In this past college age conference in London I was impressed with the fact that our enjoyment of Christ is not for ourselves only, but for the building of God’s dwelling place! O Lord, save me from being limited in my small heart! Enlarge me to have Your heart and be one with You! I need this deeper salvation which is indeed a more profound enjoyment! All this comes from a little more permeation in the Lord’s words.
God created man in such a marvelous way that in Genesis 1:26 it says,
And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of heaven and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.
Here a corporate man was created to represent God by exercising His dominion over all things! And we are all part of this corporate man! Furthermore, in Exodus 40:34-35 it says,
Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud settled on it and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle.
Here we have glory (God’s expression) filling from within, which is from the Holy of Holies in God’s building and dwelling place. But how can we, as the man created in Genesis, be related to God’s building and His dwelling place?
As we come to the New Testament, we read in Ephesians 2:21-22,
In whom all the building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit.
What a clear answer! Thank you Lord for the picture in the Old Testament(in Exodus) and the reality in the New Testament(in Ephesians)! Also, at the end of the Bible, we see in Revelation 21:10-11,
And he carried me away in spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, as clear as crystal.
The apostle John was carried onto the great and high mountain so that he might see the bride, the New Jerusalem. Lord, lift us up to a high mountain that we may see God’s dwelling place for the fulfilling of Your eternal purpose!
So, in conclusion, we see that the tabernacle in Exodus reveals the goal of God’s economy, which is to have a corporate people as His dwelling place for His expression and representation in eternity. O Lord, make this a vision in us to save us from the turmoil in our soul. Renew our mind day by day until Your return. [guest post: sharing by sister Christy from the recent College Age Conference in the UK]
