Moses is given instructions for the construction of the tabernacle
that will allow God to dwell in the midst of the people. What an amazing concept that is. John writes in the prologue to his Gospel
that the word became flesh and tabernacled among us. Both those truths, that the tabernacle
allowed God to be in the midst of the people and that Jesus was the tabernacle
of God in the incarnation, should cause us to fall on our knees in awe and
wonder. The Lord begins the instructions
here by saying that Moses must be careful to do this work exactly as He is
told, no deviation will be tolerated, absolute obedience and no creativity is required. He begins by telling what must be collected
and then with a description of the ark into which the "testimony"
will be put, a chest about 42 inches long by 27 inches wide and 27 inches high
with rings on the edges and poles inserted with which to carry the ark and the
poles are not to be removed. Then, a lid
for the chest which is referred to as the mercy seat, on which two cherubim are
to be crafted, facing each other, are mounted with wings outspread over the
ark. (See the end of Raiders of the Lost
ark.) Between their wings will be the
place where God will meet with them. Given
the commandments and human nature, mercy is critical.
As Jesus begins His ministry He calls disciples, beginning
with the fishermen who are ready for a new use for old talents, they will be
fishers of men. They immediately acceded
to His call, perhaps they had been there for the baptism, had heard the stories
about Jesus' birth, were followers of John the Baptist, looking for the coming
of the kingdom of God, looking for Messiah and thought, per John's testimony,
that this was the one. If He called, you
left immediately, the opportunity was too great. As He steps into His ministry, it is with
teaching and healing and all who see and hear Him begin to wonder, is He the
one. After four hundred years of
prophetic silence, Zechariah sees an angel in the temple, a son is born out of
time to the priest and his wife and then the story told by Mary about her own
visitation. That one seemed questionable
but now John has pointed to Jesus and Jesus seems to be filling the bill.
Paul says that we are to set our minds on things above. That was the point of the tabernacle in many
ways. It pointed to something beyond the
dusty, dirty landscape in which they spent forty years, a greater reality of
beauty, a garden, the garden. The worship
of the church is intended for the same purpose, to call us out of the mundane
world that is passing away, that is filled with sin and death. Jesus tabernacling among us has come to show
us who we are to be, what humanity was intended to be, what it will be. Love, peace, worship and thanksgiving are to
be the hallmarks of the community in Christ.
Let us intentionally rise with Him above all the stuff of life and seek
the kingdom come. Let us see it break in
on our lives and in our fellowship. Dare
to forgive and dare to love as Jesus loved.
Use your gifts and talents for His purposes and allow them to be
sanctified and blessed for true fruitfulness.
No comments:
Post a Comment