God has always wanted to be near.
Hebrews 8:1-2,5 Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down
in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven.
2 There he ministers in the
heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord
and not by human hands.
5 They serve in a system of worship
that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was
getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure
that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on
the mountain.”
In the beginning God created a place where he could be Emmanuel, God with us,
but it didn't take long for Satan's rebellion to become our rebellion. We took
Satan's advice and now we are guilty of the same sin, wanting to be God
instead of serving God, but thankfully we don't have to get the same
punishment that he will receive.
If you think about their circumstances in the garden it appears that Adam and
Eve existed in a priestly manner. Priests are special representatives who can go into God's presence and since they were made in God's image they
were ideal representatives of God. They had God given jobs to serve him by caring for his creation and filling the earth with other people that would also represent God and make him known.
God could walk his garden and fellowship with them, without sin there wasn't
any fear and there wasn't any need for a special place to meet with God, the entire garden
was a holy place where God could be Emmanuel.
(Video:
Royal Priest of Eden on bibleproject.com)
If Adam and Eve are priest then the garden where they worked would be a
foreshadow of the Tabernacle which foreshadows the Temple which ultimately
foreshadows Heaven. In each of these locations God is making a way for him to be Emmanuel.
The tabernacle, like the garden of Eden, is where God dwells, and various details of the tabernacle suggest it is a mini-Eden. These parallels include the east-facing entrance guarded by cherubim, the gold, the tree of life (lampstand), and the tree of knowledge (the law). Thus God’s dwelling in the tabernacle was a step toward the restoration of paradise, which is to be completed in the new heaven and earth.
To get us back to God with us, God chose a people, ordinary people with
hurts, habits and hang ups. God called them out from the kingdom of
darkness to be his people, he called them to give up their false gods to
be a kingdom of priest that would represent the true God and make him know
to the rest of the world.
The priest job is most vividly seen in the way that Moses related to God
and his people. Moses was God's representative,
he would speak to God in intercession for the people and he would speak to
the people on God's behalf.
Even with all of the miraculous events that have taken place since they
left Egypt and with God's presence so visible on the mountain in the
wilderness, God's people still turned on him. Israel would disobey God so much
that God would leave the sacred
places where he chose to meet his people and be Emmanuel, God with
us.
Jeremiah 7:4 But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the LORD’s Temple is here. They chant, “The LORD’s Temple is here! The LORD’s Temple is here!”
Unfortunately the Tabernacle and the temple became a good luck charm.
They thought that they would always have God's presence just because
they had God's house. They became like the pagans by making an idol of
the sacred places and believing that God would always be with them
regardless of their behavior.
God left the temple but he never left his people, he has always been
Emmanuel, God with us for those that truly seek him. We can see that God
was with his people even when they didn't have a physical, sacred place
for corporate worship and even when they were in exile because of their
national sins. We can see that in the lives of people like Daniel, Ezekiel, Esther, and many other
believing exiles.
The Son Of God Has Come To Dwell
Matthew 1:23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”John 1:14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
God's plan to dwell with man has gone to the next level with the
arrival of Jesus. God came to us as a simple man, an average
Jewish baby, grew up in an average Jewish home, he was God yet he was
fully approachable and touchable, God became more with us than man had
ever know before. (John 1:1-4, Romans 1:3-4, Colossians 1:15-17)
It sounds really exciting to see so many Old Testament prophecies
being fulfilled but most people didn't even take notice. God became touchable and accessible even while the priest were still
working in the temple following the Old Testament rules. They didn't know that they could have Emmanuel if they would have listened to the shepherds.
Those priest didn't know it yet but they will soon be out of work. After his baptism Jesus priestly ministry began and instead of
working in a temple he went to the people. Jesus priesthood looked
totally different as he did God's work seeking people that needed to
be restored, healing their imperfections and forgiving their sins so
that they could approach God.
(Video:
The Royal Priesthood
on bibleproject.com)
The New Priest And The New Temple
1 John 4:14-15 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.
Jesus came to be our High Priest, he is in Heaven interceding for us,
we then have the right to be priest that do God's work and intercede
for others down here. Jesus perfect sacrifice makes us acceptable to
God so that we can become priest that show God to the rest of the
world. (1 Peter 2:9, Hebrews 8:1-2)
And now, thanks to Jesus, we can have Emmanuel, God with us living within us,
you can't get any closer than that. The barrier has been removed
because our sin has been forgiven and we have God's spirit living in
us. The Jews at the Western Wall don't realize that they are closest
to God when they are standing at the wall next to a
believer. (Romans 8:10-11, 1Corinthians 3:16, Galatians 2:20)
As God's chosen people and his royal priest we can only please God
when we are living by the rules that his priest should obey. We should
be famous for love without boundaries, for turning the other cheek and
treating others much better than we think they deserve. When we do these things we fulfill our role as a royal priest and a peculiar people. (Leviticus
19:16-18, 33-34 / 1 John 3:11-18 / Romans 12:9-21)
Revelation 21:1-3 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.
Throughout scripture you can see over and over again that
one of the ultimate themes of the Bible is to have a people that chose
him so that he can dwell with them so that their lives will point to him. I need to fulfill my role as a royal priest and live a peculiar life that shows the people around me that I have found the source of all goodness, love and mercy.
| God Is Looking For A People |
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History will end just as it started, with God dwelling with his people but this time it will be for eternity. God has created a place where he will be Emmanuel, God with us, without the effects of sin on our relationship with him. We will enjoy the unlimited goodness of God for an unlimited amount of time!
Are you ready to leave the bondage of the kingdom of darkness to spend eternity in the promised land? Find out how you can have peace with God so that you can dwell with him forever.
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