Entering the Presence of God
Exodus 26:33-34: "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. You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place."
In your mind's eye, enter the Most Holy place. Here the Ark of the Covenant was housed. Inside this ark were the scrolls containing the Ten Commandments. On top of the ark was the mercy seat with two cherubim (angelic figures) reaching over the seat. This mercy seat was believed to be the very footstool of the Lord. As the Lord sat on his throne in heaven, his feet touched the earth and rested upon the mercy seat.
One day a year, the high priest could enter that Most Holy Place. To do so, he had to make a sacrifice for his sins and for the sins of the people. The blood of the sacrifice would be sprinkled upon the mercy seat. That loss of life, that blood, provided entrance into the very presence of God.
Sinful people cannot just waltz into the presence of a holy, holy, holy God. Propitiation (payment for sin) must be made; sins must be covered so that fellowship can happen between God and man. That the high priest could only enter the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement demonstrated the seriousness of approaching the throne of God. One day a year, he entered with the sacrificial blood to be placed on the mercy seat. When he did this, the high priest wore bells on his robe. As long as the other priests heard the bells, they knew all was well. However, if the bells ceased, a rope tied around the ankle of the high priest would be used to extract him from the Most Holy Place. If that happened, it would be time for a new high priest!
The writer of Hebrews says that this tabernacle was just a copy of the real throne of Heaven:
In your mind's eye, enter the Most Holy place. Here the Ark of the Covenant was housed. Inside this ark were the scrolls containing the Ten Commandments. On top of the ark was the mercy seat with two cherubim (angelic figures) reaching over the seat. This mercy seat was believed to be the very footstool of the Lord. As the Lord sat on his throne in heaven, his feet touched the earth and rested upon the mercy seat.
One day a year, the high priest could enter that Most Holy Place. To do so, he had to make a sacrifice for his sins and for the sins of the people. The blood of the sacrifice would be sprinkled upon the mercy seat. That loss of life, that blood, provided entrance into the very presence of God.
Sinful people cannot just waltz into the presence of a holy, holy, holy God. Propitiation (payment for sin) must be made; sins must be covered so that fellowship can happen between God and man. That the high priest could only enter the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement demonstrated the seriousness of approaching the throne of God. One day a year, he entered with the sacrificial blood to be placed on the mercy seat. When he did this, the high priest wore bells on his robe. As long as the other priests heard the bells, they knew all was well. However, if the bells ceased, a rope tied around the ankle of the high priest would be used to extract him from the Most Holy Place. If that happened, it would be time for a new high priest!
The writer of Hebrews says that this tabernacle was just a copy of the real throne of Heaven:
"Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." -Hebrews 9:23-26
So how do we come into the presence of a holy, holy, holy God? Jesus provided the sacrificial offering by his death on the cross so that we can have fellowship with the Father. Thankfully, we do not have to make repeated sacrifices on behalf of our sins. We as sinful people still fellowship with a holy God. Remember that the Lord is to be approached with intentionality, honor, and a spirit of awe and worship.
Reflection:
One aspect of our fellowship with God is our time of corporate worship. How do you prepare your heart and mind to worship a holy God? How could you be more intentional in this preparation by contemplating all that has been done to make your approach to the throne possible?
Reflection:
One aspect of our fellowship with God is our time of corporate worship. How do you prepare your heart and mind to worship a holy God? How could you be more intentional in this preparation by contemplating all that has been done to make your approach to the throne possible?
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