The Glory of the Lord
Photo by: Ben White
The last scene of the book of Exodus describes the magnificent moment when God’s glory descends to rest within the newly completed tabernacle (also called the tent of meeting). We read:
“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of
the Lord filled the tabernacle.”
Exodus 40:34
As God’s light filled the place which took up residence in the heart of Israel’s camp, we imagine the Israelites’ own hearts must have bursted with joy and thanksgiving. At last, they thought, God dwells among God’s people once more. The fellowship between God and humankind that was broken in the Garden of Eden, now seemed one step closer to being restored.
But as we discover, the journey was far from complete. What seemed like the perfect ending to the story of Israel turned out to be merely a prologue. The story was just beginning. The Israelites would wander from God’s heart over and over and over again. Leaders would rise and fall. Prophets would deliver messages of punishment and hope that mostly fell on deaf ears. God would cry out for his people to return only to be abandoned for the “gods” of the ancient world.
God, as learn in the Bible, sees and knows all. As creator of this universe and of time, God stands outside of this universe and time. So, God knew even as God’s Spirit entered that tabernacle … that this was just a precursor. God intended for God’s plan for the redemption and restoration of all of creation to unfold “slowly.” In stages and through experiences, God graciously revealed God’s self to the people of Israel living in the harsh world of the ancient Near East. So God knew that the tabernacle would provide only a temporary solution. Even the more permanent temple structure would twice over succumb to the ravages of humankind.
So why enter the tabernacle at all? Well to give Israel a taste of what God had planned. A sign that would bring the people of Israel hope. And, in retrospect, a sign to bring hope to us in our own time. For God had something greater in mind. God’s glory would come to reside amongst God’s people in a far greater way.
In the New Testament, Scripture records:
“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Luke 2:8-12
There’s that phrase again — “the glory of the Lord.” God once again dwelling with his people. This time in a tabernacle made of human flesh. In an even more vulnerable structure than that of a tent or a temple. In a human body subject to sickness and health, sadness and joy, pain and pleasure. God’s ultimate plan finally unfolding in the person of Jesus Christ, God’s son, our Lord and savior.
I point this out to you because I know that sometimes when we read through the Old Testament it might seem as if Jesus is God’s final plan (version 2.0) to rescue creation and humanity from the ravages of sin and death. A plan enacted only because of the failure of the collective nation of Israel to fulfill God’s purposes. But Israel wasn’t a first draft gone wrong. Israel was a step in a bigger, greater plan than any human ever could conceive. They were a nation, chosen by God and formed by God to be a vehicle through whom God would bless the whole world. They were meant to prepare the world for what God had in store.
You see, if instead of calling the nation of Israel and filling the tabernacle with his glory, God simply had sent Jesus in a manger, the people would not have been ready. They would have had no context for the profundity of the moment. No one would have understood the need for a Messiah. God knew preparation was needed, even if it meant God would have to suffer the tremendous pain of witnessing his beloved people turn away, time and time again.
And now here we are living as our Israelite brothers and sisters once did, in breathless anticipation of the final act in God’s great plan. Yes, Jesus has come and triumphed over sin and death, and offered us entrance into an eternal kingdom of goodness, light, hope. But we still live in a broken and fallen world. Although we, the church, are now the tabernacle in which God dwells; even that model remains just a taste of what God has in store. Like the Israelites, God intends for us to be the vehicle through whom God blesses the world. The people through whom God makes God’s name known in preparation for Jesus’ return. We are the next step in the plan, the people through whom God is preparing the world for the final triumph over evil. For this:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more . . 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. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:1, 3-4
My dear friends, something even greater is coming. And we who follow the feet of Jesus Christ get to be a part of God’s continued preparation of the whole world for the final act. The ultimate moment. When the glory of the Lord comes to meet us and God dwells with us and we with God, forever and ever.
God has a plan. God always has had a plan. One meant to unfold over time. Across space. Via the hands and feet of those whom God calls. All made possible by the willingness of God to dwell amongst us. To sacrifice himself for us. To redeem us that we might live with God for eternity.
