The Sanctuary and the Priestly Humans

The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it (Genesis 2:15 ESV).

Those two Hebrew words come together again later in the Pentatuch:

And you and your sons with you shall guard your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and that is within the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood as a gift, and any outsider who comes near shall be put to death” (Numbers 18:7 ESV).

So here is yet another proof that the Tabernacle set up by Moses was a new creation of the Garden that God placed in the East of Eden. By setting up the priesthood, God was installing a new Adam.  The Garden in Eden was the first sanctuary, making Adam and Eve the first priests. When God gave the priesthood and the Tabernacle to Israel he was re-establishing the pattern of paradise.

And here is another one of the rare times when the two words are used together:

Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
(Psalm 127:1 ESV)

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