IN HIS TABERNACLE

“How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God!” (Psalm 84:1-2)

When I was a child, I stepped into church with such a sense of wonder. The light streaming from the stained glass windows, each one showing a different picture of the life of Christ, made me think light was streaming from heaven. I loved the smell of the candles burning and the quietness that filled the room as everyone knelt in prayer. I tiptoed in, believing that God was there.

I can only imagine what it must have been like to walk into the outer courtyard of the tabernacle in the days of King David. As you passed through the gate, your eyes would have been drawn to a huge bronze altar. The altar was the site for offering and burning animal sacrifices. It was the very first step in approaching God, for before they could enter His presence,  they must first confess their sin. If we lived in those times, we would bring a male lamb for a sin offering to the priest at the tabernacle gate.

The priest would hand us a knife to slit the throat of the lamb! We must take the life of this innocent animal though we were the ones who were guilty! As we watched this beautiful animal writhe in agony, I’m sure we would be stricken by the consequences of our sin. What had it cost? The life of an innocent animal was taken away. But even more, for this lamb pointed to the True Lamb of God, who would one day take our place as the sin offering.

 Jesus Christ was the true Lamb who would take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). The shed blood of the lambs or goats only served to point to His sacrifice that would erase our guilt and give us peace with God.

But as we stand there with the dripping knife in our hand, we might be led to wonder “Why must I do this? Why would God ask me to take the life of this lamb? Is it because God is so blood-thirsty that He would require such a horrid thing? Why must there be death for sin?”

One reason that stands out  is that sin causes death. Its very nature is to destroy what God has created. When we choose to live for self (rather than for God), we are already dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-3). Sin deadens the voice of the Holy Spirit so we no longer hear His invitation, “Come unto Me all who labor and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).  If we continue to resist that call, the spiritual life that once filled us with such joy slowly ebbs away. Our connection with heaven is severed.  And if we continue in this path for very long, we may lose all desire for God and the Living Way. Our heart may stiffen so nothing can penetrate the wall that we’ve erected between ourselves and God. 

It’s hard for us to fathom that our sins are this deadly. But the sacrificial system of the sanctuary bears this out. It’s one reason why God required a blood sacrifice. “By requiring this disgusting, unnerving act God designed that the penitent should sense the full force of what he had done, that his own hand had brought about the death of the suffering creature that was dying in his place. As Christians we should cultivate a vivid sense of our own responsibility for Calvary” (With Jesus in His Sanctuary, Leslie Hardinge, pg. 121).

If only I could see the blood before I give into self—perhaps then I would recoil from breaking even the least of God’s commandments. If I could engrave indelibly on my mind the bleeding form of the Son of God, hanging on the cross in my place, I would see how ugly sin really is. I would hate to do anything that would bring such suffering on my Savior and Lord!

How I need to behold the cross every single day! How I need to meditate on what it cost Jesus in giving the greatest sacrifice of all! For I am redeemed “not with corruptible things like silver or gold” from my rebellious ways “but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb, without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18,19). And it is only through this precious blood that I can stand before God—forgiven and cleansed. This first step into the sanctuary brings me into His presence, for the merits of Christ’s saving blood atones for my sin and there is no barrier anymore between God and myself. The way is open for communion and for the blessings of God to freely flow.

As we experience the blessing of forgiveness, our hearts will swell as did David’s and we will praise God for His saving love. We will cry out for more of His presence. Our heart and mind will cry out for the Living God.