"The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us."
The word "dwelling" in this verse is translated from the Greek word "skeeno": "to fix one's tabernacle, have one's tabernacle, abide (or live) in a tabernacle (or tent), tabernacle"
...very similar to the Hebrew word "ohel": "tent, a nomad's tent, and thus symbolic of wilderness life, transience; dwelling, home, habitation; the sacred tent of Jehovah (the tabernacle)
In Exodus 33:7 we read, "And Moses took the tabernacle (ohel) and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation."
So just as God "dwelt" among His people in a tent, Jesus now came to dwell among us in a fleshly tent. Just as the tent of the tabernacle housed the sacredness of God, the tent of human flesh now housed the incarnation of God. But where the people of Israel could not approach the tabernacle without ritual (read Levitcus!), people now could approach Jesus without hesitation. He was available to them, he pitched His tent in the campground of humanity and became one of us...almost unimaginable, isn't it? Especially when you realize He left the grandour of heaven itself to go camping with a bunch of nomads who wouldn't even recognize His holiness. And He loved them! That's the crazy part! Loved them enough to die for them, and for all the rest of this "campground" that we call earth. All of us living in temporary tents, that will, because of Jesus, be transformed into glorified, eternal bodies...and we won't be camping anymore! That's when we'll abandon our tents for our permanent, established, forever home!
2 Corinthians 5: 1-5, "Now we know that if the earthly tent ("skenos" - same Greek root word as our verse today) we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."
WOW - God is really, really good to us, isn't He? Thank you Jesus for coming to us!
1 comment:
Yes, God really is good to us! If only everyone here on earth would believe, their troubles could be lifted up to God for his healing power. So the Word became God and the Word became Jesus here on earth. And the spirit of the Word is living inside those that believe. He lives inside of me in my heart and soul. And now, my brain understands and believes. Jesus lived on earth and suffered such pain, as we today do. We endure just as Jesus did because we know God has a place for us in Heaven. God became flesh so the doubting human's could see and believe and tell others of what they saw and to tell the story of God's existence and his love. God is good. It is good to have God in our life. So much
wonderment is mixed in with my much pain. We know and recognize our pain, my
pain. And I, we, know God and recognize his love and existence. I need God
every moment of every day. I love God and every day I thank him for his love
and I need to begin to include being thankful every day for God sending Jesus to
save us from sin. I love God, Jesus, The Word, all of God and his Glory. Be with
me today God and send me where you want me to go. Thank you God for
sending Janice to me and thank you Lord for this blog. Even God continues to
live within us in this tech developing world. God is a tent inside of me holding me, just as I held my children.
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