One of the main house selling shows that I’ve seen is House
Hunters. A couple is looking for a house, their real estate agent shows them 3
options, and then they choose one at the end. Now the main version of the show
takes place in America, but there’s all kinds of spinoffs now. I’m telling you
– the people who started this show must be rich!
There’s House Hunters International for people moving outside
the States. Then there’s Tiny House Hunters, for people who want to buy an
entire house that’s smaller than your bedroom. There’s House Hunters renovation
– where the couple buys the home and then renovates it. And my personal
favourite: Island Hunters! Where instead of choosing between 3 houses, a super
rich couple choose between 3 islands!
There’s a whole bunch of other spinoffs as well, but what
we’re talking about today is my own little spinoff: House Hunters – Divine
Edition. You see, there are 3 different places where the Bible says God has
chosen to make His home with us. Now I know what you’re thinking, But I thought God lived in heaven! That’s
true. God does live in heaven, but one of the amazing things about God is that
He is omnipresent.
“Omnipresent” is a big fancy Latin word that means God is in
all places at once. He isn’t limited to being in one place at one time like we
are. So because God is omnipresent, He can be everywhere all the time. But the
Bible tells us about 3 places where God chose to make Himself obvious and
easily accessible to His people. And in typical House Hunters style, we’re
going to take a look at those 3 places today! Cue the theme music!
________________________
Option #1: The Tabernacle (Exodus 40)
First off, a little history. Some of you will know the story
of when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. God sent a guy named Moses to free
the Israelites, and after a long, complicated back-and-forth between him and
Pharaoh (the king of Egypt), they were finally allowed to go free.
After that was the Red Sea, when God split the waters in two
so the Israelites could walk across on dry ground. And eventually the
Israelites came to a mountain where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. But
while they were there, God also gave Moses instructions on how to build His
first special home on earth.
This building was the tabernacle, or the tent of meeting as
it was sometimes called. The tabernacle was the first place God specifically
set aside so where the Israelites could meet with Him, learn from Him, and
worship Him. Even after the Israelites finally settled in the Promised Land,
the tabernacle was the place they were supposed to meet with God.
Now when I say it was a tent, I literally mean a tent. No,
God wasn’t camping. Remember, the Israelites hadn’t settled in their new land
yet. They were still traveling around, going wherever God led them. They didn’t
have any permanent buildings, so it makes perfect sense that God would make His
first home something that could be moved easily. It would have been pointless
to build this beautiful, elaborate building only to leave it behind a few
months later.
Of course, there was slightly more to the tabernacle than
just a tent. There was also a courtyard around the tabernacle that was
surrounded by a fence. And inside were some very special objects. There was an
altar to make sacrifices to God, a lampstand, a water basin, a table with
special bread on it, and the ark of the covenant.
Each of these objects had a specific role in worshipping
God. So for example, the lampstand was used to light up the tabernacle, but
also to remind Israel that God is the true light who helps us find our way. The
ark of the covenant held the Ten Commandments, but it was also kind of like
God’s throne. He wouldn’t actually sit on the ark because God doesn’t have a
body, but this was where God would speak to the Israelites from.
When the Israelites finally finished constructing the
tabernacle and all its parts, the Bible tells us a pillar of cloud came over
the tabernacle and the glory of the LORD filled it. Even Moses couldn’t enter the
tabernacle at first because God’s presence was so real and obvious there
(Exodus 40:35). As long as the cloud that was God’s glory was in the
tabernacle, the Israelites stayed put. But when the pillar of cloud moved, the
Israelites knew it was time to pack up and follow.
So for a while, this is where God made His home among His
people. But eventually…
________________________
Option #2: The Temple (1 Kings 6-8)
You might remember we talked about Solomon a few weeks ago,
the incredibly wise king of Israel. Well, Solomon’s father, David, got it in
his noodle that since Israel had now settled and built up a bit of a kingdom,
it was time that God had a more permanent home among His people. But when David
made the suggestion, God told him no. God would let a temple be built soon, but
not yet. That would be Solomon’s job.
And that’s exactly what happened. 4 years into Solomon’s
reign, he began to build a beautiful temple for God. Like the tabernacle, there
were very specific measurements he had to follow and everything had to be built
from very specific materials, but the result (after 13 years of building) was gorgeous!
Those special items from the tabernacle also found their way into the temple
because they were still used for worship. But one of the really important parts
about the temple was its different rooms.
First, there was the outer courts. This was a courtyard area
outside the temple where all the people could gather to worship. Then there was
the inner court, another courtyard area with a bunch of the special items. The
inner courts were important because this is where the people would make
sacrifices for their sins.
Then there the temple building itself. The front part of it
was called “the Holy Place.” Only priests were supposed to go in here, and like
in the tabernacle, they would perform special acts of worship for God. But at
the back of the Holy Place was a large curtain which separated the back part of
the room for the rest.
Behind the curtain was “the Holy of Holies.” This was like
where the ark of the covenant was in the tabernacle. No one was allowed to
enter here except for the high priest (the highest ranking of all the priests),
and even he could only enter once a year after performing a whole bunch of
special ceremonies.
This makes the temple a bit of a tough building for us to
understand. On the one hand, the temple was great because God was choosing to live
among His people. But on the other hand, there were a whole bunch of rules and
rituals surrounding the temple that meant the people couldn’t interact with God
directly. The priests could talk to God on behalf of the Israelites, but people
like us wouldn’t have been able to go any closer than the inner courts.
There was still something missing. God lived with His
people, but they couldn’t have much of a relationship with Him. Which is why…
________________________
Option #3: In Us!?!?!!? (1 Corinthians 3:16)
So stick with me here. First, God lived among His people in
a tent. Then He moved into the temple, a more permanent structure. But after
Jesus died and rose again, Scripture tells us that God has a new home. Paul says
in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple?
Don’t you know that God’s Spirit lives among you? (NIrV)”
What was that? Paul says that we are God’ temple? His Spirit lives inside of us? How does that
even work?
To be honest, I’m not 100% sure myself. But I can tell you
what it isn’t. It’s not like God separates a little part of Himself and puts it
in us. And we do not become part of God because He is living in us.
Remember, God is omnipresent. He is everywhere, but just
like He chose to make Himself known and obvious in the tabernacle and the
temple, He now chooses to make Himself known and obvious in us. Not physically,
like with smoke, but in how He makes us like Him!
You see, when we believe in Jesus and God sends His Spirit
to live in us, we start to become more like God. Our character becomes like
God’s character. Because He lives in us and is loving and kind and patient, He
slowly starts to make us more loving and kind and patient.
Not only that, but by living in us, He gives us the power to
do anything He calls us to do. Why? Because He will be the one doing it through
us. He is everything we need to do everything He puts before us.
When we believe in
Jesus, God makes His home in us. The tabernacle and the temple meant God
lived with His people, but He was still separate from them. But Jesus fixed
that separation so we could have God live in us – which is exactly how we were
always created to live! This is what’s so great about Easter. Not only did
Jesus forgive our sins, but He made it possible for us to live like we were
meant to live – in perfect relationship with God!
But what exactly changed this? Why did God choose to move
out of the temple and come to live in us? Well, you’ll have to come back in two
weeks to find out. Because this Easter, we’ll be talking all about what
happened the moment Jesus died and how it changed everything!!!
~Brentagious
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