Veil rending awaited Christ’s death, but even here business with God is done in the Holiest.
The great thing about studying these passages is that we have divinely inspired commentators in the other Bible authors. In Luke’s Gospel we’re introduced to a priest named Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth, and told they were both “righteous…and…blameless,” a high commendation (Lk 1:6). They had a problem, however. Elisabeth was barren, and they were advanced in years. But here’s the irony. The day Zacharias was sent in to offer incense at this gold altar, and “the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense” (v 10), Gabriel himself arrived and told him their prayers were answered—a baby was on the way. And guess what? Zacharias didn’t believe him and asked for evidence! This shouldn’t be lost on any of us. God wants us to pray, but he wants believing prayer. There is a close association between the gold altar and the Ark with its Mercy Seat: “You shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you” (Ex 30:6). The writer to the Hebrews also helps us understand why the gold altar and its censer were left out of the description of the Holy Place. He writes, “the Holiest of All…had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant” (9:3-4). It had to be tended each morning and evening, so for practicality it was in the Holy Place, but in God’s mind it belonged inside the veil. When we visit the True Tabernacle in heaven, the censer and altar are linked with a long silence in heaven. Does God seem to be silent sometimes when we pray? But look! The saints’ prayers seem to be visible there: “the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God” (Rev 8:4). God hears and answers!