Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Psalms 100:4-5 KJV
Just like the old sanctuary built in the desert as the children of Israel journeyed to Canaan, with its courts and rooms, so God seems to emphasise those special features. Thw whole sanctuary seems to have three parts: the outer court, the altar of sacrifice and the tabernacle, which itself had its two chambers regarded as holy, because in there were the Ark of the covenant and the holy things for worship. There were categories of people that could approach all thess names parts, and the worship of God was done with so much awe and respect. In fact, it was only the High Priest who could come into the Holy of Holies, and even that was only once a year. Any breach of these rules was punishable by death. If this was supposed to be the earthly pattern of the future temple that God says is coming, with its rules and demands for holiness and purity, how do we think that the standards would have changed or be lowered? If we claim it is still the same God, why would we think He will overlook a mishandling of his temple and just gloss over it? Just a warning here: mercy does not take away God's holy and righteous demands from all who claim to follow Him. The fact that He is slow to anger does not permit us to test His limits. If He has laid out a pattern and a structure for worship, sacrifice and service, we will do well to adhere.
And this seems to be part of the message in today's extract. There is a place where God dwells, as represented by the glory of God that covered the sanctuary as it moved from place to place in the desert. There was a physical manifestation of the glory of God and there specific ways God demanded his people worship Him. They were to come through the boundaries of the sanctuary and as sacrifices were made for sin at the bronze altar, they were to receive cleansing which made them fit to approach God for worship.
We don't do sacrifices of blood anymore, and we don't have to wait for a year for the High Priest to make atonement again for sin. The death of Jesus on the cross has dealt a final and fatal blow on the need for symbols; we now have the real thing. We have approach and access, and it is free of charge. We are asked to enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. In the past, it would be the blood of bulls; today, the blood of Jesus has been shed and has gone ahead of us. We only need to make the approach. We have recieved the best God has on offer, which is permanent access into God's Holiness. We see a picture of who He is and what He desires from all who will follow Him.
It is God's mercy that has made this new way for us, and it is this same mercy that will keep us aligned with God's expectations. God is good, and his mercy endures forever. His love is the type that won't let go until the end of time. When I consider what I have recieved, I cannot but be thankful and humble at the same time. It has never been about what I deserve, but about what I have received, and if I received it, it was never mine in the first place, and if it wasn't mine in the first place, there is no room for pride. It is about God's mercy, and that is the reason why I am able to approach God's throne and ask for whatever I need. His blood has made it possible.
But then the warning again: it is still the same God who hates and punishes sin. Mode of worship may have changed, but the demands of holiness hasn't. His mercy is eternal, but my access to it is limited to my earthly sojourn. When death or rapture occurs, all I have will be my dealings with God. I am not promised forever down here; whilst I live, I live grateful for all I am and have. I ask God to accept my life and the offerings of praise and thanksgiving that I bring. It's all I have, and it is all He will take. Am I giving Him what He wants? Are you? His time of favour is here.
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