Week 1: Let’s enter the Tent of Meeting together.
Today we begin by reading Leviticus chapter 1, a chapter full of detailed instructions about offerings: what kind, who should bring them, and how they should be prepared. As you read, try to imagine what it must have been like for Moses standing in the Tent of Meeting hearing these instructions directly from God.
Below you’ll see a few key points for chapter 1, but once you’ve finished the chapter, don’t rush out. Let’s linger a little longer…let’s pause and imagine ourselves inside the Tent of Meeting (hypothetically, of course!), noticing what it reveals about God’s heart, His holiness, His plan, and His desire to dwell among His people while they lived in the wilderness.
Chapter 1 Key Points
Lev 1:3 Right off the get go, God mentions the offering shall be a herd animal, male without defect. This definitely mirrors the perfect sacrifice to come, Jesus!
Lev 1: 9, 13, 17: You’ll notice a phrase that repeats like a gentle rhythm:
“It is a pleasing aroma to the Lord.” The Hebrew word for aroma is “rêach”, a word that simply means scent or smell. But in the sacrificial language of Leviticus, it’s paired with another word: “nichoach,” meaning soothing or restful. Together, “rêach nichoach” doesn’t just describe the smell of burning offerings, it describes the posture of a heart. It paints a picture of something offered freely, obediently, and with reverence. It’s not the aroma of meat on fire that moves God. It’s the surrender behind it. The obedience. The repentance. The pleasing aroma symbolized a moment of connection when sinful people came close to a holy God through the way He provided. Every offering they gave whispered to God, “I want to be right with You.” And God, in return, received it…not because He needed it, but because He delighted in their desire to draw near.
If I had to use one word to describe chapter one, it would be surrender. Because it was a brand new law, the Israelites had to completely surrender to their old ways and become obedient in a brand new way of living…a way that would point them right towards God’s perfect plan. Now, come into the Tent of Meeting with me…God has a few things for us there. As you read through this next part, imagine Moses with God in the Tent during chapter one.
The tent had three main sections (refer back to imagery from last week’s intro):
1. The Courtyard
This was a large open area surrounded by linen curtains. It was where the people, men and women, could come to worship and bring their sacrifices to atone for their sins. Right inside the courtyard stood the altar, like a giant grill for burning offerings. People brought animals (sheep, goats, bulls), and the priests sacrificed them as a way of saying:
“God, we’re sorry for our sins, and we know we need Your forgiveness.”
The fire on the altar was to burn continually (Leviticus 6:12–13). It showed two things:
Sin must be paid for
God provided a way to be forgiven
Also in the Courtyard sat the Bronze Basin, where priests washed before serving.
2. The Holy Place
This was the first room inside the tent. Only the priests (Aaron and his sons) could enter here. It held:
The Lampstand: Represented God’s eternal light and presence among His people. The lampstand held seven lamps which were fueled by pure olive oil, not wax candles.
The Table of Showbread: Symbolized God’s provision and fellowship, displaying the bread of His presence.
The Altar of Incense: Signified the prayers of the people rising to God, creating a sweet aroma before Him. The incense was a special, sacred blend of fragrant spices specifically commanded by God in Exodus 30:34–38. Yes, God was the first aromatherapist! It included ingredients like frankincense, onycha, and galbanum. Once we journey to chapter 2, you’ll see the significance of these oils and why God may have hand picked them with purpose! The sacred blend was not to be replicated or used outside the sanctuary.
The priests came daily to tend to the lamps and offer incense. Not only was the Courtyard and Tent of Meeting a site to see, but also a wonderful scent to smell! Is there a scent that reminds you of a past time? When I smell musk or cucumbers I’m reminded of my Grandmother. Her favorite perfume contained musk and her lotion cucumber melon. Those two scents take me back to happy memories. I’d imagine that people within the camp, or journeying through, would have understood the scent as something Holy and sacred, reminding them of a God who dwelled with His people.
3. The Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies)
The final and most sacred section of the Tent of Meeting aka Tabernacle was the Most Holy Place, also called the Holy of Holies, hidden behind a thick heavy curtain. This section housed the Ark of the Covenant and symbolized the very dwelling place of God’s presence on Earth. No one could enter except the high priest, and even he could step behind the curtain only once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). There he would offer a blood sacrifice for the sins of the entire nation. Why such restriction? Because God is holy, set apart, pure, and blazing with unapproachable righteousness. The curtain was a visible barrier between God and humanity, a symbol that sin still separated the people from direct access, intimate fellowship, and a deep, personal relationship with their Creator.
Hebrews 9:8 explains that this curtain served as a sign: as long as the first tabernacle system was still in place, the way into God's presence had not yet been revealed. The Holy of Holies stood as both a sacred reality and a shadow…a whisper of something better to come. It pointed ahead to Jesus, our perfect High Priest, who wouldn’t step into a man-made tent, but into heaven itself bringing not the blood of animals, but His own, poured out once and for all to make a way for us to have direct access to God (Hebrews 9:11–12). Jesus tore the curtain! No more middlemen. No more yearly sacrifices. Through Jesus, we now step into God’s presence with confidence. (Hebrews 10:19–22).
Back to the Ark of the Covenant. In Hebrew, it's called aron habberit, the "chest of the covenant." Inside were sacred reminders of God's relationship with His people: the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments (the law they could not keep), a golden jar of manna (a symbol of God’s provision), and Aaron’s staff that budded (God’s choice of a mediator between his people and Him / high priest). All of these foreshadowed Jesus. He is the Word made flesh who fulfilled the law perfectly, the Bread of Life who sustains us daily, and the eternal High Priest (Jesus) chosen by God to intercede for us forever. The connections are so neat, aren’t they? God’s plan is perfect!
Now that we’ve read Leviticus chapter one, have begun to understand the new law, and stepped inside the Tent of Meeting with fresh eyes, we can clearly see a God who never stayed distant or detached. He came near drawing close to His people and saying, “I’m with you, and I am holy.”
Friends, I am so thankful that Jesus came as the ultimate sacrifice. You don’t have to bring a goat. You don’t need a priest. You don’t have to keep a fire burning in the courtyard. The fire of forgiveness burns eternally because the final sacrifice has already been made!!
And, not only did Jesus tear the curtain wide open so we could have a one on one relationship with God without doing all the rituals, but His Spirit now takes up residence in a brand new space!!!!
So let this truth settle in deep:
That brand new space is YOU. You are a living Tent of Meeting. God is not far. He dwells in you.
REFLECTION: Do you live like someone who has full access to God? What kind of aroma is your life giving off? Is it self-sufficient, striving, distracted… or is it surrendered, thankful, and present? What would you change in your prayers, your decisions, or your daily life if you truly believed God’s presence is not only available to you, but already dwelling within you? Offer yourself again. Let your prayer and worship rise…not as smoke, but as the sweet scent of a heart that longs to dwell with Him.
PRAYER: Father, thank You for making a way, first in the wilderness, and now through Jesus. As I journey through Leviticus, help me see not just rules, but love. Not just rituals, but redemption. Remind me that because of Jesus, I can boldly come near. Let Your presence fill me like the Tent of Meeting, and help me surrender to my ways so I can carry Your light, Your holiness, and Your fragrance into every part of my day. Amen.