But the high priest alone enters the second room, and he does that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance (Hebrews 9:7 CSB).

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Something we discuss semi-frequently within the church is the idea of “spending time with Jesus.” Whether you call it a quiet time, devotional time, practicing the presence, or something else entirely, we usually learn early on in our walk with Jesus that there is an expectation to spend time with Him regularly. Often these conversations center on how often we read the Bible, pray, or engage in worship, and typically they include some sheepish mention that we aren’t spending as much time with the Lord as we should be. I can be that person more frequently than I want to admit! Why is this one of our perpetual struggles as modern-day believers? Our answers are many – but they usually boil down at least a little bit to being distracted and over-busy with other things.  

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Yet, as I continue to read through Hebrews, I’m struck by the contrast between our experience as modern day, Western believers and that of the Old Testament Jewish people when you consider access to God’s presence. Today’s key verses highlight the crux of this idea for me in Hebrews 9. Let’s imagine for a moment the entire tribe of Israel – probably 2 to 3 million people at the time of Moses. The average Hebrew worshipper could only enter the courtyard of the tabernacle to approach the bronze altar for sin offerings. There was no access beyond that to the tabernacle itself, where the presence of God rested in the Holy of Holies for lay people. Everything beyond the bronze altar was only for priests.

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Now, as a reminder, only those from the tribe of Levi could serve as priests. The tribe probably had about 22,000 men at the time of Moses. However, not every Levite was eligible for priestly service. By the time of Jesus, this was only a few thousand men. Weekly, these men would cast lots to see who would have the honor of serving in the outer room of the tabernacle for the week, the Holy Place. Most priests could only hope to ever be chosen once or maybe twice in rare cases for this opportunity. They still wouldn’t ever glance into the Holy of Holies, where God’s presence rested, or else they’d be struck dead.  

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From among the priests, a High Priest would be chosen to lead the people in worship and mediate for the people before God. Over a span of 1,500 years of Jewish history, only about 80 men served in this role. Once a year, the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies to offer a sacrifice for any unknown sins of the people. This was not a time to connect relationally with the Lord. It was a somber moment, prepared for extensively by the High Priest, to seek God’s forgiveness and mercy over Israel’s sin. He had to be careful to avoid even unintentional mistakes in his work. William Barclay said in his commentary on Hebrews 9 that the High Priest didn’t dare stay too long in the Holy of Holies, lest he put Israel in terror: “The people waited with bated breath, so that when he came out from the Presence alive, there went a sigh of relief like a gust of wind.” The once-a-year opportunity to encounter God’s presence left the people feeling anxious to see if the High Priest would even come back alive!  

There was simply no routine access to the presence of God for the Hebrew people. From among millions and millions of Jews historically, only a few ever had the opportunity to experience the presence of God at all. Those who did only had limited access to seek repentance. They did not experience God as a modern-day believer can. Understanding the tabernacle and worship practices of the Jews before Jesus helps us more deeply appreciate what He has done for us. Hebrews 4:16 tells us that we can approach the throne of God with boldness through Christ. No more fear and trembling; I can stand in right relationship with God because Jesus’ once and for all sacrifice has paid the price for my sin.  

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So why don’t we spend more time in the presence of God? The veil to the Holy of Holies is torn. We can access the Father anytime we want to. Are you like me, and you still struggle to prioritize time in the Word, active prayer, or in a listening posture before the Lord sometimes? Maybe part of the problem is that we have grown too familiar with a gift that once would have overwhelmed the worshipper. What was once limited, distant, and approached with fear has been opened to us by Jesus. Because we can come to God anytime, we can begin to forget how extraordinary that invitation really is. How can you take a step to practice sitting in the presence of the Lord today?