What God REALLY wants is...

And the LORD said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 
Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”
And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 
But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” (Exodus 33:17-20 ESV, boldfacing mine)

[I dedicate this post to my mother, after our phone conversation last night (which inspired me).]

(see P.S. below)

...to dwell with his people!

But how can the Holy (God) keep company with the unholy (us)? And if no one can see the face of God and live, well... This seems to be a problem, particularly in the Old Testament. We don't know if Adam and Eve ever saw God's face in the Garden of Eden (however, they heard His voice and were aware of His presence). We do know that after they were banished from God's dwelling place, they were separated from Him; cut off from His presence, a consequence that continues to plague subsequent generations-- Original Sin. Because of this, all are born into this world stained with the same blemish, turned inward toward ourselves with a proclivity to go our own way.

And just look at the mess we've made.

Yet, God is a God of grace. From the very beginning He had a plan to save us from ourselves (Genesis 3:15), and He has never lost the desire to dwell among His children that He so loves, no matter how much or how often we disappoint Him. And this is where Israel comes in. The story of Israel-- its beginnings in the Old Testament-- comes on the heels of God's promise about 4,000 years ago to one man, Abraham, that through his descendants a great nation would come (Genesis 12). But until then, God would watch over and "parent" His often ornery and incorrigible children, disciplining when necessary (sometimes a stern warning, other times slavery or even death), but refusing to dwell among them...

Until God raised up Moses to lead the enslaved Hebrews (not yet a nation) out of Egypt about 400 years after His promise to Abraham. The last half of Exodus tells the story of God's return to dwell with His children, who would begin to coalesce as a nation (Israel) during their 40-year journey to the Promised Land.

This has been the topic of discussion in my Old Testament class over the last couple of weeks. Yesterday, the professor showed a 5-minute video (if you have the time, you can see it here on YouTube), condensing the last part of Exodus into an easy-to-digest animation. The Bible Project created this and many other similar videos, and is a great resource for students, Sunday school teachers, and anyone who is just curious about God's revelation of Himself to us in Jesus Christ, the love story that plays out from the start of Genesis to the end of Revelation.

Fast forward to the present. A Christian (and very Lutheran) question begs... Where is God dwelling now? (Is He still among His people?) The answer is....well, I'll give you a hint...

If you watch the video, you'll learn something about the Tabernacle, God's dwelling place among the Israelites in the desert, that corresponds to a place where Lutherans (and many other Christians) teach that Heaven (God's new Eden-- Paradise) and Earth meet. God "tabernacled" (dwelled) with His people in Jesus' time on Earth. Yet He still tabernacles among us today in Christ-- but where?

It's an AMAZING story! That God would love us enough to go put up with our shenanigans and go to all the trouble to bring us back into Eden. Through Christ. This is the true meaning of Easter.

С Богом.

P.S. The picture was taken yesterday in my Old Testament class, in the 1950s era lecture hall that has wooden desk/chairs designed for a person about 4'8" and 95 lbs. They are most uncomfortable. The three guys in the foreground are The Three Old Guys (as the professor likes to call us). We are all Alternate Route brothers (and friends), not Masters of Divinity students. (Can you find me in the picture?)