Let my people go, so that they may worship me!

- God wanted the Israelites to leave Egypt so that they could worship him. So that the relationship between God and his people could be re-established. So.. God gave instructions for a temple called the Tabernacle to be built. (You can find out all about that in the rest of Exodus!) Here, God would focus his presence among his people. In this way, God would live among them.
- However, they could not just go and see him any time they wanted... otherwise they would DIE!!! This was because even God's people were full of sin, and they couldn't keep his commands right from the start. But God wanted to make a way for them to draw close to him. So he made up a plan where instead of them dying for their sin, animals could take the punishment in their place.

Even so, only one man could go near God... and only once a year at that! On the Day of Atonement. (The Hebrew name for this day is Yom Kippur יוֹם כִּפּוּר ) Briefly, this is what happened on that day:

• the high priest had to wear special clean clothes after making sure he'd washed himself specially.
• he had to make 3 different burnt offerings for the sins of himself and God's people's.
• the sins of the people were confessed over the head of goat number 2, and it was sent away from the people in a solitary place in the desert. This symbolised them getting rid of the sin and this goat is called the "scapegoat".
• there was a lot of blood and burning involved. Plus, the high priest also had to burn so much incense so that when he stood in God's presence he wouldn't actually be able to see God's glory.

If you haven't read it yet, have a look! So, that's where we left the Israelites for now. However, we did jump ahead and take a peek at the New Testament, where the writer of Hebrews tells us in chapter 10:

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Phew! We don't have to do all the sacrifice stuff anymore, because Jesus is the perfect sacrifice. He was without sin, and paid for everything so we don't have to do the daily sacrifices, the yearly sacrifices and so on, just to get to see a shadow of God. We get to come right before God and pray directly to him, so let's not waste that opportunity!
Let's encourage each other to draw close to God this week.. I hope more of you will have done the prep by last week.. don't forget your Bibles! :)