Looking at the establishment of the Tabernacle we see a clear flow of worship that man must complete before approaching a Holy God. We see this from the very beginning of Creation when God first killed an animal so that Adam and Eve could have clothing. In this very first act of sacrifice, God demonstrated His willingness to insert Himself into our world, to meet our needs, and to offer a pathway for restoration to Himself.
Afterward we see the act of sacrifice practiced by Adam and Eve's children, Noah, Abraham, and Moses. But it is at this point in world history that God changes the script. Priests were now appointed to represent the people of God's nation of Israel, standing in their behalf to ask for forgiveness and restoration because of their sins. The holiness of God, and the huge chasm between man and God's Holiness becomes even more apparent. Strict protocol was required by God, and failure to comply with these commandments resulted in death. Let's take a look at the Old Testament and in particular, the Tabernacle to see how God dictated the proper flow of worship from man to Himself.
Entering - The first thing we notice is that whoever wished to worship God had to enter the tabernacle. The Tabernacle was setup in the middle of the camp, and the people of Israel were encamped around it. This was a constant reminder of the presence of God, twenty-fours a day.
There was a wall of white linen around the entire Tabernacle area except for one stretch of 30 feet that was different. This was the Entrance Gate and it was multi-colored in woven white, blue, purple and red and the curtains hung on four strong pillars. This gate always faced east and was the only way into the court of God's house. This 30 foot gate was the entrance and whether you were a Priest or a common person, this was the only way into the presence of God. This was replicated in the New Testament when Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
Before you entered into the outer court you needed to prepare your heart, mind and soul to ensure that you were focused on your need for God, and your need for restoration with a holy God. A wise person would have already spent considerable time in prayer before making the fateful decision to walk through the Entrance Gate. Even though our access to God has now been insured by the sacrifice of Jesus, we would still do well to remember the Holy God we are approaching. Once you entered the gate of the Tabernacle, you were on holy ground. The Gate was always open, never guarded, and there was no one to forbid you from approaching God. But you had to walk through the Gate.
Just like God reminded us in James 4:8, "Come near to God and He will come near to you." God will never force you to meet with Him, He waits for us to approach Him on our own accord.
Sacrifice and the Confession of Sin - The next element as we move through the outer courts was the bronze altar, where the sacrifices for sin were made. Only Jewish men were allowed in the outer court of the Tabernacle. The choice of the sacrifice was also meaningful, a reminder that sin has terrible consequences, and that the only remedy was the shedding of blood. To learn more about the details of the sacrifice God required, I encourage you to read Leviticus, chapters 1-7. Only "clean" land animals were allowed for sacrifice; oxen or cattle; sheep; and goats. Doves or young pigeons were included for poor people who could not afford bigger animals. To remind the people of the seriousness and consequences of sin, God required that the person offering the sacrifice lay his hands upon the animal to symbolize that it stood for him. Also, the person making the sacrifice had to personally kill the animal, usually accomplished by cutting its throat with a very sharp knife.
God reminded Moses why blood had to be shed for the atonement of sin, "For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life." (Leviticus 17:11)
In the New Testament we see that Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice, made perfect forever those who He made holy. "But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time He waits for His enemies to be made His footstool. For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." (Hebrews 10: 12-14)
More than any other element in the tabernacle, this shedding of the blood pointed to the coming Savior, Jesus Christ. He was spotless, without sin, the only fitting sacrifice for all of humanity's transgressions against an Holy God. His blood was shed to make atonement for all humanity. We can see this fulfilled with the prophet John the Baptist statement upon first seeing Jesus, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)
Another interesting aspect of the tabernacle commandments was the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. Once a year the high priest entered the Holy of Holies, the most sacred chamber of the Tabernacle, and sprinkled the blood of a bull and of a goat on the Ark of the Covenant. The high priest also laid his hands on a second goat, the scapegoat, symbolically placing all the sins of the people on the animal. This goat was then released into the wilderness, meaning the sins were taken away with it. All of these sacrifices only provided temporary relief. The people and the priests had to keep repeating these sacrifices to ensure the forgiveness and restoration of their relationship with God.
Cleansing and Forgiveness - These elements are represented by the bronze laver or basin. This was the area where you cleaned off the blood of your sacrifice, recognizing the high cost of your sin and thanking God for His forgiveness. The New Testament author Paul, in the book of Romans, describes the high cost of grace, "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? Absolutely not!" (Romans 6:14 -15)
After the purposeful decision to enter the Tabernacle, offer your sacrifice for forgiveness, and express your thanks for God's restoration, you were ready for the next step.
Worship - In this time of history, only priests and Levites were allowed beyond the bronze laver. And only priests were allowed in the next section of the tabernacle, "the Holy Place". And beyond that was the Holy of Holies and only the High Priest was allowed inside this area, and even then only once a year during the Feast of Atonement. It's interesting to note that the outside of the Tabernacle was almost dull in appearance, with the exception of the Entrance Gate. But inside the Tabernacle was where the beauty of God's creation was revealed. Here was a glimpse into Heaven. We find in the Holy Place the Golden Candlestick, the Table of Incense and the Table of Shewbread. Out of the four walls in this area, three were plated with gold while the fourth was the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. Here we see the representation in these three elements of our need before God; the bread for daily provision, the incense representing our prayers rising to God and the candlelight demonstrating our need for the light that only God can give to our lives.
In the Holy of Holies, which was exactly half the size of the Holy Place, was the most hallowed place of all. Inside was the Ark of the Covenant with the Mercy Seat serving as its cover. There was no source of light in this room - the glory of God provided all the illumination necessary. This was also a place of absolute stillness. When the High Priest entered on the Day of Atonement, no other activity was allowed in or outside of the Tabernacle. The whole nation of Israel awaited as the High Priest met with God. The stillness would ensure that the only thing heard was God's voice with His message for His people. Here, in this place, the High Priest was to not only listen but also offer the sacrifice for the sins of the entire Jewish nation.
Separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was the veil we discussed earlier. It fine twisted linen was richly decorated in blue, purple and scarlet. The blue represented Heaven; the purple the royalty of God; the scarlet the blood of Christ. Woven into this veil were images of cherubim, an angel described in Exodus 26:31. Jewish tradition says that the veil was four inches thick and sixty feet high. Yet, in the New Testament, we see that when Christ died on the cross this veil was destroyed. In Matthew 27:50 we read, "Then Jesus shouted out again, and He released His spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom."
At this most climatic point in human history, when the Son of God sacrificed Himself as the ultimate offering for the ages, for all people, in all places, the veil separating us from the presence of God was destroyed. God had removed the last barrier between Himself and His creation. No longer did you have to be Jewish man to encounter God, He made Himself available to all men and women, Jews and Gentiles. You see, the cost of our sin, the barrier between an Holy God and His people, was paid for by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. No longer do we require a priest, or the blood of a animal sacrifice. We only require Christ. He is all sufficient, our only High Priest and our exclusive access to God.
This is the heart of worship, when express our thanksgiving for all that God has done for us, all the provision He gives us on a daily basis, the wisdom of His Spirit, and the future of living with Him in our glorified bodies for all eternity. We encounter God as we praise Him for who He is, what He has done, and for the day when we will all bask in His presence in the City of God. (Revelation 22:4)
Before creation itself, God set in motion His plan of redemption which was fulfilled with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. "God . . . has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began." (2 Timothy 1:9) We also see God's plans for His people in this verse, "The hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began." (Titus 1:2) This is the God we serve, "He who lives forever, whose name is holy: I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite." Isaiah 57: 15
God Himself, the great I Am, all powerful, all knowing, who resides in the most high place, cares about all of us, great and small, those in pain and those who are lowly in spirit. He deserves our worship, our obedience, and our devotion.
That is how and why we worship the great I Am!
