Whatever man of the house of Israel who kills an ox or lamb or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp, and does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of meeting to offer an offering to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord, the guilt of bloodshed shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people, to the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they offer in the open field, that they may bring them to the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, to the priest, and offer them as peace offerings to the Lord. (Leviticus 17:3-5)

Bring It To The Door

Central to the history of the nation of Israel was the center of worship during the wilderness wanderings and early history of the young nation. Moses received the Law from God at Sinai, including constructing a place where God would commune with His people. It was vital to the relationship of God to be near His people, and the Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting would serve that purpose. The tabernacle was made up of many parts, including the Ark of the Covenant, the Lampstand and Table of Shewbread, the Altar of Incense, and the Brazen Altar. Constructed as a portable tent, the tabernacle was set up at the center of twelve tribes, with the tribe of Levi responsible for the care and moving of the place of worship.

Moses was given specific instructions on how to build the tabernacle. When Moses was getting ready to build the tabernacle, God warned him to make everything according to the pattern He had shown him on the mountain. Moses obeyed the will of the Lord exactly as commanded. The worship also contained certain commandments that must be followed. One of those had to do with bringing the sacrifice to the door of the tabernacle. The door of the tabernacle was where God communed with Israel. When Moses entered the tabernacle, the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. When Aaron and his sons were consecrated, the congregation gathered at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. They were told to remain at the door of the tabernacle day and night for seven days until their consecration was complete. Aaron and his sons did all the things God commanded.

The people were also commanded with respect to the door of the tabernacle to bring their offerings to the door. God told Moses if a man killed an ox or lamb or goat in the camp and he did not bring the sacrifice to the door of the tabernacle of meeting to offer as an offering to the Lord, the man would be held guilty of unholy blood. The penalty would be that man is cut off from the people of God. To be cut off from the people was to treat the man as an outlaw or one who rebelled against the law. If a man kills an ox or lamb or goat outside the camp and does not bring the offering to the door of the tabernacle, he will be held guilty of the blood and cast out from among the people. If a man offers a burnt offering or sacrifice and does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of meeting to offer it to the Lord, that man will be cut off from the covenant of God.

It might seem a trivial thing whether a man brings the offering to the door of the tabernacle. If a man makes a sacrifice to the Lord by offering up an ox, lamb, or goat, he can believe he is worshiping the Lord and be pleasing to God by his sacrifice. Everything seems to be in order as a sacrifice is made, and a burnt offering or sacrifice is made in the name of the Lord. The Law of Moses demanded the sacrifice be brought to the door of the tabernacle. When Israel camped around the tabernacle, more than a million people were pitching their tents around the tabernacle. If someone from one of the outlying tribes made a sacrifice, they had to go to the trouble to take their sacrifice through the thousands of people standing between them and the tabernacle. They could not offer acceptable worship at the door of their tent. Salvation required them to do what God said – take the sacrifice to the door of the tabernacle.

Many churches today offer similar sacrifices to what is found in the Bible. Sadly, they have chosen to make their sacrifices where they are, refusing to come to the door of the tabernacle. The religious world teaches baptism is not necessary for salvation. In other words, a man can be saved without going to the door of the tabernacle. Taking a sacrifice to the door of the tabernacle may not make a lot of sense, but if a man refused to obey the word of God, he was cut off. God requires assembly to worship. Many refuse to come to the door. Marriage is sacred in the eyes of the Lord, and God hates divorce. Men ignore God’s law. The Lord forbids sexual immorality, and the church turns a blind eye. It is easy for men to pick and choose which commands they will follow. They worship God in form but refuse to come to the door. If a man does not come to the door here, the door of Heaven will be shut there. Come to the door. Eternity depends on it.