When the Israelites complete the Tabernacle in the desert, we are told about Moses' inspection and the cloud/glory of God that comes to rest on the Tabernacle. In the book of Leviticus, we are given a few more details:
Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown. (Leviticus 9:23–24)
I think we read over this without giving it much thought. But if we read it again, I think something stands out. For me, whenever I read about people falling facedown, I think of them being overwhelmed and terrified — shaking in the presence of the LORD. But this instance is accompanied by an interesting description. They shouted for joy.
Now that's a different picture for falling facedown. As I seek to understand what that might be about, I look towards the other stories of completing God's dwelling place. The Tabernacle will eventually become the temple in Jerusalem. In 2 Chronicles 7, I am told about the day that Solomon dedicated and opened the temple. Here is a part of the record:
When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,
“He is good;
his love endures forever.”
The same reaction! They fall on their faces in joy and give thanks. The place where God will demonstrate His unending love for His followers is celebrated with this exclamation that the LORD is good and that His love endures forever. Which kind of reminds me of a people who are remembering to trust the story.
But on that same day that Ray wagged his finger in my face, he pointed out this reaction of the people whenever the glory of the LORD came down and the sacrifice on the altar was consumed. He showed me how people shouted with joy and fell on their faces in worship. He then reminded me that on the day of Pentecost, the fire came out of the temple one last time. This time, the fire didn't consume the sacrifice, but separated and settled on the foreheads of all those worshipping. Ray told me that Paul had been quite adamant that each one of us, as individuals and as a body, were the temple of God.
“So when people come into your presence, what should their reaction be?” he said.
They would fall on their faces before God and shout for joy: “The LORD is good! His love endures forever!”
A powerful image. But I wanted to know why people would think that when they encounter the temple of God.
And after quite a bit of study over these long and extensive instructions, I have noticed that the story of building the Tabernacle (Exodus 24–40) is chiastic. The treasure hunt is roughly constructed like this:
1. The glory of the LORD (24:15–18)
2. The Tabernacle and priestly garments described. (25–30)
3. Bezalel & Oholiab (31:1–11)
4. Sabbath (31:12–18)
5. Sabbath (35:1–3)
6. Bezalel & Oholiab (35:30–35)
7. The Tabernacle and priestly garments described. (36–39)
8. The glory of the LORD (40:34–38)
And what do you suppose lies at the center of this chiasm?
The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (33:14)
People fall on their faces in joy because the temple of God is always a reminder of God's good Genesis 1 story. The temple is an invitation to trust the story.
But you and I are temples.
We are living, breathing, walking invitations to trust the story.
And when people encounter us, they should be overwhelmed by the goodness of God, saying, “the LORD is good! His love endures forever!”
No comments:
Post a Comment