Counsel #2 — The Sanctuary Service

Picture: Counsel #2 — The Sanctuary ServiceCCW 47.1

After God’s people sojourned in a land not theirs; captives in Egypt, and afflicted for 400 years,^{[62]Genesis 15:13} they began to forget God’s plan to save humanity. Because pagan sacrificial systems had people focus on saving themselves by appeasing pagan gods, God had to re-educate His people on how salvation worked. He instructed Moses to build a sanctuary and re-introduced a more advanced sacrificial system to teach them that God alone can save people. This system emphasized the high cost of sin and need for connection with God. Each element of the sanctuary was designed to help re-build and re-create a relationship between God and His people. That is why at the heart of it, God’s presence (the shekinah glory) was found in the Most Holy Place.^{[63]https://adventistreview.org/commentary/overwhelmed-by-the-bible-teaching-on-the-sanctuary-try-again/}CCW 47.2

“And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.” Exodus 25:8 NKJVCCW 47.3

“So Christ set up His tabernacle in the midst of our human encampment. He pitched His tent by the side of the tents of men, that He might dwell among us, and make us familiar with His divine character and life.” Ellen White in The Desire of Ages, p. 23.3CCW 47.4

Reflect: How is your relationship with God right now? Does it need recalibration or re-connecting?CCW 47.5