We are in chapter twenty-six of Exodus with our word for today which is a phrase used for the first time in the Bible in our chapter. קֹ֥דֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִֽׁים The holy place of holy places or the most holy place. It is used 22 times in the Old Testament, twice in our chapter. Our phrase is used to describe special items used in early tabernacle worship of God. Leviticus 21:22 He may eat the bread of his God, both of מִקָּדְשֵׁ֖י הַקֳּדָשִׁ֑ים the most holy and of הַקֳּדָשִׁ֖ים the holy things. Numbers 4:4, 19 This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting: קֹ֖דֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִֽׁים the most holy things … deal thus with them, that they may live and not die when they come near to קֹ֣דֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁ֑ים the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden. Ezekiel 44:13 They shall not come near to me, to serve me as priest, nor come near any of קָ֣דָשַׁ֔י my holy things and the things that are קָדְשֵׁ֖י הַקְּדָשִׁ֑ים most holy, but they shall bear their shame and the abominations that they have committed. Our phrase is also used to identify special offerings. Ezekiel 42:13 The north chambers and the south chambers opposite the yard are the holy chambers, where the priests who approach the Lord shall eat קָדְשֵׁ֣י הַקֳּדָשִׁ֑ים the most holy offerings. There they shall put קָדְשֵׁ֣י הַקֳּדָשִׁ֗ים the most holy offerings—the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering—for the place is holy. 2 Chronicles 31:14 And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, keeper of the east gate, was over the freewill offerings to God, to apportion the contribution reserved for the Lord וְקָדְשֵׁ֖י הַקֳּדָשִֽׁים and the most holy offerings. We also see a reference to special food. Ezra 2:63 The governor told them that they were not to partake מִקֹּ֣דֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁ֑ים of the most holy food, until there should be a priest to consult Urim and Thummim. We also see this in Nehemiah 7:64-65. Most of the uses of our phrase have it referring to a very special place. Now this most special separated place is the place where our word is used in our chapter for today. Exodus 26:33 And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from קֹ֥דֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִֽׁים the Most Holy. You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony בְּקֹ֖דֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִֽׁים in the Most Holy Place. As we saw yesterday there were two holy or set apart places. Both of these were special and set apart from ordinary spaces in the camp of the Israelites. But even in these holy separated places there was one that was literally the holy place of holy places or most holy place. In this area God instructed the ark and the mercy seat to be kept so that they would be the most separated of all. But Christ changed all of this. I’ll close with these great passages. Hebrews 9:2-3, 6-7, 9, 11-12, 14 It is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place … These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people … gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper … But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come … he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption … how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.