by Todd Elder at Exploring Creation
Imagine that you have the opportunity to spend a short time in the Tabernacle as it stood in the wilderness. You decide that what you most want to see is the Ark of the Covenant. Looking around at the other items is secondary in importance. As you pass through the gates of the courtyard and walk to the Tabernacle you pass by the Brazen Altar. You are paused for a moment ... surprised by how large this really is. It is at least 7 feet square. You think a moment and remember that this was used for sacrifices, for sin and guilt offerings, even for offerings of thanksgiving and it had to be big enough to handle something as big as a bull. As the shock wears off, you look ahead again to your goal of seeing the Ark. You notice that the curtain to the Set Apart Place is not there. In fact, the curtain to the Most Set Apart Place is not there either. That does not seem right at first. Then, suddenly, you realize that the only way for that curtain not to be there, is that Yahshua has made it possible through His ultimate sacrifice. He has made the final atonement for people ... for you ... and The One Most High can be approached now.
Being emboldened by this, you march forward and enter into the Set Apart Place. You are awestruck. Seldom have you seen real gold and now you are standing in a room whose walls are entirely covered by it. The items and objects within the room are also covered in copper, silver, or gold. The room is dazzling. The Menorah stands there shining its light. You had not realized it was meant to look so much like a tree. Across from the Menorah is the Table of Showbread with the twelve loaves that represent the tribes of Israel. Your eyes open wide at the size of each loaf. Then the aroma in the air strikes. The Altar of Incense is directly ahead. You have never smelled anything like it before.
Behind the Altar of Incense, you see the Ark of the Covenant. The Covenant catches your thoughts. The tablets of stone are there. What does it represent? An agreement to be His people and for Him to be our Mighty One. What a beautiful thing! As you step forward and cross the threshold into the Most Set Apart Place, you suddenly know that His Presence is there. You realize that you are little prepared to be before any earthly royalty ... and now you are standing before the King of Kings. Instinctively you start to kneel down. Although prayer is done regularly, this is different. You are in a place and position of judgment. As your mind races across your life, your eyes rest upon the cover of the Ark ... that which is called the Mercy Seat. The Scriptures telling of His enduring love and His mercy flood your mind. Past experiences in life assure you that He has led you and that you are in good hands. As you start to feel some relief, a voice rings out and starts "My son" .... As you are kneeling there you already know the rest of the story. The Scriptures show that following and worshipping YHVH and accepting His son Yahshua as Messiah and Savior through faith means eternal life and being accepted into His family. You know that your relationship with Him has been favored. He knows who you are. You will be given a place in his kingdom in the New Jerusalem.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines consequence as something that logically or naturally follows from an action or condition. To put it another way, it is the 'effect' in the phrase 'cause and effect'. In the first issue, worship was defined as "the assembling of one selves in reverence to the Almighty. It is the giving and the humbling of oneself to Him. It is letting Him be master. The consequences of such are dramatic and powerful because He is then free to move among believers."
Putting these two words together is interesting. Many different consequences occur when we give ourselves to Elohim and let Him be our Master. The most immediate, and the theme that this issue looks at, is that of establishing a relationship with the One Most High. When we recognize His place in our lives (above us, as greater than ourselves, as the greatest of all, as our Master) then what naturally follows is His leading our lives. There is no better place to be, than where He is leading us individually. After establishing a relationship with Him, we learn the details of what kind of relationship exists. Upon inspection, we find that we have a covenant relationship with Him. It is within that framework that we must operate, for it lets us know what is expected of us and what is to be expected from Him. In Scripture, we find the expression of His desire for relationship as well as the covenant that sets His people apart.
To sum up the relationship: He will be our Mighty One, if we will be His people. To sum up the covenant: Love Him and love each other.
Does that seem oversimplified? That is what all of Scripture is about. The scriptures let us know what is good (beneficial because it brings us closer to Him) and what is evil (that which takes us from Him). It shows us how to love Him and live in his favor. Is it not comforting, knowing that the most powerful being in and around the universe wants to love you and have a close relationship with you? Does it not affect you to read through the Scriptures and see all that Elohim has done to make that relationship possible? Does it not encourage you to pursue Him with your whole being? He wants to have a relationship with you, both during this lifetime and throughout eternity. Don't you? The choice is yours.