THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2023
/Thursday, March 9, 2023
The Tabernacle: A Renewal of Relationship with God
In the beginning, God created…and it was very good. Genesis 1: 1. 31.
Ever since that moment, the chaos of sin has been at work to destroy God’s perfect creation. As wickedness multiplied throughout the earth, God implemented a plan to work in and through his people to renew / restore His creation…order, purpose, and harmony of His original creation.
God used the flood to “cleanse’ His creation from evil and chose Noah as His partner in renewing a world that was not in bondage to evil. When He delivered the Hebrews from bondage in Egypt, God renewed a people who would live in intimate relationship with Him and participate in His plan to restore His creation.
However, living in a kingdom ruled by chaos for four hundred years had left its mark on God’s people. They needed help to learn how to become the kingdom of priests God wanted them to be. So God provided the Torah and the tabernacle to teach them how to live in intimate relationship with Him and display His character to the world.
READ: Genesis 1: 25 – 27, 31. After speaking to the chaos and bringing about order, how pleased was God with His original creation?
READ: Genesis 6; 5 – 7. Why did God send the great flood to destroy the earth during the days of Noah?
After the flood, God made promises and gave commands to the surviving people, almost as if starting over and renewing the world He created.
a. READ: Genesis 1: 26 – 30 and Genesis 9: 1 - 3, 7 – 11 Compare God’s blessings.
b. God gave the Torah to the Israelites, in part, to provide the with the background and knowledge they would need to become His partners in renewing His relationship with humanity. In light of the creation and flood narratives, what sense of God’s purpose do you think the Israelites would have recognized from God’s instructions in Exodus 25: 8, 29: 42 – 46 and Leviticus 26; 2 – 5, 9: 13?