"Then have them make a sanctuary for me and I will dwell among them." Exodus 25:8
How do those words make you feel? For me, they cause me to ask only one question.
Why?
The words are being spoken TO Moses BY God. In Chapter 20 of Exodus, God gave Moses the 10 commandments. In chapters 21 through 23, He gives many other laws -- laws concerning Hebrew servants, personal injury laws, laws protecting property, social responsibility guidelines and laws of justice and mercy. Then, in chapter 24, the covenant that God made with His people was confirmed to Moses, and the Israelites were called to respond. They eagerly answer... "We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey." (Yeah, right!)
In chapter 25, Moses goes up the mountain to hear from God. And, in chapter 8, God announces that He plans to dwell among them.
Again, why?
I know the earth isn't too terribly old at this point in scripture. But, still, I would imagine that Heaven is pretty spectacular. Why wouldn't He just stay there?
Also, these people that He's promising to 'dwell among' aren't very loyal. They continually promise to do things and remain faithful to God only to betray Him again a few verses later. Wouldn't He save Himself a whole lot of grief if He just kept some distance between Himself and His creation?
Furthermore, there are so many struggles to be had here on Earth. Once sin entered; difficulty, sickness, death, and more sin have caused life in this world to contain hardship that just isn't present in Heaven. So, why would God determine to invite this struggle? By 'dwelling among them', He was agreeing to take on these struggles... willingly!
Well, it's very hard for me to understand. But, it was God's plan all along. We were MADE to dwell with Him. The first humans did just that. Adam and Eve enjoyed the very purpose of their creation in the Garden. They walked with God -- in fellowship with Him.
Of course, sin messed it up. And, we will not experience that kind of fellowship with Him again in this life. But, as early as Exodus chapter 25, God demonstrated that He was unwilling to sit back and wait for His children to make their way to Him. He came to dwell with us.
And, why?????
Because He loves us! And, when you love someone, you want to be with them.
I wonder if that makes anyone uncomfortable. Is it hard to imagine that the God of the universe, the One that set EVERYTHING into motion, the One that NEEDS nothing, WANTS to be with you?
I suspect it probably does. Sometimes, it makes me uncomfortable. But, I am being hit with this reoccurring idea over and over in my quiet times with God. Even the books that I pick up are filled with this theme. And, I'm struck by the thought that if we really got it, we could significantly change our days, our lives, our family's lives and, maybe even, the world.
God is God, and He could have chosen a plan to redeem mankind that called for Him to sit back and watch the events unfold like a movie. I'm thinking that would have been so much easier, neater... less emotional. But, His determination to BE with us through every challenge, every failure and every difficulty until we can be with Him in heaven, tells me that God isn't interested in the easy way. He is interested in ME. And YOU!
And, that changes the way that I think. When I know that God loves me and WANTS to do life with me, I don't think about spending time with Him as a duty that I can mark off my checklist. I DESIRE to have time alone with HIM.
When I view God as the Father that wants what's best for me rather than a judge far removed from my life waiting anxiously to hammer me for every failure, I RUN to Him in my weaknesses. There would never be reason to attempt to hang on to sin if I could TRUST that His way is the only way to experience true, abundant life.
I posted this quote on Facebook. But, I can't get it out of my head, so I'm posting it here too. It's from the book, Crazy Love...
"The irony is that while God doesn't need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don't really want Him most of the time. He treasures us and anticipates our departure from this earth to be with Him -- and we wonder, indifferently, how much we have to do for Him to get by."
Get by?
The God that is in charge of this world -- every part of it -- doesn't need me! But, He wants me! He demonstrated that in Genesis with Adam and Eve. He demonstrated it again in the wilderness. The Israelites were going to be roaming through the desert for hundreds of years. So, God gave them a pattern for a roaming sanctuary. If they were going to move, He was going to move! That's determination.
So, how about us? If we 'build a sanctuary', will He 'dwell among us'?
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?" 1 Corinthians 6:19
Absolutely! It was the plan all along. He loves you. He wants you. And, through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, He will do life with us.
So, am I just going to do what I have to do to 'get by' when He has demonstrated pure determination to draw His children back to Himself regardless of the cost?
Oh, I pray, for the rest of my days, the answer to that question is, 'Absolutely not!'
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