From Veil to Presence: Draw Near to God

Devotional

Day 1: Cherubim on the Veil: Sin’s Barrier and God’s Nearness

The veil woven with cherubim wasn’t just fabric. It echoed Eden’s flaming sword, declaring sin’s tragic consequence: separation. God still desired nearness, but holiness could not ignore rebellion. The cherubim stitched into the curtain reminded priests of humanity’s exile from Eden’s intimacy. Yet God dwelled just beyond the veil, close enough to feel but blocked by what we’d become. His presence remained near, but sin demanded a reckoning. The veil preached a sobering sermon: God hadn’t moved, but we had. [39:14]

“You shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be of gold, on four bases of silver. And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy.”
(Exodus 26:31-33, ESV)

Reflection: What barriers have you normalized in your relationship with God that echo Eden’s exile? How might the cherubim’s silent warning call you to confront sin’s separating power?

Day 2: Torn from Top to Bottom: God’s Invitation Over Religion’s Barrier

The torn veil wasn’t humanity’s achievement but heaven’s declaration. No priestly effort could rip the curtain—God tore it Himself when Christ’s sacrifice finished sin’s debt. Religion demands climbing; the gospel announces descent. The downward tear from heaven’s side revealed a Father rushing to embrace prodigals. Access now depends not on our worthiness but Christ’s wounds. Yet many still approach God like Israelites—hesitant, distant, bargaining—when the way stands open. [50:07]

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.”
(Matthew 27:50-51, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you still act as if the veil exists, negotiating with God through rituals? How might living in bold access reshape your daily conversations with Him?

Day 3: Content with Knowledge, Distant in Presence: Rebuilding the Veil

Intimacy dies when we prefer God’s facts over His face. Studying theology without seeking encounter rebuilds the veil Christ destroyed. Like Adam hiding in Eden, we craft fig-leaf veils of busyness, intellectualism, or religious performance to avoid exposure. Yet God still walks in the garden, asking, “Where are you?” His presence comforts and confronts, heals and unsettles. To know about Him without knowing Him is to stand in the holy place but refuse the torn curtain. [57:01]

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh… let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.”
(Hebrews 10:19-22, ESV)

Reflection: What fig leaves of “spiritual activity” have you sewn to avoid raw encounter? When did information about God last become awe before Him?

Day 4: Hiding Behind Fig Leaves: The Veil of Shame and Disappointment

Shame whispers, “Stay behind the tree.” Disappointment mutters, “He won’t meet you here.” These inner veils cling tighter than temple curtains. Yet the God who called Adam from hiding still walks among us, not to condemn but to clothe us in Christ’s righteousness. The torn veil proves no failure is final, no sin beyond redemption’s reach. To remain hidden is to reject the access Christ bought. The garden’s question still echoes: Will you come out? [55:19]

“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’”
(Genesis 3:8-10, ESV)

Reflection: What specific shame or disappointment keeps you behind emotional fig leaves? How might answering “Here I am” dismantle that veil today?

Day 5: From Eden to Eternity: God’s Relentless Pursuit to Dwell with You

The story begins and ends with God’s presence. Eden’s walks. The tabernacle’s cloud. The torn veil. Revelation’s final cry: “God Himself will be with them.” Every veil, from cherubim to Calvary, tells one story—God tearing through barriers to reach us. Our hiding cannot outlast His pursuit. The torn curtain was never about architecture but affection: a Father’s heart refusing eternal separation. The invitation isn’t to a place but a Person—His presence our true home. [01:17:19]

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.’”
(Revelation 21:3, ESV)

Reflection: How does eternity’s promise of unbroken presence confront your complacency with distance? What step will you take today to live as one who’s already home?

Sermon Summary

Exodus 26 stops at the veil, and the veil says something plain. God wanted to dwell among His people, but sin had made nearness impossible without atonement. The curtain was not God changing His mind about relationship. The curtain was man’s condition being exposed.

The cherubim sewn into the veil point all the way back to Eden. Genesis put cherubim at the garden after sin entered, guarding the way where Adam had once walked with God. Exodus puts cherubim on the curtain between the holy place and the most holy place. Eden had no veil, no priest, no sacrifice, no restriction. After sin, there was separation. God was still near, but something was between man and God.

The holiness of God is not casual. God’s presence brings comfort, but it also exposes. God’s presence heals, but it also confronts. Isaiah saw the Lord and cried, “Woe is me, for I am undone,” because the closer a man gets to the holiness of God, the clearer he sees himself. The veil was saying that God is near, but His presence cannot be treated like any other place or any other person.

Hebrews 9 says the Holy Spirit was signifying that “the way” into the holy place had not yet been opened. That “not yet” was not the same as never. The tabernacle was building expectation. Something was coming. Someone was coming. Jesus then says in John 14, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” He does not merely know the way or show the way. He is the way.

Matthew 27 puts the death of Jesus and the tearing of the veil side by side. The veil tore from top to bottom. Man did not tear his way into God. God opened the way Himself. Religion says to work a way in. The gospel says the way has already been opened. The veil did not tear because God quit caring about sin. The veil tore because Christ dealt with sin.

Hebrews 10 now says, “Let us draw near.” Before, the sign said, “Do not enter.” Now, through the blood of Jesus, the door is open. Yet a person can still live like the curtain is hanging there. Sin, shame, distraction, disappointment, and being content with knowing about God can all become a veil. The warning is simple: “Don’t rebuild what Jesus tore down.” From Genesis to Revelation, God is saying, “I want you with me.”

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Key Takeaways

1. The veil named the real problem The veil did not mean God quit wanting to be near. It meant sin had made nearness impossible without blood and atonement. The cherubim on the curtain carried Eden into the tabernacle, reminding every priest that separation started in the garden and still stood until God Himself opened the way. [38:36]
2. Holy nearness comforts and exposes God’s presence is not just a warm feeling that settles a room. His holiness heals, but it also confronts what has been hidden, defended, or excused. A person who asks God to come near is also asking the One who sees attitudes, thoughts, addictions, and pain to bring them into the light. [41:22]
3. Not yet was never never Hebrews says the way had “not yet” been opened, but that delay was full of promise. The whole tabernacle system was creating expectation for a Person, not just another ritual. Jesus did not come saying He knew the way; He came saying, “I am the way.” [48:56]
4. Christ opened what sin closed The veil tore from top to bottom because God opened access through the death of Jesus. Sin was not ignored, and holiness was not lowered. Christ dealt with what separated man from God, so the gospel announces an opened way rather than another ladder to climb. [50:07]
5. Information cannot replace walking with God A person can know evidence, Scripture, doctrine, and church language while still standing at a distance. God was never meant to be kept like a contact in a phone, called only when something gets important. The torn veil calls for relationship, not occasional religious use.

## [57:37]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[32:47] - Exodus 26 And The Veil
[36:31] - Sin Made Nearness Impossible
[38:36] - Cherubim From Eden To Tabernacle
[40:28] - Asking A Holy God To Come Near
[42:30] - Healing That Also Confronts
[45:32] - Hebrews And The Second Veil
[48:03] - The Way Was Not Yet Open
[49:37] - Jesus Tears The Veil
[52:22] - Let Us Draw Near
[54:27] - God Calls Adam Out
[56:14] - Living Like The Curtain Remains
[60:00] - Contact List Religion
[65:24] - The Door Is Open
[76:39] - God Dwells With His People

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Exodus 26:31-33
“And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy.” [34:50] [35:17] [37:06]

Hebrews 10:19-22
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” [52:17] [52:22] [01:05:17]

Matthew 27:50-51
“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.” [50:03] [50:07]

John 14:6
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” [49:26]

Hebrews 9:8-9
“By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper.” [47:59] [48:03] [48:56]

Isaiah 6:5
“And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!’” [44:36] [45:05]

Genesis 3:24
“He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.” [39:02] [39:08] [39:14]

Observation questions

In Exodus 26:31-33, what specific job did the veil have inside the tabernacle, and what images were woven into it? [37:06]
When Genesis 3:24 and Exodus 26 are read together, where do the cherubim appear in both places, and what barrier do they mark? [39:42]
In Hebrews 9:8-9, what was the Holy Spirit showing through the tabernacle arrangement about “the way” into God’s presence? [48:14]
In Matthew 27:50-51, what two events are placed side by side, and how is the direction of the tear described? [50:07]

Interpretation questions

If the veil did not mean God had stopped wanting relationship, what does it reveal about sin and the condition of man before God? [37:58]
Isaiah cried, “Woe is me,” when he saw the Lord. Why does nearness to a holy God bring both comfort and exposure at the same time? [41:22]
Hebrews says the way was “not yet” open, and Jesus says, “I am the way.” How does that move the focus from a ritual system to a Person? [49:26]
The veil tore from top to bottom when Jesus died. Why does that matter for understanding the difference between religion and the gospel? [50:57]

Application questions

The way is open, yet a person can still live as though the curtain is hanging there. What has most often functioned like a veil in this season of life—sin, shame, distraction, disappointment, or something else? [56:14]
God’s presence comforts, but it also exposes attitudes, thoughts, habits, and wounds. Is there anything being kept hidden from God or from trusted believers because bringing it into the light feels costly? [41:55]
It is possible to know a great deal about God and still remain distant from Him. Where has faith become mostly information instead of daily fellowship? [58:05]
The gospel says, “Let us draw near.” What would drawing near actually look like this week in a real, practical way—prayer, repentance, honesty, Scripture, worship, or making time that has been avoided? [52:28]
“Don’t rebuild what Jesus tore down.” Are there patterns in life that keep recreating distance from God even though Christ has already opened the way? [58:17]
Keeping God like a name in a contact list only for emergencies is not relationship. When is God most often being approached right now—only in crisis, or in ordinary daily life too? [01:00:30]
From the garden to the end, God’s desire is, “I want you with me.” What makes it hardest to believe that invitation personally, and what would it look like to answer it with honesty? [01:06:05]

Sermon Clips

79s

#RemainInHisPresence

“Religion says, work your way in. The gospel says the way has already been open. The veil did not tear because god stopped caring about sin. The veil tore because Christ dealt with our sin. Whatever has separated you from god, Christ says, I have dealt with that. He gives you free access into his presence now. He gives you a way. And, sadly, some of us still only choose to take advantage of the way once a year. We'll decide we'll enter in. Tell you something. Life is a whole lot different when you remain in the presence of god. Changes your daily habits, changes what you do, how you pray, how you seek, how you worship, how you live, how you walk, how you talk, how you interact with your coworkers, how you interact with people in the store. When you're remaining in the presence of god, life changes.”

58s

#DrawNearToGod

“Hebrews says, let us draw near. God's been moving toward us all along. Maybe you've been hiding, draw near. Maybe sin has created distance, repent, draw near. Maybe shame has convinced you that you cannot come close. Come. Maybe you have known God for years, but somewhere along the way, you settled for information instead of intimacy. The sacrifice has been made, the blood has been shed, the way is open, and perhaps this is what God has been saying since the garden. I want you with me.”

40s

#GodWelcomesYou

“I don't wanna force more detail into this, and I'm often finding myself looking for details and reading between the lines, but the picture is hard to miss. Man did not tear his way into god. He didn't force his way into god. God said, I now welcome you in with me. He tore the veil from the top to the bottom. If a man tore the veil, we'd have started at the bottom and tried to work our way up. But god welcomed you in by tearing it from the top to the bottom and says, come in and commune with me.”

47s

#JesusIsTheWay

“``Not yet is not the same as never. The whole system was creating expectations. Something was coming. Someone was coming. The Greek word translated way is hodous, a road, a path, a route of travel. Hebrews says the road into the presence of God had not yet been opened, then Jesus comes in John fourteen and six, and he says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. There is only one way to the father and it is through Jesus Christ, the way. Jesus did not say I know the way. He did not say I can show you the way. He said I am the way. The tabernacle had been waiting for a person to show up.”

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