OPENING PRAYER

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for giving us a way to come into Your presence. We acknowledge that You are holy and that we cannot approach You by our own righteousness. Thank You for providing Jesus Christ, who opened the way for us to draw near to You. As we study Your Word, open our hearts and minds to understand Your truth. Help us not only to know about You, but to truly seek You and enjoy intimacy with You. Teach us to approach You Your way, with faith, humility, reverence, and awe.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

PSALM 27:4 One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple.

The greatest pursuit of David's life was not wealth, success, position, or even protection from his enemies. His greatest pursuit was God Himself. David wanted to dwell in the presence of God, to behold His beauty, and to know Him intimately. This teaches us that the greatest pursuit of the believer is not simply what God can give us, but God Himself. We need God’s help to pursue intimacy with Him because our natural tendency is to pursue other things. David’s one thing was God.

PSALM 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Everything in this world can fail, disappear, or be taken away. Our possessions, achievements, strength, and even our physical life are temporary. But God is our portion forever. At the end of life, the greatest treasure we have is not what we accumulated but our relationship with God. Therefore, the question is not merely, “What do I have?” but, “Do I have God?” The greatest pursuit is about God.

EXODUS 25

8 Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.

The amazing thing is that God did not simply wait for Israel to find Him. God took the initiative. He wanted to dwell among His people. The Tabernacle was God's amazing way of saying, in effect, “I want to be among you.” Relationship requires initiative, and God took the first step. He provided a way for sinful people to approach a holy God.

9 According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.

God did not allow Israel to invent their own way of approaching Him. He gave them a specific pattern. This is important because intimacy with God must be pursued God’s way, not our way. The Tabernacle was not merely a building; it was a picture of God's plan of redemption. The Old Testament points forward to Christ. The Tabernacle shows us who Jesus is and what Jesus would ultimately accomplish for us.

III. HOLY OF HOLIES

The Tabernacle had three major areas: the Outer Court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place. At the center of the Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies, the most sacred place where the Ark of the Covenant was located.

A. The Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark represented the presence of God among His people.

22 There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.

The purpose of the Ark was not merely to display religious objects. It was a meeting place between God and His people. The cherubim represented the guardianship of God's holy presence, while the mercy seat represented the place where atonement was made. God is holy, but He provided a place where He could meet with His people.

HEBREWS 9:3 Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, 4 having… the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant;

Inside the Ark were three significant things: the tablets of the covenant, the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded. Each points us toward Christ.

The Tablets of the Covenant—Jesus is the Perfect Law Keeper

MATTHEW 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

The tablets represented God's holy Law and His perfect standard. God's Law reveals what righteousness looks like, but sinful humanity has failed to keep it perfectly. Jesus, however, fulfilled the Law perfectly. He is our perfect Law Keeper. He did not lower God's standard; He fulfilled it completely. Therefore, when we look at the Law, we see not only our sinfulness but also our need for the righteousness found in Christ.

The Manna—Jesus is the Bread of Life

EXODUS 16:35 The sons of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

God provided manna for Israel throughout their wilderness journey. Every day, God reminded His people that He was their provider. They could not manufacture their own food in the wilderness; they had to depend upon God. This points directly to Jesus.

JOHN 6:33 For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger…

The manna sustained physical life temporarily, but Jesus gives eternal life. The Israelites needed manna every day; we need Christ continually. Jesus is not merely someone who gives us bread—Jesus Himself is the Bread of Life.

Aaron's Rod—Jesus is God's Chosen One

NUMBERS 16:3They assembled together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You have gone far enough, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is in their midst; so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”

This verse describes the rebellion of the people against Moses and Aaron. They challenged God's appointed leadership. God therefore provided a clear demonstration of whom He had chosen.

NUMBERS 17:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, and get from them a rod for each father’s household: twelve rods... You shall write each name on his rod,

4 You shall then deposit them in the tent of meeting in front of the testimony, where I meet with you. 5 It will come about that the rod of the man whom I choose will sprout. Thus I will lessen from upon Myself the grumblings of the sons of Israel, who are grumbling against you.”

This verse records God's command for each tribe to place a rod before Him, with the promise: “The rod of the man whom I choose will sprout.” The issue was God's authority and God's choice.

NUMBERS 17:8 Now on the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds.

A dead piece of wood produced life. God demonstrated that Aaron was His chosen servant.

This ultimately points us to the greater fulfillment in Jesus. Jesus is God's uniquely chosen Savior. His death was not the end. He rose from the dead. The resurrection is God's declaration that Jesus is the One He has chosen and appointed. What was dead came alive.

LUKE 9:35 Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!”

God Himself identifies Jesus as His chosen One. Therefore, if we want intimacy with God, we must pursue God His way. We do not come to God through our own righteousness, our own religion, or our own merit. We come through God's chosen One.

JOHN 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Jesus does not merely show us the way to God. Jesus is the way. He is God's chosen way for us to come to the Father.

B. The Mercy Seat.

LEVITICUS 16:1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they had approached the presence of the Lord and died. 2 The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.

The passage describes the seriousness of entering the Holy of Holies. Aaron could not simply enter God's presence whenever he wanted. God warned him that he could die if he entered improperly. This teaches us that God is holy and must be approached according to His appointed way. The problem is that we are sinners.

LEVITICUS 16:3 Aaron shall enter the holy place with this: with a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering... 14 Moreover, he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; also in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

This shows us that God is holy, and sinful man cannot simply approach Him in any way he chooses. There was a prescribed way to enter God's presence. Aaron could not come empty-handed, and he could not come based on his own righteousness. He had to come with a sacrifice and with blood.

The Tabernacle, therefore, is a picture of how sinful people can approach a holy God. The sacrifices were pointing forward to something greater. The blood of bulls and goats could not ultimately remove sin. They were pointing to the day when Jesus Christ would offer Himself as the perfect and final sacrifice for our sins.

LEVITICUS 16:7 He shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 8 Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat.

On the Day of Atonement, two goats were used. One goat was offered as a sacrifice, and its blood was brought into the Holy of Holies. The other goat became the scapegoat, representing the removal of Israel's sins from the people.

LEVITICUS 16:21 Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness…

This gives us a beautiful picture of what Christ would accomplish for us. Our sin must be dealt with, and God Himself provided the way. The sacrificial goat points to Christ who would bear the penalty of sin, while the scapegoat illustrates the removal of sin from God's people.

The message is clear: we cannot approach God our way; we must approach God His way. God's way is through atonement, through sacrifice, and ultimately through Jesus Christ. What the blood of animals could only picture, Jesus accomplished once and for all through His own blood.

The Tabernacle was therefore pointing forward to the cross. Jesus became our perfect sacrifice, bearing our sins and removing our guilt, so that we could draw near to a holy God.

Three Different Words For Sin

Iniquities — This refers to our crookedness or inward corruption. Sin is not merely something we occasionally do; it can become a pattern that distorts our character and turns us away from God's ways. We become spiritually crooked, unable to straighten ourselves.

Transgressions — This refers to deliberately crossing God's boundaries. We know what God has commanded, yet we choose to disobey Him. It is willful rebellion against God's authority.

Sins — This refers to falling short of God's standard. God's standard is perfect righteousness, and every one of us has failed to reach that standard.

These three words show us the seriousness and completeness of our sin problem. Our biggest problem is not simply that we make mistakes; our biggest problem is that sin separates us from a holy God.

Sin is a barrier between us and God. We cannot remove that barrier through good works, religious activities, morality, or our own efforts. We need God to provide the way for us to come back to Him.

ISAIAH 59:2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

Sin is a barrier between sinful humanity and a holy God. Our greatest problem is not merely financial, emotional, social, or physical. Our greatest problem is sin because sin separates us from God.

1 SAMUEL 6:19 He struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck down of all the people, 50,070 men, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter.

The seriousness of God's holiness can be seen in this verse, where people were struck down because they looked into the Ark of the Lord. The Ark represented God's holy presence. The lesson is clear: God is not to be approached casually or presumptuously.

2 SAMUEL 6:2 And David arose and went with all the people… to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the Name, the very name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim. 6 But when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen nearly upset it. 7 And the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God

Another example is shown in this passage. David attempted to bring the Ark back to Jerusalem, but when Uzzah reached out and touched the Ark, God struck him down because of his irreverence. Uzzah may have been sincere, but sincerity does not replace obedience. He approached God's holy presence in a way God had not commanded. David eventually recognized the problem.

1 CHRONICLES 15:2 Then David said, “No one is to carry the ark of God but the Levites; for the Lord chose them to carry the ark of God and to minister to Him forever.”... 13 Because you did not carry it at the first, the Lord our God made an outburst on us, for we did not seek Him according to the ordinance.” 14 So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel.

The lesson is powerful: we cannot approach God according to our own ideas. We must approach Him according to God's way.

And when they finally obeyed God, something changed.

1 CHRONICLES 15:25 …went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord… with joy. 26 Because God was helping the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams... 28 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting, and with sound of the horn, with trumpets, with loud-sounding cymbals, with harps and lyres.

Obedience produced joy and worship. This gives us an important principle: intimacy with God produces obedience, and obedience produces joy.

2 SAMUEL 6:16 Then it happened as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.

David was not concerned about impressing people; he was celebrating before God.

2 SAMUEL 6:20 …Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel distinguished himself today! He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants’ maids as one of the foolish ones shamelessly uncovers himself!” 21 …I will celebrate before the Lord. 22 I will be more lightly esteemed than this and will be humble in my own eyes…

David's focus was God, not the opinion of people. This challenges us in our own worship. Are we more concerned about how people see us, or about how God sees us? Michal became an observer and critic instead of a worshiper. She watched David worship while her heart was distant from God. At the same time, intimacy with God does not mean casualness toward God.

2 SAMUEL 6:23 Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

Michal was a queen, living in the palace and married to the king, but when the Ark of the Lord came into Jerusalem, her heart was not drawn toward God.

This teaches us that we can be close to the things of God without being close to God Himself. Michal was close to the king, close to the palace, and close to the celebration, but her heart was far from worship.

True worship is not about performing for others; it is about responding to the presence and goodness of God with a humble and sincere heart.

HEBREWS 12:28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

We can draw near to God, but we must never forget that He is holy. We approach Him with confidence, but also with reverence and awe.

HEBREWS 9:7 but into the second (veil), only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people…

Access to God's presence required blood because sin required atonement. But then Hebrews introduces something far greater.

HEBREWS 9:11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

The animals of the Tabernacle were pointing forward to Christ. Their blood could never ultimately remove sin. Jesus came as the greater High Priest and offered His own blood. The Old Testament system was a shadow; Christ is the fulfillment.

The mercy seat itself points us to Jesus.

The Hebrew idea behind the mercy seat involves a covering, while the New Testament uses the word propitiation in describing Christ's atoning sacrifice. The mercy seat therefore helps us understand what Jesus accomplished: He became the place and means of atonement for our sins.

ROMANS 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith…

We are guilty, but Jesus provides redemption. We deserve judgment, but Jesus took our judgment. We cannot approach God based on our own righteousness, but Christ provides the righteousness and atonement we need.

1 JOHN 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Once again, we see God's initiative. We did not begin this relationship. God loved us first. God sent His Son first. God provided the way first. The Tabernacle was already pointing toward this amazing truth.

EPHESIANS 3:11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.

God's plan of salvation was not an emergency solution. It was His eternal purpose accomplished in Christ. God knew our sin before we were born, yet He planned redemption through Jesus Christ.

Jesus is therefore more than the One who tells us how to approach God. He is our access to God.

HEBREWS 10:19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus... 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith…

This is the fulfillment of the Tabernacle. Under the Old Covenant, access was restricted. Under the New Covenant, because of the blood of Jesus, believers are invited to draw near.

The message of the Tabernacle is therefore not simply, “God is holy, so stay away.” The deeper message is, “God is holy, but He has provided a way for you to come near.” That way is Jesus Christ.

The Tabernacle began with God's desire: “that I may dwell among them.” David's desire was: “that I may dwell in the house of the Lord.” The Ark represented God's presence. The mercy seat represented God's provision for atonement. The blood pointed forward to Christ. And Hebrews tells us that through Christ's blood, we can now draw near to God with confidence.

Therefore, pursue intimacy with God—but pursue Him His way. We do not come through our goodness. We do not come through our religious performance. We do not come through another mediator. We come through Jesus Christ, God's chosen One, the Bread of Life, the perfect Law Keeper, the risen Savior, our High Priest, our Mercy Seat, and our only access to the Father.

CLOSING PRAYER

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for showing us through the Tabernacle that You desire to dwell among Your people. Thank You for Jesus, our perfect sacrifice, our Mercy Seat, and our access to Your presence. Help us to approach You Your way—not trusting in ourselves, but trusting completely in Christ and His finished work. Give us hearts that truly seek You, worship You, obey You, and draw near to You with confidence and reverence. May our relationship with You be our greatest pursuit.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

The content of this article is adapted from the source below:

Keep on Pursuing Intimacy with The Holy God

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By God’s grace, this website, The Message of God, was created to share His Word, encourage others in their faith, and lead people to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. God has uniquely designed and equipped every believer to take part in His work, and this website is one small expression of that calling.

All glory, honor, and praise belong to God alone. I am deeply grateful to Christ’s Commission Fellowship (CCF)—God’s instrument in helping me know Jesus personally and grow in a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him. The messages shared here are inspired by past CCF sermons, which have greatly influenced my walk with the Lord.

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