He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2)
As was noted in a previous devotion, tradition says that Moses composed this psalm on the very day the Sanctuary was set up in the wilderness. When the people had finished their work, God did what only He could do. His Presence filled the tabernacle so overwhelmingly that even Moses was unable to enter the tent. That brings us to this thought: how could a tabernacle with walls and curtains contain the Presence of the One who has no limits, no beginning or end and who transcends time and all things created? As Solomon declared, “Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built! … But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth?”
In other words, the infinite God — because He willed it so — concentrated His entire essence into one small space in the vast world that He had created. In a sense, the infinite and eternal God confined Himself in a finite world, and in so doing, demonstrated in dramatic fashion just how desperate (if we can use that word) He is to have a intimate relationship with mankind. When we really stop and think about this, it is truly overwhelming. Think of if this way: to some degree that we can’t comprehend, He restricts Himself in order to have fellowship with you and me. Amazing!
Obviously, the ultimate fruition of this is when the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, “and we beheld His glory” (John 1:14). It is as Paul said of the Messiah, “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9), and as Yeshua Himself said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). In this life, we will never understand the mechanics of how the infinite and eternal God became flesh, but our faith convinces us that it is so. If God could infuse a wilderness tent with His Glory and Presence, surely He could take on the form of flesh and walk among us. Most importantly, because He did, the Presence of God — limitless and incomprehensible — can take up residence in even smaller places than the inner chamber of a tent. Because of Messiah, He dwells in the small chambers of the heart of those who love Him.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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