“Then have them make a sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:8 NIV)
I began an annual reading plan again a month or so ago. This week I’ve been slugging my way through Exodus. The good folks at Bible Project have included a video explaining God’s holiness in a manner I hadn’t understood before. Of course, we know God is set apart, but He is also the all-powerful Creator-Sustainer. (This is one of my favorite ways to think about God.) That being said, the sheer magnitude of His presence is unimaginable and far too powerful for our mortal, fallen frames to withstand.
The Bible Project people compare God to the sun to help our understanding. Our sun is the means by which God provides heat and light and air and energy. From about seventh grade on, we grasp the truth of the sun’s critical contribution to our way of life. We also understand that if we approach the sun, we will be burnt up by it’s power. Spend a few hours in the Texas summer heat if you are unconvinced.
Comparatively: consider God’s holiness. His power and might far eclipse that of the sun. And in our post-fall frames, our moral and ceremonial impurity renders us unable to stand God’s presence.
In fact, this is precisely why the Tabernacle was instructed and erected. God had asked His people to meet Him on Mount Sinai, but they were exceedingly fearful. God’s presence was too powerful and His people were too sinful to engage Him face to face. Instead, He issued the plans for a intricate tent of meeting. If we read along in Exodus 25-40, we’ll realize the inner rooms of the Tabernacle had no windows. This makes sense: God is light and He would fill the Holy of Holies Himself; no lamps or windows were necessary. What’s more, each part of the tent was covered in layer upon layer of material. This material was designed to dampen the presence of God to a bearable level. The Holy of Holies was a hotspot of His presence; it diminished by degrees in the inner and outer court and truly, into the every day tents of His ordinary people. Additionally, the tabernacle was laden with the images of Eden; a memorial to the last place where humanity had experienced God intimately.
All of this is pretty wild to me, especially as a New Testament believer. Pentecost is this Sunday; it’s a church holiday where we remember and reenact the initial infilling of the Holy Spirit. It is truly astonishing: our Creator-Sustainer has made Himself available to dwell in our flesh. How is it that we aren’t ripped apart or liquified by the holy breath of God blowing through our frames? Somehow, by His love and mercy, He has imparted His Spirit in a way that sanctifies and empowers without melting off our faces. We become living tabernacles of His presence.
“For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will live among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (2 Corinthians 6:16 NIV)
I think again about Eden and how Adam and Eve walked in unbroken fellowship with God. Isn’t that the highest aim of Spirit empowerment? We hope to hear God’s heart and leading and possess the strength to follow Him unflinchingly. As Spirit-filled believers we experience Eden again by some small measure. Additionally, we carry a bit of Eden into every interaction, conversation, meeting and meal.
These portable pieces of Eden are not the final outcome, though. Not by a long shot. God is slowly and systematically moving His people toward His ultimate end: instead of coming down to dwell with man, He’s fixing to move us up to live with Him. Abiding glory is the end game: an expansive restoration of Eden unfolding forever. We will one day dwell together in unbroken fellowship with God and man. What we experience today is only a tiny test of things to come.
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.” (Revelation 21:3 NIV)
Lord, we are wowed today: wowed by Your holiness, wowed by Your presence, wowed by Your plan. How it is You love us and make allowance for us, we’ll never truly understand. Yet we are abased and appreciative. Thank You for tending to our depravity, for chasing us with grace, and for being willing to impart Your Spirit into our frames. May we receive You in fullness, delighted anew to experience a bit of Eden in our ordinary lives. May we also live as agents of Eden, bringing a bit of Your presence every place we go. Equip us. Transform us. Engage us with the world around us as we seek to make You known. Gather us together and take us Home when the time comes. Amen.
Our Sarah called last night with a report on camp life. She shared how they sing old choruses and this one comes to mind: