"Have We Missed It?"

  When God had Israel erect the tabernacle, God was teaching His people that the first and foremost in this relationship to Him was His will! Each item that was placed in the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place carried a message from God! This message was to remind the people of the truths by which they existed and how these truths were to shape their lives.

  One of the most significant items in this Holy of Holies was the ark of the covenant. It was here that God's glory dwelt and it contained the covenant given by God to His people. The covenant contained God's will for His people! On the top of this ark, there wasn't a lid! There was a distinct piece called the "mercy seat". There was the cherubim that overshadowed it, the avengers of His honor and the protectors of His holiness. No one unholy and no one that dishonored God was allowed in His presence. It was a reminder that the relationship that existed between man and God was to be cherished and honored as holy.

  We fast forward to us today. It seems many seem to dismiss or know so little about that ark of the covenant that it is dismissed as too much external and in the process, the holiness of God is missed. All the physical elements these people went through from the High Priest to the individuals approaching the altar are looked at as if it is nothing. The application is made to us that we don't have to approach God like that and today, the real house of God is the people! The church, the people are proclaimed. In the process, we overlook holiness and the sacredness of God's dwelling. If we truly understood the covenant that Jesus mediates and understood His covenant in light of this OT covenant, it would create a serious and holy fellowship and worship. Too many are treating God's present tabernacle, that's us His body, as an entertainment center where people are catered to and entertained! It makes me wonder if we have missed the true meaning of God's temple and it's holiness? After all, it was the apostle Paul who warned that anyone that desecrates the holiness of God temple, God would destroy him (I Cor. 3:16-17). Maybe we need to go back and see what God was teaching back in Leviticus and Numbers so we could grasp what Jesus is teaching us today? Maybe we are using God's holiness as something other than what God is...holy!