God’s Glory Through Exodus Part two
Exodus 40:34-38, Hebrews 9:11-14, Hebrews 10:10-18
What is the “glory of God?” We hear this phrase often in Christian circles, and we might even include it in our prayers without really knowing what it means. We might say, “I pray that God is glorified through this or that,” without understanding the weight of such a prayer. But, this is an extremely crucial concept for us to understand because, as Christians, the great end and purpose of our lives is to bring God the glory He so rightly deserves. Even when the Great Commission is complete and this world and life as we know it comes to an end, we will continue to exist throughout all of eternity for the sole purpose of glorifying our wonderfully, most glorious God.
The last paragraph in the book of Exodus gives us a helpful glimpse of what the glory of God is. At this point in the book of Exodus, Moses has been working to build the tabernacle. The word “tabernacle” in Hebrew literally means, “dwelling place.” Our holy, set-apart God so deeply wants to be able to dwell with his people that in Exodus 25:8, he gives this command: “let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.” Why was the tabernacle necessary in order for God to be able to dwell with his people? This is because His people were undeniably and totally unholy. The sin of man has made man unclean. Not even the righteous acts of an unclean man can make him clean again. Isaiah 64:6 illustrates the human state like this: “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” So then, what is it about the tabernacle that makes it possible for man to be in God’s presence? Once a year, the high priest would enter the tabernacle in holy garments to make all sorts of offerings and sacrifices in order to atone for the sins of the people of Israel. The people of Israel had to be made right with God over and over and over again.
So, let’s revisit this question, “what is the glory of God?” In Isaiah 6:3 we see that the holiness of God is deeply tied to the glory of God: “And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’” From this verse, John Piper defines the glory of God as “the holiness of God made manifest.” So then, how can the holiness of God be displayed or made manifest in us if we are a deeply sinful people? The holiness of God can only be made manifest in us through sacrifice or atonement. “God will dwell with those that prepare him a habitation. The broken and contrite heart, the clean and holy heart, that is furnished for his service, and devoted to his [glory], shall be God’s [dwelling place] forever (Matthew Henry).”
Where is the good news in all of this? The answer is Jesus; the Anointed One, the great High Priest, the final Atonement for all our sins.
“Yet so dazzling was the light, and so dreadful was the fire, that Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, at the door of which he attended, till the splendor had a little abated, and the glory of the Lord retired behind the veil (v. 35). This shows how terrible the glory and majesty of God are, and how unable the greatest and best of men are to stand before him. The divine light and fire, let forth in their full strength, will overpower the strongest heads and the purest hearts. But what Moses could not do, in that he was weak through the flesh, has been done by our Lord Jesus, whom God caused to draw near and approach, and who, as the forerunner, has for us entered, and has invited us to come boldly even to the mercy-seat” (Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, 352).
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
“. . . We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. . . . Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins . . . By a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” (Heb. 10:10, 12, 14)
“For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” (Hebrews 9:13-14)
Wonder:
Read 1 John 4:15. Take some time to pray to God and thank him for being the ultimate and final sacrifice for your sin. Meditate on the significance of being able to dwell with God forever.
