God
gave specific instructions for the construction of both the Tabernacle in the
wilderness and the Temple built by Solomon. Interestingly, the individual items
in the Temple relate to our walk and calling in Christ.
As
Born Again Believers, we are the Temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; John 2:21 Psalm 139:14). We are
the church of the Living God, who is our pillar and the foundation of all truth
(1Timothy 3:15).
We
start with the door of the Temple. We cannot enter God's Temple without
first coming through the door of Jesus Christ (John 10:7, 9). He is our way,
truth and life; and no one comes to God except through Jesus (John 14:6).
Next
is the slaughter on the brazen altar (Exodus 39:39). An innocent, unblemished
animal is sacrificed for sin, just as Jesus is our ultimate sacrifice (1 Peter
1:19).
With
Christ's blood on our hands, we come to wash at the laver, which typifies
washing in the water of God's Word (Ephesians 5:26). Once we are cleansed from
our sins, we can enter the Holy Place.
We
grow in our relationship with God in the Holy Place. We learn to pray at the
altar of incense (Exodus 35:15; Revelation 8:4). We come to the candlestick,
for light in this dark and dying world (2 Chronicles 4:7).
We
also feast on God's Word, and with Jesus who is our bread of life (Exodus
25:30; John 6:25-59; Matthew 4:4). Jesus gave His life for us to open up our
fellowship with God in all of His glory (1 John 5:20; Hebrews 9:3).
As
we mature in our walk with God, we can enter into the Holy of Holies. This symbolizes
our spirit and is the place of God's very presence in our life.
The
clay tables of the Ten Commandments is housed in the Ark of the Covenant. This
is covered by the Mercy Seat, giving us full access to God's mercy and grace,
as well as His presence residing between the wings of the two cherubim (Exodus
25:17; Hebrews 9:5).
Prayer:
Father
God, if we enter the Most Holy Places in your temple with any sin hidden or
blatant in our life, we will "die" in Your presence (Leviticus
16:2-34).
Remind
us about the stages of Your tabernacle and that we can only enter into Your
presence through Jesus who is our door, our sacrifice, our cleanser, our bread
of life and our high priest.
Thought
for the Day:
It
is only as we cleanse our sins by the blood of Jesus and dedicate our life to
Him, regardless of our vocation, that we can survive in the presence of our
holy God.
