The Glory of the LORD

"Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. ³⁵ And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle." 

Exodus 40:34-35

As an apprentice tradesman I was taught concerning safety and confined spaces.  When I worked on ships at industrial facilities this was especially important with the high concentration of burning, welding and cutting.  All employees were warned about the dangers of these spaces collecting invisible gases which could render a worker unconscious and even prove deadly.  We were told if we saw a "man down" in a confined space not to attempt their rescue without first alerting emergency personnel who had the proper breathing equipment.  There have been cases where workers rushed in to help their co-workers only to be overcome by the fumes themselves.

In all the years I worked on ships there were few if any incidents.  However, there was one occasion which involved a confined space that resulted in severe injury.  I saw someone being rushed off the ship by paramedics who caused an explosion when he struck a cutting torch.  Unknown to him a flammable gas (believed to be oxygen) had leaked and settled in the space he was working in and created a combustible situation.  The mix of oxygen in the atmosphere only needs to be one percent higher than the standard 21% to be a potential fire hazard.  The accident was a sobering reminder of the dangers that exist even when strict safety protocols are followed.

After the tabernacle was constructed according to God's command, the priests and articles sanctified, the lamps lit, and all was in place the Spirit of God descended upon the tent in glory.  Moses could not remain in the confined space of the tabernacle because of the glory of the almighty God filled it.  There was no odour like the rotten egg smell of natural gas added for safety; there was no risk of explosion or being overcome by fumes:  it could only be described as divine glory which prevented Moses from entering.  There was such weight to God's power and majesty it was impossible for a mere man--physically fit and spiritually anointed as Moses was--to enter.  It was like when flames have taken hold of a building and the heat is so intense it is not possible to enter.  The God who is unapproachable in glory came and took up residence within the tabernacle in the midst of the camp of Israel.

I find it incredible beyond words our glorious God should take up residence in followers of Jesus Christ who trust Him.  The God who is glorious beyond measure comes not to crush us under His weight but wields a gentle influence, the Almighty who does not force.  Moses knew he could not enter the tabernacle because the glory of God was there, yet the believers whom Paul addressed in 1 Corinthians 6 had forgotten through faith in Christ they had been made members of His Body the Church.  It is sad the presence of God in them could be so overlooked Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

Instead of making us feel empowered God would condescend to redeem and reconcile sinners to Himself, it ought to fill us with humble, holy reverence.  Moses could not enter the tabernacle because of the glory of God, and He has filled us with His presence as the temple of the Holy Spirit.  As followers of Jesus, we need to remember who we are:  the KING OF KINGS has called us to salvation by grace through faith in Him.  We have been given an unthinkable relationship and connection with the glorious Creator of heaven and earth.  The aspect of personal purity especially concerning sex is of great importance, for a husband who loves and is faithful to his wife will refuse to lust over other women, much less sleep with them.  Blatant adultery is easier to spot than our negligence to glorify God with our bodies.  Our bodies are for the LORD, and the LORD for our bodies.  The One who sanctifies us with His presence we ought to glorify now and forever, and may He glory in us.

God's Delight

"Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight."

Proverbs 11:1

As I read through Proverbs it is no wonder people connected righteousness with good works.  The contrasts are extreme between right and wrong, good and bad, the wise and wicked.  A tree is known by its fruit, a child known by his doings, and it follows a righteous man will do righteously.  The error entered in when people imagined themselves to be righteous because they did right things.  Both Cain and Abel offered sacrifices to God:  Abel's offering was accepted and Cain's rejected because God looks upon the heart.  Samuel was ready to anoint the eldest son of Jesse named Eliab king because of his stately bearing, yet God had refused him and chose David, the youngest of Jesse who was tending sheep.

Proverbs 11:1 says God delights in a "just weight" which conveys honesty in business.  In one sense focusing on the fine-tuning of scales misses the point entirely.  A man for fear of losing business or being jailed as a crook ensures his scales are accurate, and another man in the fear of God dials in balances and measures to honour God and be honest towards others even if it costs him.  Do you see the difference?  When the corrupt tax-collector Zacchaeus came to faith in Jesus Christ, his first order of business was to give half of his goods to the poor and restore all funds he unlawfully excised from people fourfold.  The man whose heart was once abominable before God previously exposed by selfishness, greed and theft was suddenly changed and desired to make restitution.

Attempts to keep the Law of Moses never resulted in making anyone righteous before God:  Law was a mirror which exposed hearts full of sin and a straight line which revealed our natural crookedness.  The Law and the Prophets pointed to Jesus who became righteousness for all through faith in Him.  It is being born again by faith in Christ which causes our sins to be forgiven by the atonement provided in Jesus' shed blood and imputes His righteousness to us.  Paul explained in Romans 9:30-33, "What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; ³¹ but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. ³² Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. ³³ As it is written: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."

Dishonesty is an abomination before a just God, and a just weight is His delight.  Let us not think God cares more about the precision of our measurements than the character of our hearts.  No man can commend himself to God as righteous because he has given every customer a fair share, for God looks upon the heart.  He sees our selfishness and greed, hears our mumuring, grumbling and gossip.  He knows how we use the proceeds of the sale and if He or others are in our thoughts concerning our expenditure.  The one who delights in God and fears Him will be guided righteously by God His redeemer.  When we have done wrong like Zacchaeus the LORD directs His own to repent and make amends.  Having been made righteous by grace through faith, we are to walk righteously and are enabled to do so by the Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin, helps and comforts us always.

God's Chosen Family

When I was born to my parents years ago, they didn't choose me from a litter.  I also did not have the choice of my parents or whether I would have a brother or sister:  God sovereignly brought us together as family and I learned to live with and love them all despite our differences.  A day came when I sought the permission of Laura's parents and asked for her hand in marriage.  After being united by God in matrimony new branches were added to the families we were already connected to.  God has graciously given us sons who are growing up and perhaps will someday enlarge our family even further.

My views concerning the church, the Body of Christ, align well with this approach to family relationships that acknowledges the wisdom and sovereignty of God.  Even as I did not choose my parents, I did not choose my Sunday School teachers, pastor or church I grew up attending and later served in.  A day came when the LORD guided me and my family to settle in Australia and serve in a different fellowship of believers which is part of the same Body of Christ.  We were in no way divorced or cut off from fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ in the United States but the move has enlarged our circle and enriched our lives.

I recall an impactful incident when I attended an evangelism course out of state years ago.  It was a gathering of people at a conference who were keen to share their faith and I perceived in many an undercurrent of dissatisfaction and disdain of their current congregations which did not share their passion for evangelism.  One person murmured, "To me, this is church.  This is where I really fit in."  There was a sense of disappointment as our time together drew to a close because they knew they were heading back to churches that had little emphasis on evangelism.  Their hope was to attend the next gathering of these folks and steeled their resolve to endure months of isolation from "real church."

From my perspective, this seemed to be a case of a hand desiring to be cut off from a body to be with other hands.  Could it be God had sovereignly placed them in a church which had little emphasis on evangelism because they were to take up the charge themselves?  There is a draw for people to be around people with whom they share things in common, and in the church it is Jesus Christ alone who unites us.  There is nothing wrong with evangelists, missionaries, teachers, pastors, women, men and youth gathering together as distinct groups within a church or even meeting together for conferences.  A problem arises when we, out of dissatisfaction with others God has sovereignly joined to us, cut ourselves off from other believers and them from us.  The commitment God showed to the children of Israel because of the covenant He made with them is a good example for us to follow.  Jesus has made a covenant with us by grace through faith, and we ought to extend grace freely to others as we have freely received grace from Him.

Since the church is the Body of Christ comprised of different members with different functions and gifts according to God's will, let us acknowledge our call and the place where He has us is His doing.  It may be God will say to you as Abraham concerning your home church, "Leave your family and go to the land I show you."  Faith in God must be answered with obedience and trust to do so even when it is not our plan or idea.  God may also put you in a position like Jesus who was sent by God to the lost sheep of Israel who would reject Him.  Paul was raised as a Jew yet was called to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles, and his love for his fellow Jews never waned.  Persecution may scatter believers and physical distance may separate us but this will never sever the fellowship with have with one another through Jesus Christ.  Like Paul's advice to the married that they should not seek to be loosed, it is good to bring that level of commitment to serve and contribute at the church where God has us.

Jesus, Unity and Peace

In a increasingly polarised world it is good to remember Jesus has united believers in the church as one.  Instead of being focused on groups or people which should be excluded from the number of "true disciples," it is more useful for us to ensure we personally are in Christ and walking in His love.  Today I was reading about how timber, gold, silver, curtains, loops, and clasps united together to make one tabernacle.  This is one allusion to the uniting of Jew and Gentile in the church, the Body of Christ.  From every nation, tribe and tongue God has comprised a united church filled with the Holy Spirit.

Paul wrote to Gentile (non-Jew) believers in Ephesians 2:11-18:  "Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands--¹² that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, ¹⁵ having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. ¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father."  Remembering our previous distance from God and our unworthiness and inability to draw near to God fills us with gratitude for the access given us by grace through faith in Jesus.

I have heard this passage explained like this:  our sins once separated us from God and through the atonement of Jesus on Calvary the "wall of separation" has been destroyed and united us with Himself.  This is true, however that is not the point Paul makes here.  The context of the passage is the initial distinction and separation between Jew and Gentile, the children of Israel who entered into the covenant of Law and the Gentiles who were foreigners and aliens from the commonwealth of God.  Jesus has broken down the middle wall of separation and created "in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace."  Jesus has united Jew and Gentile as one in the kingdom of God even as timber was gilt with gold in the articles of the tabernacle or the gold clasps hooked to the wool loops.  The Body of Jesus the church is one made of many different members by the same Holy Spirit.  The Gospel was preached to Jew and Gentile alike and by Jesus we all have access by one Spirit to the Father.

The temptation of the early church was to place pressure on the Gentiles to live as Jews under Law and for Jews to cast off their heritage and traditions.  Both groups had potential to stumble one another because of their diverse backgrounds, convictions and personal experiences, yet God chose to unite the two as one:  Jesus is our peace, having created one Body redeemed with His own blood.  The knowledge we have been made one body with Jesus prevents us from excluding those God has chosen and accepted as His own.  Having been made one it is the love of Christ that guides us in our interactions with others within and outside the Church.  We ought to demonstrate the same patience and compassion with people who are in Christ to those we desire to introduce to Him and are far off as we used to be.  If Jesus has broken down the middle wall of separation, there is no wall we can justify erecting to protect ourselves or to prevent others from fellowship through Jesus Christ.  Every part of the Body is useful for the whole because it is different than others and thus we can embrace differences for God's glory and unfolding plans.

It requires humility and grace from God to make the personal changes required to walk in unity with all our brothers and sisters.  There is pride, assumptions, and expectations in us God wants to confess and strip from us even as the children of Israel were called to throw out their idols.  The "us" and "them" mentality of circumcised Jews and uncircumcised Gentiles has remained endemic among people to this day and can result in denominational and interpersonal divides.  Jews did not always agree or approve of the practices of their brethren, and liberalism is just as threatening as legalism to undermine and hinder the fellowship of believers.  As much as depends upon us we are to live peaceably with one another knowing we are members of one another as well as Christ.  It is written in Romans 12:3-5:  "For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. ⁴  or as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, ⁵ so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another."

People can spend their entire lives trying to "fit in" when Jesus has chosen believers to be part of His Body the church and become our peace.  We can also have a critical mind and find fault with others, effectively closing the door of fellowship to others due to irreconcilable differences.  He has united us with one another by God's grace to supply what the other parts lack.  It is good for the hand to delight to grasp objects and for the feet to be joyfully strengthened to walk and run, but let not the hand imagine the foot is better suited to imitate a hand.  On the heels of exhorting believers to submit to one another in love, Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:1-2:  "Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. ² And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."  It is the one who walks in love towards God and others that is a living sacrifice God delights in, and this is our reasonable service.