My daughter is doing a devotional as part of her youth group. I have been studying it with her and last night it started talking about the temple of God in the old testament. We talked about how only the chosen priest could enter the temple and holy of holiest once a year and his job was to intercede for the people to ask for forgiveness of sins. But before he entered he had to offer a sacrifice and then was his hands and feet, ie cleanse himself. The devotional also spoke about how our body is a temple. But with Jesus’s death on the cross we don’t need anyone to intercede for us. with the curtain torn we have direct access to God. With Jesus’s death He also cleansed us so God could enter our hearts and dwell with in His temple, ie our bodies. It’s still up to us to choose daily to keep ourselves clean. It reminded me if Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51 are some great words to pray over.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
18 May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
It’s not sacrifices that God desires, He desires our hearts.
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8 NIV
JER2913 