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Devotion Practice I know my way around a kitchen pretty well. It all started about twenty five years ago with an Easy-Bake Oven. Ah, the aroma of home baked pseudo-cookies, vaguely like the smell of burning dirt and plastic. I still bake cookies, but now I use a big oven, and the results are usually edible. I have to wonder, though, if I'd be as avid a baker today if I hadn't started out with that Easy-Bake Oven. I learned the basics of cooking with it, and, more importantly, I learned to love cooking. We practice lots of life skills before moving on to the real thing. My husband learned to build things in Shop class in high school; now he has his own workshop where he creates things he could never have imagined at fifteen. Astronauts practice for missions in flight simulators. We're even practicing for heaven while we're on earth. "[The priests] serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: 'See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain'" (Heb. 8:5). I used to think God was particular about the tabernacle so His people would learn obedience. That was part of it, but Hebrews tells us there was more. The tabernacle was a copy of the throne room in heaven. A comparison of the tabernacle and the throne room reveals unmistakable similarities. First and foremost, the tabernacle contained the Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy Seat of God. Likewise, we find the Throne at the center of worship in heaven. Above the Ark were sculpted cherubim; above the throne fly winged living creatures. In the tabernacle there was a seven-part lamp stand, and in heaven, seven lamps represent the spirit of God. The altar of incense in the tabernacle is paralleled by heavenly bowls of incense (the prayers of the saints). The tabernacle held a basin of water for the washing of the priests, and in heaven we find a sea of glass. Finally, the tabernacle wouldn't have been complete without the altar on which was offered animal sacrifices for the sins of the people. In heaven there is "...a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne..." (Rev. 5:6). When I was five I wasn't ready to use my mom's big oven. It was beyond my reach, and too complex for me. We aren't ready for worship in heaven yet, either. We need to learn the basics of worship and, more importantly, to love worship in the tabernacle that is here for our benefit. Most of our traditional churches are reminiscent of the tabernacle. Consider the altar area, a reminder of the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus; the baptismal basin or pool for the symbolic cleansing of sins; the candles, music and prayers. On any given Sunday we have access to worship in a replica of the throne room of God. No, it isn't identical to heaven. It doesn't need to be. I believe that if we're attentive and intentional now, when we get to heaven--we'll know our way around pretty well. Bible Study: Read about the tabernacle and the throne room. Make note of the similarities you find.
How can we be more mindful of heaven when we are worshipping on earth? The Lion'sDen a monthly devotional publication May, 1999 Editor's Note: Please feel free to share prayer requests with Cindy Bryan. Send comments to Csgbryan@aol.com. |
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