I want you to think of the person that you love the most in life. No imagine that you can only see them or talk to them at specific times. If you want to see them, you actually would have to send a representative in for you. They would communicate accurately for you, and even bring back word from the person to you. Can you imagine how frustrating that would feel? In some ways, this is the picture that we get with the tabernacle, and later the Temple. the presence of God was there. But there were regulations on how, when, and who could go into God’s presence. Our text for today comes from Exodus 26. Exodus 26:33 says, “And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shallowing be a divider for you between the holy place and the most Holy.”
Here in Exodus 26, God is continuing to give step by step instructions and a description for the tabernacle. It is going to be the mobile sanctuary for Israel until the Temple is built many years later in Jerusalem. The tabernacle was the reminder that God was with them. The separation between Israel and God was actually for Israel’s good, because if one was to come before God, they must come the proper way. Only the high priest could go into the most Holy place, and as we will see later in Exodus, he could only go at a certain time. However, that was in the Old Testament. At the crufixion of Jesus something incredible happened. We read in Matthew 27:51, “Then, behold the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.” The veil that separated God from every person was torn. The significance of it being done from top to bottom is that it is God who tore down the separation. This was symbolic of what God the Father was accomplishing through the death and resurrection of Jesus. No more would man have to be separated from God. No more would it depend on one specific person going into the presence of God on one day of the year. Because Jesus died and rose from the dead and the final and full sacrifice for sins, those who had been far from God could be brought near to Him.
Here is the amazing thing, not only could sinful man be redeemed because the Perfect had been sacrificed, but it also grants us an incredible privilege as children of God. That privilege is that we can go to God with anything at any time in any place. Hebrews 4:16 tells us, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” That’s right, we are encouraged to come to God to seek mercy and grace. And because of who He is, He has promised to grant both to us. Let me ask you something, are you taking advantage of this privilege? You don’t have to wait until life if falling apart to go and seek Him, you can seek Him just to say thank you, and indeed we should. Without the death and resurrection of Jesus, this access to God wouldn’t be possible. Whatever is on your heart and mind today, take it to the Lord in prayer. Know that He already knows, He cares, and He even knows how He is going to work it out for His glory and your good. Don’t neglect or forsake one of the greatest privileges you have been given. What we pray about is what we are trusting God to work out, but what we don’t pray about is what we are trusting ourselves to work out. Could this be why we are so burdened and beat down? As the hymn says, “Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer.” Don’t let that be the story of your life, take to Him because you love Him, He loves you, and He can work it out.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin