Access to God

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. Lev 16:2

“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.” Lev 16:34

the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own…. Christ…has appeared ….to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself….to take away the sins of many people; Heb 9:25-28

Consider:

We consider the instituting of the Day of Atonement in the Law of Moses, a day when, only once a year, the high priest would go into the innermost part of the Tabernacle or Temple. In that innermost part, referred to in older versions as ‘the Holy of Holies’ or in later versions as ‘the Most Holy Place’, was the ark of the covenant, symbolising the very presence of God, over which (in the earlier days at least) the glory of God hovered.

Thus Aaron was warned not to dare to come into God’s presence when he felt like it, but only on the day of Atonement in the prescribed manner. To be able to enter that innermost part, Aaron had first to make a sin offering for himself, to signify his being cleansed of sin before he could come into God’s presence and then a sin offering for the sins of the people whom he was representing. Even then he was to take fire and incense into the inner part so that the smoke would hide the angelic figures of the cover of the ark over which the glory of God hovered (Lev 16:13).

There is much in the imagery of the rites laid down for that day, but the point we would wish to dwell on here, is simply the fact that God was not accessible, and even on the one day a year, it was one special man, in a special way which involved death through sacrifices. The point that was being emphasised is that God is holy and anyone who dares barge into His holy presence will die because of their sin.

The writer to the Hebrews tells us that Christ came as both the high priest and the sacrifice, and concludes (Heb 10:19-22) “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us….let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” The creating of access to God was signified when Jesus died as, “the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” (Mt 27:51). The Cross gave us access to the Father, without fear of destruction. More tomorrow!

Prayer:

Father, thank you that Jesus reconciled us to you, so that today we may come to you and know your love without fear of death because of your holiness.