Tabernacle Lectures (141) Prayer

Exodus 30:6 “And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.”

If you enter the tabernacle, there is the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place inside that. There is a curtain between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. The ark of the covenant is behind the curtain in the Most Holy Place. The altar of incense is right in front of the curtain in the Holy Place. God said to put the ark of the covenant that is inside the Most Holy Place face to face with the altar of incense outside the Most Holy Place.

The high priest can only enter the Most Holy Place once a year. If he enters the Most Holy Place in the wrong way, he will die. Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu entered the Most Holy Place and died. The reason was because they put a different fire on their censers which God did not command and burned incense on them.

The priests could enter the Holy Place every morning and evening to perform services to God. The priests could not enter the Most Holy Place, but if they lit the fire of the altar of incense in the Holy Place, the smoke of the incense entered the Most Holy Place. The Bible is saying to cover the mercy seat that is above the ark of the covenant, which is opposite the altar of incense, with the smoke of the incense. This smoke of incense represents prayer.