Good Morning.
Then Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of meeting, shall take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy Place, and shall leave them there. (Leviticus 16:23)
There are several examples of how different articles, once used in the Sanctuary, are forever regarded as holy. Obviously, the furnishings and different utensils were considered holy but, on occasion, certain things deemed “holy” are far more intriguing and even a bit puzzling. For example, the censers brought before the LORD by the 250 men who had joined with Korah’s rebellion — and who were consumed by a fire from the LORD — were hammered to the outside of the Altar and, thus, regarded as “holy.” Moreover, the LORD said, “Because they presented them before the Lord, therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel” (Numbers 16:38).
My point is this — the linen garments worn by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement were regarded as “holy,” and as such, were left in the Sanctuary. According to Jewish tradition, they were to remain in the Sanctuary and never to be used again by anyone, not even another High Priest. In that manner, not only were they retained because of their sacred use, but they also served as a sign of sorts to future generations. So imagine then, in time, others would see the bloodied, linen garments, most likely neatly folded, and be reminded of the High Priest who had faithfully performed his duties on behalf of God’s people.
Perhaps you see where I am going with this? When Peter and John inspected the tomb where Yeshua had been interred, they found the linen garments He had been shrouded with, along with the piece of cloth that had been wrapped around His head, “folded together in a place by itself” (John 20:7). As for me, this screams of being some sort of sign that speaks, not only to His resurrection, but also to His role as our Heavenly High Priest. In fact later that day, in a conversation with Mary, He would reveal that He was preparing to go before the Father, most likely, to enter “the Most Holy Place once for all” to obtain “eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12).
And so, every day — not just once a year — we have a High Priest who makes intercession for us, and it is to Him that we give our daily thanks and heartfelt worship for being the Faithful Priest. Because He did His duty, we are reconciled to our Father in Heaven.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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