Exodus 36 and 37 tells us about a man named Bezalel. He was the one chosen by God to oversee the construction of the tabernacle and the design and ornamentation of the entire structure. Back in chapter 31, God said, “I have filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God and have given him the skill, ability, and knowledge to do all kinds of work.”
Bezalel must have have been the Michaelangelo of the Hebrews, or maybe the leonardo Da Vinci. He was the real rennaisance man, gift to do it all.
Bezalel made the Ark of the Covenant himself according to chapter Exodus chapter 37. It was here that God resided. It was the most beautiful and detailed of all the objects in the tabernacle. It’s interesting that he also designed the huge veil, or curtain, that kept the people away from the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat. What an interesting dilemma for an artist. His greatest work, the item for which the rest of the structure was designed, was hid from everyone but the High Priest, and then only once a year.
Lucado writes, “A great curtain hung as a reminder of the distance between God and man. It was like a deep chasm… God could have left it like that… He could have you know. But He didn’t.”
Max goes on to write, “God himself bridged the chasm. In the darkness of an eclipsed sun, he and a Lamb stood in the Holy of Holies. He laid the Lamb on the altar. Not the lamb of a priest or a Jew or a shepherd but the Lamb of God. The angels hushed as the blood of the Sufficient Sacrifice began to fall on the golden altar. Where had dropped the blood of lambs, now dripped the blood of life. ‘Behold the Lamb of God.’ And then it happened. God turned and looked one last time at the curtain. ‘No more.’ And it was torn … from top to bottom. Ripped in two.”
And God says to you and I, come on in!