God Dwells Among Us

"I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God. ⁴⁶ And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them. I am the LORD their God."

Exodus 29:45-46

The children of Israel were slaves in Egypt, and God promised Moses His people would be set free.  He tasked Moses to deliver a message to Pharaoh, to let His people go to serve Him and offer sacrifices a three-day journey into the wilderness.  It seems as long as they served Pharaoh baking bricks and building his cities they could not properly serve God.  Serving God is an exclusive task for Jesus said, "No man can serve two masters."

God would bring His people out with a mighty hand and show His wondrous power to the world through great plagues.  Though Egypt was destroyed, God preserved His people in their land.  He spared His people the afflictions visited upon the unbelieving oppressors.  God's intent was to dwell among His people, but it was not fitting for Him to dwell among His people in an idolatrous nation.  He would birth the Jewish nation out of bondage in Egypt and then dwell among them.  He said, "And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them."

God knew and called His people unto Himself, and brought them out of Egypt so He might dwell among them.  The God who created the universe desired to dwell among people.  He wanted to be central in the lives of those He loved.  I find it remarkable God would choose to dwell in a tent in the midst of a stiff-necked people.  I find it even more unfathomable how God now has extended salvation to whosoever will come to Him in faith.  He desires to dwell within each of us.  That we would be filled with the presence of the Living God is beyond comprehension yet is realised through faith in Jesus Christ.  The children of Israel were not forced by God to leave Egypt, and no one is forced to leave a life of bondage to sin.  But if we desire fellowship with God leaving the old life marked by sin is necessary.

I am reminded of Paul's strong words in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18:  "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? ¹⁵ And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people." ¹⁷ Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you." ¹⁸ "I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty."  Jesus says we cannot serve God and money, and there are countless things which vie for mastery over us.  If we want fellowship with God we cannot embrace lawlessness, walk in darkness, or join ourselves with unbelievers.  If we will have God as our Father, then we must be obedient and loyal to Him.

In coming to God we are not moving from the dungeon to a chain-gang:  we go from bondage to joyful freedom.  We do not "give up" anything to leave Egypt, so to speak, but we only gain:  where our LORD is and Good Shepherd for our souls we lack no good thing.  It is true the Israelites often looked back to the food of Egypt with longing (conveniently forgetting the hard labour which caused them to cry out to God in the first place) as they were led by God through the wilderness, but remember they were stricken with unbelief.  This selective memory can affect us as well, causing us to lose sight of all we have in God, His promises, and presence.  Let us value God's love and presence over all, for in Him is life, light, and liberty for all who believe.

Making His Mark

There is a longing in every person for significance, to make a lasting impression in the world.  No matter how much effort we put towards this end, however, will ensure success.  Absalom wanted to be remembered so he built a tomb which stands to this day, but it is an testament of his failure because he never was buried in it.  After he was killed for his villainy he was dumped in an unmarked grave.  Recently a surgeon was caught burning his initials into the liver of his patients - seriously.  Far more common is when people etch their names or press their palms into wet concrete, but even well-formed slabs aren't permanent.  Monuments, plaques, and tombs carry memories precious to some which fade over time.  It is as the Bible says:  our lives are as a breath, like vapour which vanishes without a trace.

As I walked around the oval during cricket training yesterday, I noticed a bare patch of silty dirt surrounded by turf.  This dirt had many impressions upon it:  I recognised the tyre treads of a truck, a bicycle, and and few shoe prints.  With a little wind, rain, or others trampling the surface these marks will be erased forever without memory.  I started thinking about how footprints in a sandy beach are noticeable at first but in moments begin to fade.  How many sand castles have been carefully formed which later were flattened by waves!  The great holes in the beach we dug as children have effortlessly been filled in over time, and not one person can tell exactly where (or why) they were dug.  This is the vanity King Solomon talked about, great effort and accomplishments with the passage of time seem meaningless.

While I pondered these things the question Jesus asked rang in my mind:  "What does it profit a man to gain the world and lose his own soul?"  Most people approach life without thinking about what happens after our life on earth is finished and therefore do not invest in what will endure.  Money, gold, silver, and Bitcoin all have their limitations and we cannot take what we acquire with with us.  Like any legacy we leave, it will be left for others to use, maintain, or waste.  The words Jesus said strike at the heart, for we all know this life on earth with someday end - the world itself has a limited life span.  We are all using borrowed money and a gift of time we have no idea when it will be rescinded.  The clock is winding down, and we have not the power to wind it again.  In choosing Christ we only have gain, though perhaps not as the world measures it.  But the gain the world is after will all perish;  it will all fade, be forgotten, and worthless to us when we are gone.

We all want to make our mark on the world, but sin has made permanent marks on us.  Not one of us measures up to God's standard of righteousness and our souls are doomed to destruction in hell forever.  But God has made a way of forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ through faith in Him and supplies the everlasting richness of God's kingdom.  Psalm 130:3-4 says, "If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? ⁴ But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared."  How glorious it is to be forgiven, to have our souls saved and cleansed forever!  This forgiveness can be obtained without money but through faith in Jesus and the precious blood of Jesus Christ shed on Calvary.  He has imputed His righteousness to each one who is born again through faith, and this mark is a permanent one.  We are sealed with the Holy Spirit and are guaranteed to live forever.  Better than making a mark in this world is when God puts His mark on us, claiming us as His very own.

God Is Gracious

"If you ever take your neighbour's garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. ²⁷ For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious."

Exodus 22:26-27

God cares about people, even the poor who lack basic necessities.  As a kid when I went to the neighbourhood recreation centre to give them an identification card or my wallet as collateral to play Foosball, table tennis, or pool.  Once I returned the supplies to the attendant my property was returned to me.  A similar method was used in ancient times, where people would give a loan of money and hold their cloak as collateral.  God placed a stipulation that if a garment was taken as a pledge to secure payment on a loan, by law it was to be returned "before the sun goes down."  This would afford him warmth on a cold night.

The last part of the verse grabbed me:  "And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious."  God is a gracious God, having mercy and compassion on poor debtors.  He does not chide such a one for their poverty, the decision to take out a loan, or say of the shivering man, "Serves him right!"  God is gracious, a phenomenal characteristic and remarkably rare for a king (or anyone else under the sun, for that matter).  Kings typically reward loyalty and are harsh against any who rebel against them.  Kings who intend to keep their thrones do not promote those who have not been absolutely trustworthy in the past.  Their allies are the wealthy, the ones upon whom they have bestowed titles and lands - not the shivering poor crying at night.

When we come to God in our poverty, crying out to Him in sorrow, sadness, or because of injustice God will hear because He is gracious.  In the darkness when no one sees, in the cold we cannot escape, we can enter into the presence of the Almighty God who is KING OF KINGS.  His grace is seen by the audience He has freely given us and in taking action for our good.  We are all sinners before God and unworthy of His care, but all who trust in Jesus Christ have been redeemed, adopted as children, and exalted to be co-heirs with Jesus Christ.  That we could be grafted into the body of Christ as a viable part through whom God desires to work!  Having received such grace, let us also be gracious as our heavenly Father is to all who cry out to Him.

The Green Room Experience

A "green room" is defined as "a room in a theatre or studio in which performers can relax when they are not performing."  It is a place to hang out and rest with comforts and amenities provided.  Before the show there is a palpable sense of excitement complete with some nerves.  For musicians and actors it is the final moment before displaying the culmination of hard work to do the thing they have worked towards their entire lives.  I have met with people to pray before a church service in a "green room" of sorts, and there was no dread in the air but expectancy God would work and whatever God does is amazing.

For Christians, death beds are similar to a green room.  Instead of sitting on plush or comfortable furniture, those preparing to depart this world lie upon stark hospital beds.  These rooms are not located adjacent a world-famous auditorium but in living rooms, trailers, hospice and aged-care facilities.  There is no murmuring of the adoring fans gathering in the hall but the whirr and beeping of medical equipment and the hushed tones of a visitor or two.  Instead of rehearsing lines or riffs scripture is read aloud, prayers are offered, and tears are shed.  There is no set hour for departure from this spiritual green room, but at the hour only known by God the graduation to glory occurs in an instant.

I remember visiting my Grandad after he had a stroke and seeing a friend in intensive care who was in an induced coma after contracting flesh-eating bacteria.  I held my aunt's hand as she drifted out of consciousness in her living room and sang songs around my Grandmother before her passing surrounded by family.  In these largely quiet and always sacred moments these dear souls had little physical movement besides the drawing of breath, but I am convinced they eagerly awaited release from the body to enter into the joy of the LORD.  In my mind's eye I seem them sitting next to me as I spend a few last moments looking at their tired bodies, and they are on the edge of their seat ready to be ushered by angels into God's presence.

Does the song of your heart echo the words of the Johnny Cash song?  "Let us labour for the Master from the dawn till setting sun, let us talk of all His wondrous love and care, then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done, and the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there."  The only way any of us will leave this earthly green room and enter the presence of the LORD is by faith in Jesus Christ.  No one earns the right to be a child of God by their own efforts, and there is no curtain call for applause from men.  At the appointed time we will all be freed from the husk of these failing bodies and into heaven, or be shackled and cast into outer darkness and eternal torment.  For those dead in sins it is like awaiting a second death, but the "green room" experience is one of exhilaration because Christians were born again for the moment to be called up on stage for life everlasting.