Exodus 26:31 - Meaning and Application

Two veils were ordered here. One was to stand between the holy place and the most holy place. It did more than keep people out, it kept them from even looking into the holiest room (Exo 26:31, Exo 26:33). Under that covenant, God’s grace was hidden behind a curtain, but now we see it openly (Co2 3:18).

The apostle explains the meaning of this veil in Hebrews 9:8, Hebrews 9:9. It showed that the ceremonial law, the system of religious rites and sacrifices, could not make worshipers fully perfect. Keeping those rules could not bring people to heaven. The way into the holiest place was not yet made clear while the first tabernacle stood. Life and immortality stayed hidden until the gospel brought them to light, and that was shown when this veil was torn at Christ’s death (Mat 27:51).

We do not enter God’s presence with careless confidence. We come by the blood of Jesus, yet that very access should make us reverent and humble, aware of our distance from God even as we draw near to him.

The second veil covered the outer door of the tabernacle (Exo 26:36, Exo 26:37). Through this first veil, the priests went in each day to serve in the holy place, but the people did not enter (Heb 9:6). This curtain was the tabernacle’s only defense against thieves and robbers, and it could be neither locked nor barred. The tabernacle also held great wealth, so it might seem easy to tempt men to break in.

Yet God left it exposed for a purpose. First, it would make the priests and Levites, the temple workers, keep stricter watch over it. Second, it showed God’s care for his church on earth, even when it is weak and unprotected, and always in danger. If God chooses, a simple curtain can guard his house as well as gates of brass and bars of iron.