Today I want to start with the
second section of our series on the Temple of God. As we have seen
we are the Temple of God now. And in order for us to understand the
deeper meaning of what it entails to be His Temple I would like us
to have a deeper look at the symbolic meaning of the Temple that
Solomon built. For the next couple of weeks I want us to delve
deeper into the symbolism engrossed in the whole set up of the
Temple. I hope you are as excited as I am, as there are many things
we can learn from that.
So let us start today by looking at
the whole layout of the Temple. The Temple was laid out in three
different sections if we can call it that. The first area was the
outer court. In that area was the altar used for the burning of
sacrifices. There was also the bronze sea that the priests used to
wash in. And on the sides of the Temple were ten water carts and
basins for washing the sacrifices. We will have a look at the
symbolism of each of these items. But for now, know that anyone
could be in this section of the Temple. All priests could work
there and the people could also come there to offer their
sacrifices.
Then we have the Holy Place where
the priests served God. Inside the Holy Place was the golden table
of showbread with twelve breads there, one representing each tribe.
Then there were five golden lampstand (menorahs) on the north side
and five on the south side. There was also the golden altar of
incense. Now here in the Holy Place only a limited number of
priests could enter and only after casting lots as to whose turn it
is. It was truly a holy place and couldn't be defiled by anyone. It
was a privilege to enter into the Holy Place and serve the Lord
there.
Then we come to the Most Holy
Place. Inside was the ark of the Lord and standing guard over the
ark were golden cherubim, their wings extending from wall to wall
of the Most Holy Place. Here only the High Priest could enter and
only once a year on the Day of Atonement, when he took the blood of
the sacrificed animal and laid it on the mercy seat to atone for
the sins of the people.
I truly believe that all symbolism
in the Bible is there for us to learn from. So what we can learn
from these three sections are the following:
Today we can also operate in the
spiritual realm in one of these three sections. The choice is ours.
We can stay with most Christians in the outer court. We need to
sacrifice some of our time, our efforts, our behavior etc., but not
a lot is expected of us. We can actually pretty much continue with
our lives as is. Not many will raise an eyebrow at our behavior.
And if we do step over the line a bit, we can pray and accept God's
forgiveness for us. It is a convenient way of being a Christian,
and that is why soooo many Christians are stuck here. Unfortunately
here God cannot trust you with more and He cannot reveal more of
Himself to you. It is only when you dig deeper that you will find
Him.
So in the Holy Place God's presence
is tangible. You are enveloped with His Holy Spirit (signified by
the menorahs) and your prayers go up as incense unto the Lord. Your
behavior starts to change and things that never bothered you before
starts to bother you now. You don't want to continue as you were
before. You start to ask questions about the Bible and you want to
know God more. And as you seek God with all of your heart and all
of your soul, you will enter into the Most Holy Place.
In the Most Holy Place God is
everywhere. He consumes you; He takes you higher than you ever
dreamed of. You don't really pray anymore as you are one with Him,
you have a relationship far extended above this world. He leads you
unto new heights and a deeper understanding of who He truly is. You
start seeing miracles and you walk hand in hand with Him. He
breathes His life into you and the abundance of the life He
promised you start to manifest. You walk on clouds no matter what
happens outside of the Temple. You are not stressed anymore; you
are content and deeply loved. The noise of this world fades away
and all that you hear is His Voice gently whispering your name. You
are cherished and ready for where He wants to send you.
May we all strive for more. May we
never be content just to be in the outer court. May we all hunger
for a deeper revelation of Him. He has given us everything. With
Jesus' death the curtain in front of the Most Holy Place was torn
to give us all access. We simply need to go in. He is patiently
waiting for us to come. Turn away from the lure of this world, and
seek His Kingdom above all else. Then and only then can true
contentment come!
Father thank you so much that You
opened up the way for us. Thank you that we CAN come into the Most
Holy Place at any time. Father, we are sorry that You have to wait
for us as we run around satisfying a world that will be gone
tomorrow. We rejoice in Your patience and that You are always there
waiting for us! Hallelujah! Amen