If you have ever tried to read the Bible cover to cover you probably began to have trouble around Exodus 25. Up until now the storyline has been very engaging. Creation, Fall, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, bondage in Egypt, Moses, deliverance, meeting God at the mountain - it doesn't get better than this.
But when you arrive at Exodus 25 you encounter 15 chapters of instuction regarding the building of some kind of tent structure. And if that wasn't enough, it is followed by the book of Leviticus which has numerous chapters on sacrifices and offerings that can be a little tedious to read. So what do we make of all of this? Why has God used up so many chapters in His precious book for this?
These are important questions whose answers are vital for us to understand. So what do we make of it? First of all, Exodus 25-40 is all about God wanting to dwell among man. God says over and over "I will be your God, you will be my people, I will make my dwelling among you." Wow - God wants to live among man. That fact should blow us away. The Creator of the universe, who has all He needs in Himself, for some reason wants to make His dwelling among man.
So very earlier in this storyline God devotes 16 chapters describing in greatest detail the place of His dwelling. We call it the tabernacle, for it was a mobile residence for God who would be dwelling among a people on the move, at least for the near future. Later in the Scriptures the tabernacle is replaced with a more permanent residence we call the temple. We will see again that God gives this considerable detail. But that is not the end of the line.
The next in the series of residences for God is none other than Jesus Christ. John 1:14 states that "the Word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us, and we have seen his glory,..." You see in the arrival of God's very own Son how committed God is to dwell among men. But as we all know God did receive Jesus back into heaven. What about His presence now?
The answer was hinted at in 2 Cor 13. As Paul is exhorting the Corinthians to test themselves to see if indeed they are in the faith, he asks a very important question? He asks, "Or do you not realize this about yourself, that Jesus Christ is in you? - unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" Thus, God continues to dwell among mankind, now not in a tabernacle, but in humans by His Spirit. This is a very important thread that ties the Scriptures together.
But what about Leviticus? Well, if it is the intention of a holy God to live among a sinful people, how possibly can that happen? Leviticus begins to answer that question. There needs to be a death, actually a covering for sin, an atonement....which ultimately points us to Christ's death on the cross.
In John 4 Jesus engages a woman from Samaria. He offers her living water, which is actually the presence of God through the Spirit. But before she is ready to receive such a gift she has to be confronted with her sin. The sin question has to be dealt with. Fortunately that is exactly what Jesus would do for her and has done for us. At the cross Jesus took upon Himself our sin and the punishment our sin deserved. Now those who come to Him in faith have their hearts cleansed and they become a suitable vessel for the very presence of God through the Spirit. Every human who has come to Christ for this cleansing (forgiveness of sin) now has the Spirit of God living in them. That's the test of which Paul was speaking!
So examine yourself! Do you pass the test? Is the Spirit of Christ living in you causing you to live as He lived, love as He loved? And if you pass the test, rejoice in the kindness of God whose plan has always been to "dwell among man".
Footnote: The true end of the story about God dwelling among us is found in Revelation 21:3. " And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God."
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