Enter into His Gates with Thanksgiving
In the King James Version of the Bible, the word thanksgiving appears 27 times. I looked for Christmas, New Year, etc., but no other holiday names appear in the Bible. Thanksgiving can thus be thought of as a unique holiday that has a sort of “stamp of approval.” Interestingly, the 12th verse containing the word thanksgiving in KJV (Psalm 100:4) also contains the word thankful: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Psalm 100:4 is the most thankful verse that I found in my search.
In the presence of God, the Psalmist was exuberant with thanks and praise. He rejoiced in the Lord, and bade his readers to serve Him with gladness and singing. Psalm 100:3 gives us reasons that we ought to be thankful: “the LORD…is God…he…made us.” Then the Psalmist adds an interesting phrase: “and not we ourselves.” God knew that at the time of the end, many would have bought into the theory of evolution. In a world deluded by the claims of evolution, we can praise God that He is good and that He created us. We are His people, and He is our Creator, Provider, and Sustainer. We can have faith in the Word of God.
Then the Psalmist writes in verse 5, “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” When we praise God and acknowledge Him as our Creator, we testify of His goodness, His mercy, and the truth of His word.
In Exodus 25:8-9 God said to Moses, “And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.” The Sanctuary was constructed after the pattern of the Heavenly Sanctuary which God showed Moses. In Hebrews 8:2 the Bible speaks of the true tabernacle pitched by the Lord. The design of the Sanctuary has precious lessons of which I am very thankful for, in this season of Thanksgiving. One of many ways of considering the Sanctuary is that every element is a representation of Jesus. Let me conduct you on a tour of the Hebrew Sanctuary so you can understand why I am so thankful for Jesus, Whom it represents.
There is only one way into the courtyard of the Sanctuary, the Tabernacle itself, and into the Most Holy Place. The outer court has its entrance situated at the east of the courtyard, and it leads the worshipper to the truth of life and new birth. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6, italics supplied). When you enter each compartment of the Sanctuary, you have your back turned to the rising sun (while pagan temples in ancient times were oriented the other way, and the sun worshipper faced the rising sun). God designed the sanctuary to symbolize a turning away from worship of the god of this world.
The first thing that you see as you enter the courtyard is a prominent brazen altar which is part of the daily service of the Temple. Just north of the altar, a penitent sinner will lay his hand upon the head of a lamb without blemish, confessing his sin. After the priest hands him a knife, the penitent will slit the throat of the lamb, whose blood is collected to be taken into the Sanctuary. The lamb represents the spotless Lamb of God, Whose death allowed for the forgiveness of all our sins (John 1:29).
The priests washed their hands and feet in the laver before entering the first compartment of the Tabernacle—the Holy Place. Jesus offers us water to cleanse us and to satisfy our thirst, for He is the living water (John 4:10-11 and 7:37-38).
To the right, as you enter the Holy Place, you will see the Table of Showbread. This represents Jesus, the Bread of Life (John 6:35). He provides all our needs for the day, just for the asking. How can we not praise such a loving, selfless, and benevolent God?
To the left is the Seven-Branched Candlestick representing Jesus, the Light of the World (John 1:9, 3:19, 8:12, 9:5, and 12:46). He promises that if we follow Him, we will not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of Life and the power of the Holy Spirit which constantly keeps our light shining. What a wonderful promise!
Ahead is the Golden Altar of Incense, representing the intercessory ministry of Jesus, Who lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). How comforting it is to know that Jesus is praying for us right now, as He did in John 17, just before His crucifixion.
Finally, with sins confessed, forsaken, and cleansed−and having a greater appreciation for Jesus and His love for us, we have confidence to come before the Throne of God in the Most Holy Place, at the Mercy Seat. This is where we see the glory of His character written in the Law of God. In Hebrews 10:16, God promises that He will put His Laws into our hearts and write them in our minds. This is an amazing promise of placing the lovely character of Jesus onto our foreheads!
As we think of the Tabernacle, our hearts also thrill with that of the Psalmist. As thankful I am for a loving wife and children, and for the perfect provision of our Heavenly Father for all our needs, I am especially thankful for the Christ I see symbolized in the Sanctuary. Someday soon, He will come to claim His own. I pray that when that day comes, you and I, along with our loved ones, are found in Him, in the Secret Place of the Most High.
Chan Hwang lives in Tacoma, Washington with his wife, Esther, and three of their four children: Nicole, Natalie, and Noelle (pictured here with him). Their eldest, and only son Nathan, is in college. He serves on the boards of Adventist Southeast Asia Projects, ARME Bible Camp, and Lifestyle Community Clinics. He has a private medical practice in Puyallup, Washington.