9:21,23 Library The Blood of the Testament December 2 Evening Perfection in Faith Hebrews ix. 15-18 Fifth Sunday in Lent The Blood of Sprinkling (Second Sermon. ) The Blood of Sprinkling The Day of Atonement The Day of Atonement The Blood of Sprinkling Resources What was the tabernacle of David? | GotQuestions.orgWhat was the tabernacle of Moses? | GotQuestions.org What were the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place in the temple / tabernacle? | GotQuestions.org Tabernacle: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus Subtopics Tabernacle of Testimony Witness Tabernacle was a Moveable Tent Suited to the Unsettled Condition of Tabernacle was Set up by Moses at Mount Sinai Tabernacle was Set up in Shiloh Tabernacle was Set Up: At Gilgal Tabernacle was Set Up: Finally at Gibeon Tabernacle: (The Holy of Holies) Heaven Tabernacle: (The Vail) Christ's Body Tabernacle: (The Vail) the Obscurity of the Mosaic Age Tabernacle: A Permanent House Substituted For, when the Kingdom Was Tabernacle: All Males Required to Appear Before, Three Times Each Year Tabernacle: All offerings to be Made At Tabernacle: Anointed and Consecrated With Oil Tabernacle: Anointed With Holy Oil Tabernacle: Brought to the Temple by Solomon Tabernacle: Called The: House of the Lord Tabernacle: Called The: Tabernacle of Joseph Tabernacle: Called The: Tabernacle of Shiloh Tabernacle: Called The: Tabernacle of Testimony or Witness Tabernacle: Called The: Tabernacle of the Congregation Tabernacle: Called The: Tabernacle of the Lord Tabernacle: Called The: Temple of the Lord Tabernacle: Carried in Front of the People of Israel in the Line of March Tabernacle: Court of all the Pillars of, Filleted With Silver Tabernacle: Court of all the Vessels of, Made of Brass Tabernacle: Court of Contained the Brazen Altar and Laver of Brass Tabernacle: Court of One Hundred Cubits Long and Fifty Cubits Wide Tabernacle: Court of Surrounded by Curtains of Fine Line Suspended from Pillars Tabernacle: Court of The Gate of, a Hanging of Blue, Purple Twenty Cubits Tabernacle: Coverings of The First or Inner, Ten Curtains of Blue, Purple Joined Tabernacle: Coverings of The Fourth or Outward of Badgers' Skins Tabernacle: Coverings of The Second, Eleven Curtains of Goats' Hair Tabernacle: Coverings of The Third of Rams' Skins Dyed Red Tabernacle: Defilement of, Punished Tabernacle: Description of The Frame Tabernacle: Designed for Manifestation of God's Presence and for His Tabernacle: Divided by a Vail of Blue, Purple, Suspended from Four Tabernacle: Divided Into: The Holy Place Tabernacle: Divided Into: The Most Holy Place Tabernacle: Divine Wisdom Given to Bezaleel to Make Tabernacle: Filled With the Cloud of Glory Tabernacle: First Reared, on the First Day of the Second Year After The Tabernacle: Free-Will offerings Made at the Dedication of the Altar of Tabernacle: Free-Will offerings Made at the First Rearing of Tabernacle: had a Court Round About Tabernacle: How and by Whom Carried Tabernacle: How Prepared for Removal During the Travels of the Israelites Tabernacle: Israelites Worship At Tabernacle: Made of the Free-Will offerings of the People Tabernacle: Materials For, Voluntarily offered Tabernacle: Moses Was Commanded to Make After a Divine Pattern Tabernacle: Offerings Brought To Tabernacle: One Existed Before Moses Received the Pattern Authorized on Mount Sinai Tabernacle: Pattern of, Revealed to Moses Tabernacle: Pitched: At Gibeon Tabernacle: Pitched: At Gilgal Tabernacle: Pitched: At Shiloh Tabernacle: Punishment for Defiling Tabernacle: Renewed by David, and Pitched Upon Mount Zion Tabernacle: Sanctified by the Glory of the Lord Tabernacle: Solomon offers Sacrifice At Tabernacle: Sprinkled and Purified With Blood Tabernacle: Sprinkled With Blood Tabernacle: Strangers (Foreigners) Forbidden to Enter Tabernacle: Symbol of Spiritual Things Tabernacle: The Ark and Mercy-Seat Put in the Most Holy Place Tabernacle: The Boards of had Each Two Tenons Fitted Into Sockets of Silver Tabernacle: The Boards of Made of Shittim Wood Tabernacle: The Boards of Six, and Two Corner Boards for West Side Tabernacle: The Boards of Supported by Bars of Shittim Wood Resting in Rings of Gold Tabernacle: The Boards of Ten Cubits High by One and a Half Broad Tabernacle: The Boards of Twenty on North Side Tabernacle: The Boards of Twenty on South Side Tabernacle: The Boards of With the Bars, Covered With Gold Tabernacle: The Cloud of Glory Rested On, by Night and Day During Its Tabernacle: The Door of, a Curtain of Blue and Purple Suspended by Gold Tabernacle: The Journeys of Israel Regulated by the Cloud On Tabernacle: The Levites: Appointed Over, and had Charge of Tabernacle: The Levites: Carried Tabernacle: The Levites: did the Inferior Service of Tabernacle: The Levites: Pitched Their Tents Around Tabernacle: The Levites: Took Down, and Put Up Tabernacle: The Lord Appeared In, Over the Mercy-Seat Tabernacle: The Lord Reveals Himself At Tabernacle: The Most Holy Place Tabernacle: The One Instituted by Moses Was Called of Testimony Tabernacle: The One Instituted by Moses Was Called: House of the Lord Tabernacle: The One Instituted by Moses Was Called: Sanctuary Tabernacle: The One Instituted by Moses Was Called: Tabernacle (A. V.), Tent (R. V.) Tabernacle: The One Instituted by Moses Was Called: Tabernacle (A. V.), Tent of Meeting (R. V.) Tabernacle: The One Instituted by Moses Was Called: Temple of the Lord Tabernacle: The One Instituted by Moses Was Called: Tent of Testimony (R. V.) Tabernacle: The Outer Covering Tabernacle: The Priests were the Ministers of Tabernacle: The Priests: Alone Could Enter Tabernacle: The Priests: Performed all Services In Tabernacle: The Second Covering Tabernacle: The Table of Show-Bread, the Golden Candlestick, and The Tabernacle: Tribes Encamped Around, While in the Wilderness Tabernacle: Value of the Substance Contributed For Tabernacle: Workmen Who Constructed It Were Inspired Related Terms |
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