“I wash my hands to declare my innocence. I come to your altar, O Lord, singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your wonders. I love your sanctuary, Lord, the place where your glorious presence dwells.”
Psalm 26:6-8 NLT
David wrote, “I love your sanctuary, Lord, the place where your glorious presence dwells”. In his day this had to be the Tabernacle, because the Temple wasn’t built in his life. That momentous occasion had to wait until Solomon was sitting on David’s throne. We can read all about the Tabernacle, and its construction, in the Book of Exodus and the account commenced in Exodus 25:8-9, “Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you“. God wanted to come and live with His people, and He provided instructions as how that would be possible, with the Israelites being a nomadic people at that time. A tent of some description was all they physically would be capable of, but what a tent it was. Eventually it was finished and we read, “Then he hung the curtains forming the courtyard around the Tabernacle and the altar. And he set up the curtain at the entrance of the courtyard. So at last Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle” (Exodus 40:33-35). That was the glory that David experienced whenever he entered the sanctuary. He found God there.
There is some confusion about David’s sanctuary, if he was referring to the Tabernacle. Some Bible scholars maintain that there were two Tabernacles, with the original one located at Gibeon, and David’s located in Jerusalem, where the Ark of God was installed. About Gibeon being the location, we read, “Meanwhile, David stationed Zadok the priest and his fellow priests at the Tabernacle of the Lord at the place of worship in Gibeon, where they continued to minister before the Lord” (1 Chronicles 16:39). But we also read, “They brought the Ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the special tent David had prepared for it. And David sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord” (2 Samuel 6:17). But wherever it was, David loved it, because He found God and His glory in that place.
What sanctuary do we pilgrims have? In past days, wonderful churches were built in the UK with impressive stained glass windows, statues, beautiful architecture and so on. These were, and still are in most cases, places where God is worshiped in His sanctuary. At the last count there are over 16,000 of them in these British islands. To the Jews, there was only one place where the glory of the Lord could be found and that was where His Ark was located. After Solomon’s Temple was constructed we read, “When all the elders of Israel arrived, the priests picked up the Ark. The priests and Levites brought up the Ark of the Lord along with the special tent and all the sacred items that had been in it. … Then the priests carried the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant into the inner sanctuary of the Temple—the Most Holy Place—and placed it beneath the wings of the cherubim” (1 Kings 8:3-4, 6). And then came the crescendo – “When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple. The priests could not enter the Temple of the Lord because the glorious presence of the Lord filled it” (2 Chronicles 7:1-2). Sadly, we can read about the subsequent events that led to the destruction of this Temple and the final one in AD70, after which the Jews lost their focus for the glory of the Lord.
But what about us pilgrims? Where do we find God’s “glorious presence”? Where is our “sanctuary”where we find, and worship, the Lord? We know the answer of course, because something of earth-shattering importance happened a few centuries later. Jesus came. “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son” (John 1:14). John and the other disciples saw His glory, the glory of His presence, and He dwelt with them. They didn’t have to go to Jerusalem or anywhere else to find the glory of the Lord, and neither do we. In the same way we don’t have to go to an ornate building where there is a table covered with a decorated cloth and furnished with a candlestick or two. When I was a small boy, this was a place where I thought God lived, somehow under that tablecloth. People who were passing by genuflected and spoke with bated breath and in low tones. But did I see God’s glory there? Some say that they did but my experience of the Lord and His glory came much later in a different place.
We pilgrims know and love Jesus, and when He left this world He left His Spirit, who now lives within every believer. Paul wrote, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself” (1 Corinthians 6:19). That’s where we find the Lord’s Sanctuary – in the hearts of ordinary men, women and children who are faithful, redeemed, and obedient, servants of God. So we handle the Lord’s Sanctuary with care and love. After all, we can’t mistreat the place where the Lord lives, can we?
Dear loving and gracious Heavenly Father. We praise and worship Your holy name and turn our hearts and minds towards You this day and every day. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 