- Dwell Among You
Leviticus 26:11 And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.
“And the word became flesh, and dwelt (tented, tabernacled) among us [John 1:14].” When God made this conditional promise for those who keep the Commandments He did not mean the Tabernacle structure, the Tent of Meeting. By the verb “tabernacle,” He meant that He would dwell in the midst of the faithful ones.
The Immanuel (God with us) promises to “be with us always, even unto the end of the age.” And since the Resurrection and Pentecost, the Holy Spirit dwells (lives, remains, stays, resides, abides, and even rules) in our hearts. God couldn’t be more “with” us. This is what it means when the Lord says He will “set His tabernacle” among us. The Tabernacle was the Tent of Meeting built by Moses under God’s instruction according to the heavenly pattern. Its purpose was to house the Presence of God on the earth. Then the Presence, or the “Glory,” moved to the permanent structure, the Temple in Jerusalem, when Solomon built it. Then it moved into Jesus of Nazareth, and finally into you and me, the body of Christ, or the temple of the Lord. The Lord God Almighty indeed keeps His promise: He dwells with us, and His presence is always where we are. If we were more mindful of this fact, we might be more careful about the things we do and say.
Through Jesus Christ, and by faith in Christ, He is always with us in Holiness and Love. Elaborate ritual instructions were given the people regarding how such sinful creatures may approach a Holy God. They knew where He lived, and they could approach such Holiness if they followed the rules for reaching Him. In the NT days of today we may approach the God who is nearby, even inside us, through the name of Jesus, and by faith in Christ.
And the promise continues: “My soul shall not abhor you.” This sounds like faint praise, but it really is awesome good news. God by nature abhors sin; He cannot be in its presence. If sin should touch God’s Holiness it is immediately destroyed. But God made a way through the blood of Jesus Christ. Now He says, “Come unto Me; I will accept you and not abhor you, for you are now without sin.” He even shares His Holiness with us, so He can live there.