One of the amazingly consistent themes through all of God’s Word is His desire to fellowship with His children. When God created Adam and placed him in the Garden of Eden, Adam was allowed to enjoy God’s presence. God brought Adam the animals to name (Genesis 2:19) and actually walked with Adam during the day. However, this fellowship was broken and man was cast out of God’s presence when Adam sinned by eating the forbidden fruit.
Many years later, God formed the nation of Israel to be a people fully devoted to Him. When God led the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery, He told Moses to construct a holy place for His presence to reside. God called this the Most Holy Place and instructed that it be separated from the rest of the tabernacle by a curtain.
Leviticus 16:2
“The Lord said to Moses: ‘Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.'”
The presence of God resided in the Most Holy Place, behind a curtain, and could only be entered by the High Priest once a year on the Day of Atonement. The High Priest would enter the Most Holy Place with the blood of a goat as a sacrifice for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:15).
God loved us so much, and so greatly desired a lasting and intimate fellowship, that He gave His Son to be the final sacrifice for our sins: “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12).
When Jesus died on the cross, “the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51). His sacrifice provided a way for us to enter the Most Holy Place, into the presence of God, at any moment; “We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19).
God is calling us to reach out and draw near to His presence through faith in the sacrifice of His Son. The Creator of the Universe is knocking at the door; “If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). Our Heavenly Father is calling us to an eternity of fellowship. Let’s open the door and enter His presence today. Let’s step forward with confidence, and boldly enter the Most Holy Place.
Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries
**** Reading Plan ****
Feb 26 Leviticus 19:1-20:21; Mark 8:10-38; Psalm 42:1-11; Proverbs 10:17
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