“Bow down and worship, righteous seer: / The Lord our God is here / Approachable, Who bids us all draw near.” – Christina Rossetti, Epiphany*
It “just so happened” that I was reading Ezekiel, Hebrews, and portions of Leviticus and Deuteronomy at the same time shortly before the end of the year. That convergence of the varied books brought to light first a theme, and then a striking contrast which are summarized neatly in the those few lines. Through the entire Old Testament, and particularly any passages that deal with the priesthood, runs the thread of how unfit mankind is to approach the Lord. Only in this manner, only at this time, only this particular person who has undertaken this ritual and is wearing these articles of clothing may approach the Lord in His tabernacle. (Read Leviticus in particular for the specifics.) The ordinary people, such as you and I, would never be able to draw near; the best we could do is to have the priest approach on our behalf.
That changed, of course, with Jesus, the great high priest, who through His blood permanently opened the way for us, so that instead of being warned to keep our distance, we are invited to approach, not with trembling, but with confidence (Heb 4:16). Paul says it is through Christ that we have “boldness and access with confidence” (Eph 3:12). Though once kept at a distance, we are brought near by the blood of Christ (Eph 2:13), and that is a sweet thing indeed.
*Full text: http://www.poetrynook.com/poem/epiphany-4
Good thoughts and good timing. We just read in 1 Samuel this morning of how God promised to raise up a faithful priest. I love all the connections