The Lord told Moses to tell his brother, Aaron, that even though he was the high priest, he was not allowed to enter the Holy Place “just any time” he wanted. The Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies, was the inner room behind the veil that contained the Ark of the Covenant. Covering the Ark was a golden lid fashioned between two golden cherubim that was called the “mercy seat.” Upon this, the presence of the Lord would rest in the form of a cloud. It was on this mercy seat that the high priest was to sprinkle the blood of atonement once a year on the Day of Atonement (“Yom Kippur”). This was the only time that the Lord permitted him into His throne room (With the exception of when the camp had to be packed up for travel, at which time the cloud would move out of the Tabernacle and become a pillar of cloud leading the people).
This was the old covenant until Christ was crucified and the curtain to the Holy Place was torn (Matt. 27:50-51), establishing a new covenant and opening up a new way to God’s throne room to all who are in Christ Jesus. Now, we can enter at any time because Christ, our Great High Priest, is ever seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us (Heb. 8:1-2). We can “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we might obtain mercy” (Heb. 4:16) because of Christ’s priestly work on our behalf.