Adam and Eve were the first priests. Creation was the first temple. The seventh day of creation was the day God indwelled that temple and began communing with those he had lovingly created. God has always been about the business of drawing us into happy communion with him, and he does so from a certain holy location. After it had been creation, before it was the temple, that place was the tabernacle.
Before the Israelites entered the promised land, under God’s direction they crafted a portable tent from which God would speak directly with Moses and the high priests. The tent was surrounded by curtains made of animal skins. It was a humble construction and awkward to travel with. But it was good enough for God. It was good enough for him to have a close, intimate relationship with his people, even though his full glory was too great for finite sinful people to handle. Such is God’s purpose: relationship with us. The only perfect fulfillment of all our joy.
How has God accomplished that purpose since then? For a while it was the temple in Jerusalem. But now and forever on, it is accomplished in a person. Christ himself is our eternal tabernacle! In fact, when John writes that he “became flesh and dwelt among us,” the verbiage connotes erecting a tent to dwell in. In other words, he was the presence and glory of God among us, surrounded by skin—just like the tabernacle. What a humble tent accomplished 3500 years ago, Christ now accomplishes everlastingly.
And that means we finite sinful people are able to have a close, intimate relationship with the Almighty! The Son of God stepped down into our world and has left his Holy Spirit to indwell us daily. God has always been about the business of drawing us into happy communion with him, and now his business is accomplished.
We are created for the love of God. Let nothing else, even other good things, get in our way. Through Jesus, we are adopted into the loving existence of the God who is Love—there is no higher privilege. With our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our strength, let us draw close to God today, just as he draws close to us.
