He Dwelt Among Us: The Beginning of Something New, part 6
We’re into the final stretch as we examine discipleship through the Exodus story. This week leads us to the final chapter of the book of Exodus before we briefly dip our toes into the book of Numbers next week. At first glance, it’s easy to read chapter 40 as a precursor to Leviticus and Deuteronomy, the books most commonly associated with various laws for the Israelite people. After all, it seems as if Exodus 40 is a list of instructions for Moses and the Israelites on how to build the Tabernacle and the proper way to ceremonially inaugurate it. Yet, it is about so much more than a series of rules and practices. The book of Exodus begins with the Israelites in Egypt as an enslaved people and it ends with God coming and dwelling with His people in the Tabernacle. This is a massive development for the people of God in its own right. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, humanity has been separated from God because of wickedness and rebellion. But God has provided a way, through the Tabernacle, for His people to be in His presence and to let His glory be fully revealed. However, the Tabernacle (and eventually the temple) is not the final chapter. Jesus has come and “tabernacled” among us so that all, whether Jew or Greek, can fully experience the glory of God. My prayer for this week is that we will all have a better understanding of what the Tabernacle meant for the Israelites and the implications it has for us today.
–Caleb McCaughan, The Beginning of Something New: He Dwelt Among Us
Discussion Questions:
- What are the parallels between the instructions given to Moses regarding the Tabernacle and the final week of Jesus’s ministry?
- What is the temple or “holy place” of our culture today?
- What day-to-day impact does Jesus’ dwelling among us have on us today?
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