"Israel's ancient sanctuaries built by Moses, Solomon, Ezra and Nehemiah,
and finally Herod were never the real thing.
They were only a type of
"the true tabernacle set up by the Lord" "in heaven." Hebrews 8:1, 2,
NIV.
---When David committed his monstrous sin of adultery and a cover-up
murder, he knew well enough that no animal sacrifice could help him in
the least. He prayed, "You do not delight in [such] sacrifice, or I
would bring it. ... The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken
and contrite heart." Psalm 51:16, NIV.
The only effective sacrifice was
always that offered by "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the
world." John 1:29, NIV.
The earthly priests were only a "shadow" of Him
as High Priest. The entire setup was a kindergarten lesson to illustrate
Christ's work as Saviour. The "shadow" was as close as human
consciousness could then come to envisaging the reality. See Hebrews
10:1."
R.J.W.