“And let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” Long, long before this, when the worlds were created, the Lord Jesus was rejoicing in the habitable parts of His earth and His delights were with the sons of men (Proverbs 8:22-3122The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. 23I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. 24When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. 25Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: 26While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. 27When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: 28When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: 29When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: 30Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; 31Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men. (Proverbs 8:22‑31)). “God is love,” and the wonder of wonders is that He has made fallen man the object of that wondrous love.
He wants the company of man, His creature, but sin makes a barrier, for “God is Light” as well as love, and He cannot have sin in His presence. He came down into the Garden of Eden to walk with Adam, but Adam had sinned and was hiding behind the trees. It was not until God Himself had clothed both Adam and his wife with coats of skins that they could stand before Him.
Dwelling With God
Now in Exodus 25 the children of Israel were a redeemed people, and God told Moses to make a tabernacle that He might dwell among them. We know all too well how sadly Israel failed, but now, through the finished work of Christ, He has promised to be in the midst of His gathered people. Faith sees Him there as we meet around Himself, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:2020For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20)). Soon faith will be changed to sight, and we shall meet around Himself above. We read of the eternal state, “Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Rev. 21:33And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Revelation 21:3)). What a glorious future is before the redeemed!
The Ark
It is interesting to notice the order in which Moses was instructed to make the tabernacle. When we think about a home we first make plans for its size and construction before thinking about the furniture, but God’s thoughts are not ours! He told Moses how to make the ark first, before mentioning anything about how to make the tabernacle itself. This, of course, was not an ark like the one Noah built. The ark for the tabernacle was just a small piece of furniture slightly less than four feet long and a little more than two feet wide, but oh, how important it was. It must come first, for it speaks to us, typically, of the Person of Christ, and this is the corner stone and foundation of Christianity. Take it away and everything else falls.
This ark was to be made from shittim wood — a very hard, rot-resistant wood which grew in the desert. It reminds us of the Lord Jesus’ perfect humanity, for His body never saw corruption. The ark was then covered within and without with pure gold, which speaks to us of divine glory and righteousness. This shows us that the blessed One who became man, was nonetheless God. He was perfect God and perfect man at the same time. Around the top of the ark was a crown of gold, showing us how God would always guard the glory of the person of Christ. We know only too well how men, led on of Satan, have always attacked the deity of Christ down through the ages of the Christian era. Never was it more common than today, and one has to be careful much of the religious literature around us in these days, making sure that we reject everything as false which does not have the “crown of gold” upon it.
Further Meditation
1. What does the shittim wood remind us of?
2. Can you give more examples of how the Bible guards the glory of the person of Christ?
3. The glory of Christ’s incorruptible humanity is presented in a helpful manner by W. Kelly in The Holy Humanity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.