S) "46 They shall know that I am the Lord their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the Lord their God."
Exodus 29:46 (NASB)
O) At first, this seemed like a peculiar verse tacked onto the end of a chapter that commands gory animal sacrifice with dozens of detailed instructions. In the end of the chapter, though, God is drawing our attention back to His will. He does not want us to get distracted by these sacrifices and lose perspective. God was requiring a lot of work from His priests, but there was purpose behind it all. He did not deliver Israel from Egypt, because He wanted them to sacrifice animals to Himself. He could have provided a way for them to do that from their captivity. No, God wanted His people freed. He wanted to fulfill the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. All of that, was for one direct purpose: to be reconciled to His people, that He might dwell among them. This was the ultimate purpose for all of these sacrifices. The people had to atone for their sins, in order to have a right relationship with God, without incurring His holy wrath.
A) Thank the LORD for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who took all of His righteous judgment upon Himself, to be the ultimate, final, complete sacrifice, that God may dwell among us now! Reading through this chapter (and many others like it) can be tough from a 21st century perspective. But, when I got to the end of the chapter, I was reminded of the purpose behind all of that bloodshed - it was to reconcile sinful people to their God. For myself, I read this verse and I praise Him, for providing a means by which I am saved. He sacrificed His own Son, that the LORD my God might dwell with me. Hallelujah, indeed! He saved me, brought me up from my own sinful captivity, for the simple purpose that He might have a relationship with me, to be the LORD my God. Everything else stems from that simple truth about His will, His love, His grace. Everything else is secondary to that expression of His sovereignty.
P) Father, I am amazed by the power of this truth. You didn't save me to use me. You didn't redeem me to exploit me. You don't even need me, in the slightest. You want me. You desire to be with me. Your will is that we can be united, through the Holy Spirit within me, because of the work that Jesus Christ alone could do. I am humbled by Your grace. Let me dwell on the magnitude of this truth, Father God. You desire to be my Father in heaven, and for me to be Your son. I cannot wonder about Your will for my life, without first, and simply, acknowledging this as Your will for my life: that You would dwell with me. I want to reflect, even just a fraction of that desire, back to You, my Lord. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Thank you for for time and effort. I really enjoyed this. 🙏💜
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