My 5-year stint in New York City had a rhythm of its own. Even grocery shopping was unique. Instead of weekly suburban drives to load up my cart, I made daily walks to local shops, only buying what I could carry home. One market, called Garden of Eden, enticed me every time I walked by its beautiful outdoor produce stands. The neat rows of apples, nectarines, peppers, and plums begged me to take a bite, to taste Eden.
Eden was where heaven touched earth, where God dwelt and communed with His people. The nation of Israel yearned for a taste of Eden. God delivered them from slavery, but would He continue leading them in pillars of cloud and fire as He had when they fled Egypt (Exodus 13:22)? Would God remain faithful when they failed to be faithful to Him? (Remember the golden calf fiasco in Exodus 32.) After a year of wilderness living, Moses completed construction of a special dwelling in the center of the nation. It was an elaborate tabernacle inside of a tent. The people hoped it would be a sacred space, where heaven would touch earth, where God would remain with His people.
On the first anniversary of their deliverance, the people held their breath. The tabernacle was set up and anointed; the priests were prepared, all was made ready and right for God. But would He move in? The book of Exodus culminates at this moment.
Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
—Exodus 40:34
Yes! The glory of God—His presence, essence, wonder, and weight – moved in and encamped with His people. Israel got a taste of Eden. When the cloud lifted, they would break camp and follow. When it settled, they would remain (Exodus 40:38). The tabernacle was a temple on the move according to God’s will. And the people followed.
Don’t we all want a taste of Eden? We long for God’s presence in the center of our lives and communities. If only we had a divine cloud and fire to follow. But we do! God recreated this “move-in day event” after Jesus rose from the dead. Again, God arrived through wind and fire. And this time, He encamped even closer to His people.
Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven….They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…
—Acts 2:2–4
Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection made the way for God to not only dwell among His people, but to dwell within them through the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ made us ready and right, and God moved in. We, along with all believers across time and place, are His temple on the move. God’s home is His people.
God filling His tabernacle foreshadows Him filling our hearts. Heaven touches earth as God dwells within us. “Taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8).
@Christina Higgins– May God be her inheritance, your daughter in law, in this time of grieving. May she process her pain in health. May God give her space and people to help her in this journey He foresaw in her life. May she recognize God is holding her through her suffering. May her son be blessed with his heavenly Father in place of an earthly one. May be experience many fatherly figures to fill the role of a dad who has left too soon. God knows and sees. God bless them all. In Jesus’s name.
Thank you @Lexi B for your prayer and reminder Jesus is interceding for me, too. :)
I missed yesterday. Wow – what a good devotional! I gained more than I expected from this study. The scarlet thread woven through God’s word! I almost wish I would have read these last devotionals at the beginning. Maybe I wouldn’t have had the desire to skim over. Thankful that God tugged at my heart to read through and see the glory in this study.
Shekinah is the abiding presence of God. The Lord responded immediately and favorable to the obedience of Moses and the people – He filled the tabernacle with His glory. His visible presence remained with them throughout all the stages of their journey to the promised land. When the priests and the people sinned against God, His glory departed from the temple. Ichabod – the glory is gone. When Solomon dedicated the temple, God’s glory once again came to dwell with His people. And once again their sins drove God’s glory away. The next time the glory of God came to earth was in the person of Jesus Christ. Mary’s virgin womb was a Holy of Hokies where the glory of God dwelt in the person of God’s son. And what did they do? They nailed Him to the cross! Now God dwells in His people. We are to radiate His glory. I love how the OT points to Jesus! Hugs and blessings for a good weekend. ❤️
I loved today’s devotional so much. This is my first time reading this part of Exodus, and it’s opening my eyes to so much! And oh my goodness— I literally yelled “Yes!” when God descended into the tent giving the people reassurance that He would be with them. What a moment. So thankful for this devotional and all the work that goes into creating these lessons.
CRISTINA HIGGINS- praying for you, her family, your DIL and grandson… praying she (all of you) will experience His unexplainable peace despite the circumstances, and thanking Him for promising to be near to the broken hearted and crushed in spirit. Praying you will all receive His gifts of beauty in trade for the pain and ashes. That, in time, you may all have a spirit of celebration for what is to come and the reuniting that will be enjoyed… ❤️
At the close of Exodus, the tabernacle was complete and the glory of the Lord filled it (Exodus 40:34). God came and lived among the people. In the wilderness. He comes to them in the burden of the not yet. His heart keeps loving and His shoulders keep carrying. He keeps guiding. And so we keep going, with Him. The Promised Land is ahead. So I respond in my faith with action. With obedience. Following God is a call to action not comfort. And yet He comforts me. He does give me peace. His presence came in a cloud. In a man. In fire. In light of who He is, He made Himself small so we could see and experience Him. He is bigger than any hard thing we experience. Bigger than any storm we see in the skies. The clouds are the dust of His feet (Nahum 1:3). Yet He comes to us small and intimately. The Creator of all things loves us. He gives us power in our weakness (Isaiah 40:29). As we travel through the wilderness to our Promised Land, He is with us. He continually renews our strength as we wait upon Him. (Isaiah 40:31). We shall run and not grow weary. Ever. Unto always with Him. Selah. Maranatha. Amen.
Good Morning She’s! May I ask for prayer today as I make a 2 hour trip south of here to celebrate a life? My DIL’s father died of cancer this week, he was a wonderful man and we will all miss him. The past two years have not been good for my DIL; she lost her husband (my son) to cancer and now her father. The blessing she gained was her son who’s 4 years old. Please pray for peace and grace for this family and a safe trip down and back for me. Thank you all so much and have a wonderful weekend!
I have absolutely adored studying through Exodus. The most important points for me have been 1) God comes to us from a place of mercy. He is a god of grace, mercy, and kindness and desires to save his people. 2) I will praise my creator for his goodness. I pray that I will follow the will of God wherever it leads and that my life will center around him.
I am so bummed to finish Exodus with SRT but… my husband is starting to preach through Exodus in September The Lord is good. I can’t wait to learn more.