A Holy Place

The theme of Leadership Training for Christ this year is “Sanctuary.” This theme comes from the life of Moses, which is found in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. During his life, he and the Israelites built the Tabernacle, a place where God would descend and live among the Israelites, and that’s where this word sanctuary comes up. God asks of the Israelites in Exodus 25:8, “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.” God wants them to built Him a holy place. The Tabernacle is not supposed to be just any ordinary tent. It is to be a special and sacred tent for God that the Israelites treat with respect. Hebrews 9:1-7 says,

“Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.

“When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.”

So there were several regulations for who could go into the tabernacle and where they could go. Even the high priest had restrictions. This was because the tabernacle was where God’s presence was, and He wanted His people to have respect for His presence. This included treating His dwelling place and everything used to serve Him with reverence, too. Leviticus 22:1-2 says, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name. I am the Lord.” Again in vs. 31-33, God says, “‘Keep my commands and follow them. I am the Lord. Do not profane my holy name, for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who made you holy and who bright you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”

God’s people weren’t supposed to treat worshiping Him lightly. They were to do it with the utmost reverence and respect—for He was holy and deserved to be worshiped in a right and holy manner.