FRIDAY January 16, 2026

The Performing of Temple Services

Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services.
Hebrews 9:6

The priests had to fulfill ordinances, that is, the rites and ceremonies of divine service in an earthly sanctuary. Notice that the tabernacle was a temporary place; it was not a permanent place. Every time they would stop in the wilderness, they would have to set up the tabernacle. When they moved, it had to be taken down and put back together again. You see, it was temporary. The tabernacle was not a permanent place of worship until later on in King Solomon’s reign:

And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its details and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it (1 Kings 6:38).

A deep desire of King David was to build a house for God. He did not feel it was right for him to dwell in a house while the Ark of God was inside a tent:  “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains” (2 Samuel 7:2). Nathan the prophet thought it was a good idea, but the Lord had other plans. God said to David:

“ ‘You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.’   ...  Now He said to me, ‘It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father’ ”
(1 Chronicles 28:3, 6).

The Temple was built on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, and God’s glory filled the house. This is the exact location where Abraham was tested by the Lord. He prepared to offer his son Isacc as a sacrifice, but seeing his heart of faith and obedience, the Lord stopped him (Genesis 22:2). This occasion pointed to the place where God the Father provided Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for the sins of the world on the same mount. Incredible!

Do you understand the great spiritual significance of these events as seen throughout biblical history?

Before I preach love, mercy, and grace, I must preach sin, law, and judgment.
~John Wesley~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!