The Furniture of the Sanctuary.
(Lesson for Sabbath, Jan. 16.) 1. AFTER the general instruction in regard to building the sanctuary, what seems to have been the first article of its furniture that Moses was instructed to make? "And they shall make an ark of shittim wood; two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof." Ex. 25:10. 2. Where was this ark placed? "And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place." Ex. 26:34. 3. Describe the mercy seat, and give its position. "And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold; two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubim of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. . . . And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee." Ex. 25:17-21. 4. What was the testimony? "And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God." Ex. 31:18. 5. What was written upon these tables? "And the Lord spake unto you; . . . and he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone." Deut. 4:12, 13. 6. Where was this testimony placed? "And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee." Ex. 25:21. 7. Where was the altar of incense placed? "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." Ex. 30:6. 8. For what was this altar used? "And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning; when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations." Ex. 30:7, 8. 9. What were the people doing without while the priests were burning incense within the sanctuary? "And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense." Luke 1:10. 10. What beautiful allusion does David make to this service? "Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice." Ps. 141:2. 11. What other articles of furniture did the first apartment, or holy place, contain? "Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood; two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof." "And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold; of beaten work shall the candlestick be made; his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers shall be of the same." Ex. 25:23, 31. 12. For what was the table used? "And thou shalt set upon the table showbread before me always." Ex. 25:30. 13. How did Moses know how to make all these things? "And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was showed thee in the mount." Ex. 25:40. 14. Of what was this sanctuary a pattern, or figure? "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." Heb. 9:24. 15. Why was this structure erected? "And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." Ex. 25:8. 16. How was God's presence manifested in this sanctuary? "And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not; for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat." Lev. 16:2. 17. What place in the sanctuary did God especially choose where he would thus manifest himself? "And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel." Ex. 25:22. 18. Did he ever meet with them in the first apartment? "This shall be a continual burnt-offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord, where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory." Ex. 29:42, 43.