Day 104: Holy of Holies

The Prompt: Write a short story about, "The glory lifted from the temple."

The Levite High Priest walked solemnly through the doors of the temple, with an entourage of priests walking sanctimoniously behind him.  No one could tell that the High Priest was terrified.  After all, this was only his third time walking into the temple as High Priest, and now he had to trek into the Holy of Holies, alone.  Plenty of priests had done it before, but that didn't stop him from being scared about coming face to face with the glory of God.  It was practically seeing the face of God and being allowed to walk away alive.  The very thought of it made him shiver.

The High Priest did all the initial tasks he was supposed to do at the temple.  Then, it was time for him to enter the Holy of Holies.  The priests, with their palms pressed together in front of them, gave a respectful nod of their heads before they turned around.  The High Priest took a deep breath and shakily lifted the veil that separated the parts of the temple with his eyes squeezed shut.  He expected the Holy of Holies to feel different, like the air being lighter or a particular sweet smell, but the room felt exactly the same.  He slowly opened his eyes, expecting to find an apparition of God floating about.  All that existed was the intricately designed Ark of the Covenant with the golden mercy seat.  The High Priest smiled at its beauty.  It was tempting to touch one of the cherubim's wings, but he refrained.

The High Priest thought it was proper to kneel down now and ask for the forgiveness of Israel.  He thought back to all of the friends and family he had come to know and love over the decades he had been alive and thought about the struggles they were going through now.  It broke his heart, and as he thought about their sins, he felt even more distressed.  He whispered prayers about each person to God.  As he prayed, he started to feel a rush of wind surround him.  He paused his prayers for a moment and opened one eye, only to squeeze it shut again and fall face first on the ground.  A white light shone, brighter than the sun.  It did not feel hot, but it shone constantly.  The High Priest felt a calmness descend on his heart, an experience unlike anything he had ever known.  The peace gave him strength and joy.  He didn't want to move but bask in this bliss forever.  After a  minute, he started praying again about Israel, but his words reflected a new confidence. 

When he believed that he had finished praying, he felt the rushing wind again as the glory of God lifted from the temple.  Then there was strong silence.  The High Priest lifted his head and looked around.  Everything was as it was when he had entered.  With a final bow, The High Priest reluctantly left the room and walked through the veil.  His spirit still felt light from experiencing God's glory.  He felt certain he could lead the Israelites in the way God wanted him too.  He was already looking forward to the next time he could enter into the inner sanctuary.