Holy of Holies

In the Old Testament, God gave Moses instructions about building the tabernacle, the arc of the covenant and the Aaronic priesthood. Aaron and his sons were to serve in the tabernacle and offer sacrifices unto the Lord. When Moses worked with the builders and completed the tabernacle, the glory and presence of the Lord descended. “And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:35). Later in Leviticus, God gave further instructions to the people regarding laws for different offerings. Aaron and his sons would collect the offering from the people and offer it on the altar to the Lord. They had to be consecrated in order to serve in the temple.

The Priests had to ensure that they were clean, as they entered the presence of the Lord and offer sacrifices pleasing to him. On one occasion, two of Aaron’s sons were consumed by fire and died when they offered unauthorised fire before the Lord. They were instructed to live a pure and clean life and could not enter the presence of the Lord if they had any sins. No one except the Priests could enter the tabernacle. Later when the temple of Jerusalem was built, a rope was tied around the feet of the Priests. The bells on their garments served to confirm that they were alive, as it was customary for Priests to die in the holy place. If there was no movement or sound from the bell for a while, the rope would be used to pull the Priest’s body from the temple.

We are grateful to God that Jesus came to earth, lived and died for the sins of mankind. We no longer need Priests to go into a temple and offer animals as sacrifices for our sins. Our sins were paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ and we are forgiven and set free. “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split” (Matthew 27:51). This verse and Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross symbolised the remission of sins. We have access to the presence of God and can approach him boldly with our sacrifices of praise. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). It was John in Revelation, who had a vision of the four hundred and twenty elders who were sat around the throne of God.

They cried, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:11). The angels also day and night never cease to give glory to God saying, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come” (Revelation 4:8). We have access into the most holy presence of God, where we can enter with our sacrifices of praise unto him. As we meet with him, we worship and tell him the requests that are on our hearts. I believe that prayer and worship are two of the ways to communicate with God. There is nothing that can be compared with the presence of God and the weight of his glory. Burdens are lifted, yokes are destroyed and we are healed, delivered and set free in his presence.

A.P.-Y.