Hebrews 9:1-2
Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place.

The first covenant, which took place in the period of time we now know as Old Testament, was not meant to cleanse God’s people from their sins. Although it was God’s covenant with His people, it could not undo the damage sin had done. As the writer of Hebrews has pointed out: “For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.” [Hebrews 8:7]

So, what was at fault with this first covenant? It certainly was not any imperfection in God, but rather the imperfection of humanity. The High Priest, himself a human born under sin, could never offer an acceptable sacrifice for the sins of others. Even if he were ceremonially clean, he was still under the curse, having sinned and put himself against God.

Why, then, would God establish this first covenant with His people? Why would He set up a system of sacrifice that could never accomplish our salvation? Because the point of the first covenant wasn’t to redeem, but to point to God’s promised Redeemer. The first covenant was designed to serve as “a copy and shadow of the heavenly things.” [Hebrews 8:5]

The earthly tent (also known as the tabernacle) and later the temple in Jerusalem, were built from God’s instructions as places of worship. It consisted of two inner sections, the first known as the Holy Place. Two things that were found in the Holy Place are mentioned in this passage: the lampstand and the table with the bread.

The lampstand was the only source of light for the Holy Place, reminding the people that God is the only source of light. Jesus himself is called the “true light” [John 1:9] and He commands His people to let His light shine through their lives. [Matthew 5:14-16]

Opposite the lampstand in the tabernacle was the table of showbread. The 12 loaves of bread on the table were changed weekly, as both an expression of gratitude to God and the dedication of the 12 tribes of Israel to Him. Through the symbolism of the bread, God’s people continually, freshly placed themselves before their Lord. In the new covenant, Christ himself is the “bread of life” [John 6:35], and His very body was broken for our sins, offered as a sacrifice to God.

For all of our flaws, the first covenant still had great value in the way it pointed the hearts of the people to Christ. For those of us who live under the new covenant, let us remember the way in which the old covenant pointed toward Jesus Christ, and let us be mindful that God has gone to great lengths through His Son to redeem us.