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Sanctuary: God’s Dwelling Place in Israel
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The Daily Service
Every morning and evening a year-old lamb was burned on
the altar, symbolizing the daily consecration of the nation and their
constant dependence on the atoning blood of Christ. Only an offering
“without blemish” could be a symbol of the perfect purity of Jesus,
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who was to offer Himself as “a lamb without blemish and without
spot” (
1 Peter 1:19
). The apostle Paul says, “I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable
service” (
Romans 12:1
). Those who love Him with all the heart will
give Him the best service of their life and will constantly look for
ways to bring every power of their being into harmony with His will.
When the priest offered incense, he came more directly into the
presence of God than in any other act of the daily ministry. The
glory of God that appeared above the mercy seat was partially visible
from the first apartment. When the priest offered incense before the
Lord, he looked toward the ark, and as the divine glory descended
on the mercy seat and filled the most holy place, often the priest had
to retreat to the door of the tabernacle. As the priest looked by faith
to the mercy seat, which he could not see, so the people of God are
now to direct their prayers to Christ, their great High Priest, who is
pleading in their behalf in the sanctuary above.
The incense represents the worthiness and intercession of Christ
and His perfect righteousness, which through faith is credited to His
people and is the only thing that can make the worship of sinful
beings acceptable to God. God was to be approached by blood and
by incense—symbols pointing to the great Mediator, the only one
through whom mercy and salvation can be granted to the sinner who
has repented.
As the priests entered the holy place morning and evening, the
daily sacrifice was ready to be offered on the altar in the court. This
was a time of intense interest—the worshipers at the tabernacle were
to search their hearts and confess their sins. Their requests rose
with the cloud of incense, while their faith clung to the merits of the
promised Savior that the atoning sacrifice represented. In later times
the Jews, scattered as captives in distant lands, still turned their faces
toward Jerusalem at the appointed hour and offered their prayers