Psa 84:4 Blessed are they who dwell in Your house; they will still praise You. Selah. 5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You; Your ways are in their hearts. 6 Passing through the valley of weeping, they will make it a fountain; the early rain also covers it with blessings. :7 They go from strength to strength, appearing in Zion before God. 8 O Jehovah, the God of Hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah. 9 Behold, O God, our shield, and look on the face of Your anointed. 10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Very early on in his life, David realized and discovered an incredibly important fact. He discovered the importance of location.
He discovered that, in order for him and us, to be able to live life in a way that would bring blessing, protection and order, we need to very carefully decide, where we would position ourselves.
Exo 40:34 And the cloud covered the tabernacle of the congregation, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tabernacle of the congregation because the cloud stayed on it, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle. 36 And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel journeyed on in all their journeys. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey until the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of Jehovah was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, in all their journeys.
Whilst in the wilderness, the people of Israel gathered around the temple, in the presence of the Glory of God.
They understood at this point, the importance of being in His presence, the very location where they had to be. In the presence of His Glory.
While the `cloud` was settled, they settled and when the cloud moved, they moved. They did not dare move away from it, without taking major risk.
Why the Glory?
In this context it speak of the cloud as a `covering`. God covered the tabernacle with His presence, and in so doing, He covered the people with His presence.
At night He showed His presence by fire that covered the tabernacle. But this was a different fire. Not the all consuming and destructive nature of fire, but the nature of protection, heat, safety and light.
This was his Shechi'nah. (dwelling). It was used by the later Jews, and borrowed by Christians from them, to express the visible majesty of the divine Presence, especially when resting or dwelling between the cherubim on the Mercy-Seat, in the Tabernacle, and in the Temple of Solomon, but not in the second Temple. The use of the term is first found in the Targums, where it forms a frequent periphrasis for God, considered its dwelling among the children of Israel.
The idea which the different accounts in Scripture convey is that of a most brilliant and glorious light, enveloped in a cloud, and usually concealed by the cloud, so that the cloud itself was, for the most part, alone visible, but on particular occasions, the glory appeared.
Now, we need to understand that where the Glory of God is, there also is the power of God.
Why do we need to position ourselves, why is it so important that we keep contact and focus on the presence of God in our lives?
Surely we can survive without it; surely we can make it without constantly watching out for it.
Perhaps yes, maybe we will have a measure of success and maybe we will have some sort of peace and prosperity. But – not without a price.
No comments:
Post a Comment