Why You Need A Priest

The LORD said to Moses, . . . “I myself am present in the cloud above the atonement cover.”   Leviticus 16:2

If you ever find yourself in a court of law, you will probably want an attorney to present your case. Law courts are intimidating places, and they operate under some fairly complex rules, so you need the help of an attorney to speak on your behalf before the judge.

Old Testament priests did something similar for the people of God. A priest would represent the people to God and speak to him on their behalf, operating in a mobile worship center called the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was separated into different areas by a series of curtains and contained various pieces of symbolic furniture.

At the center of the Tabernacle was the Most Holy Place, which was screened off from view by a heavy curtain. If you could have gone into the Most Holy Place—nobody but the high priest was allowed to, and he only once a year—you would have seen the Ark of the Covenant, a wooden chest with an ornate lid.

Rising from the lid were two golden statues. These were angelic figures called cherubim, whose work was associated with the judgment of God. The cherubim were placed at the entrance to the Garden of Eden with swords flashing back and forth to prevent sinful men and women from entering the presence of God. So also these golden statues on top of the Ark of the Covenant were a visual reminder that you can’t come near God without coming close to judgment.

Between the cherubim was a flat area called the atonement cover (or mercy seat). God told Moses, “I will meet with you there . . . above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant” (Exodus 25:22).

Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would go behind the curtain into the Most Holy Place. God would come down, just as he had done on Mount Sinai. But he did not make himself visible; he appeared in the cloud. God met with the high priest at a place that speaks of both his mercy and his judgment.

For further reading, see Leviticus 16