Eaten in the Holy Place

This is an examination of the various places described in the books of Moses that deal with what is eaten in the "Holy Place."

The Meat Offering
The Law of the Sin Offering
The Law of the Trespass Offering
The Shewbread

The Meat Offering

Lev 6:14-18 And this is the law of the meat offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, before the altar. [15] And he shall take of it his handful, of the flour of the meat offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meat offering, and shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour, even the memorial of it, unto the LORD. [16] And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: with unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation they shall eat it. [17] It shall not be baken with leaven. I have given it unto them for their portion of my offerings made by fire; it is most holy, as is the sin offering, and as the trespass offering. [18] All the males among the children of Aaron shall eat of it. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations concerning the offerings of the LORD made by fire: every one that toucheth them shall be holy.

We note (especially from vs. 16) that the Meat Offering was to be eaten in the Court. We also note that it is eaten "in the holy place," 'place' is NOT in italics. This reminds of the explanation Pastor Russell gave us in the footnote on page 13 of Tabernacle Shadows.
"When place is not in italics, the "Court" is always meant. See Lev. 14:13 and 6:26, 27."
The law of the Sin Offering

(Other than the Day of Atonement)

Lev 6:25, 26 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the LORD: it is most holy. [26] The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation.

(Lev 6:30) And no sin offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile withal in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt in the fire.

In other words, if the blood of the animal is brought into the Most Holy, NONE of the animal is to be eaten. This refers to the Day of Atonement where the blood of the Bullock and then the blood of the Lord's Goat was brought into the Most Holy.

Of course we notice this is NOT speaking of the court, so the word place is in italics.
The law of the Trespass Offering

Lev. 7:1,6 Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering ... [6] Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place: it is most holy.

Note: 'place' is NOT in italics, therefore, the Court is meant.

Lev 10:12,13 And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meat offering that remaineth of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar: for it is most holy: [13] And ye shall eat it in the holy place, because it is thy due, and thy sons' due, of the sacrifices of the LORD made by fire: for so I am commanded.

The above further confirms that 'the holy place' (when the word 'place' is NOT in italics) indicates the court of the Tabernacle.

(Lev 10:17,18) Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD? [18] Behold, the blood of it was not brought in within the holy place: ye should indeed have eaten it in the holy place, as I commanded.

The Shewbread

(Lev 24:9) And it [the shewbread] shall be Aaron's and his sons'; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute.

This forms a very interesting picture which certainly fits the facts. The priests eat (discuss, reason out the meaning of) the shewbread (the Bible, the Truth) in the Court condition (the condition of Justification), [Remember, the priests, the new creation, even though they have gone on to spirit begettal and to sanctification of the spirit, never lose their justification. While normally we think of them as dwelling in the Holy, they still have the right to the Court, as did the priests in the type.]

So what is being shown here? We need to remember that the priests were not the only ones who had access to the Court. There were also Levites there, picturing the tentatively justified of the household of faith. This is how it has been in many Bible Student ecclesiae from Brother Russell's day until now. There are both antitypical priests and antitypical Levites within the various Bible Student ecclesiae (plural of ecclesia.) How do these antitypical Levites learn about what is in the Holy? They hear the priests talking about it and it has the effect of making those of the right heart attitude long to be a part of this, so they wash themselves at the Laver and tie themselves to the door.

This discussion of the Truth by the New Creation in the presence of the tentatively Justified is shown in the type by the priests eating the shewbread in the Court of the Tabernacle. The antitypical Levites learn of what is in the Holy by being in the presence of the priests but, as they have as yet no new creature to be nourished, they do not get the same benefit as do the priests. – Please see F693:1.