God's tabernacle.
I. GOD IS IN THE MIDST OF HIS PEOPLE. He is not a distant divinity seated on cloud-capped Olympus or hidden in remote heavenly regions. He visits the earth and even dwells there. We recognize his presence in the beauty of spring and the wealth of autumn; we hear his voice in the thunderstorm, and we see his glory in the sunshine. He haunts the cathedral aisles of the forest; he unveils his glory beneath the blue dome that covers the fair fields of nature. Assuredly he is in our homes shedding peace and love; he draws very near to our souls in the night of sorrow; and he smiles upon us in our innocent joys. Moreover, while God is thus universally present, he manifests himself especially to his people as he does not unto the world (John 14:22, John 14:23). This is not on account of any unreasonable partiality, any unfair favoritism. He says justly, "I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me" (Proverbs 8:17).
II. GOD'S PRESENCE IS A PROTECTION FOR HIS PEOPLE. He says that his tabernacle shall be not merely "with them," but "over them," as the phrase should be rendered. We think of a sheltering tent protecting the people from the heat of the sun by day and from the frosts by night. In the olden times the tabernacle was planted in the midst of the camp, but the people generally were not admitted to its covered shrine, which was reserved for a privileged priesthood. Now, however, the veil is rent, and now all God's people are priests, as the apostle to the Jews declared (1 Peter 2:9). Now, therefore, God's tabernacle is not only in the midst of the camp, gazed at with admiration by a surrounding host. It is spread over the people of God, because they are allowed to enter its most holy place. Our safety lies in our nearness to God, and when we truly seek to enter into close communion with Heaven we find that there is a sense of security and peace that can be found in no other way.
1. God then protects from trouble, even when the blow falls, by strengthening us to bear it.
2. He protects from temptation by giving us a joy greater than that of the pleasures of sin.
3. He protects from the guilt of the past, by taking away our sins and giving free forgiveness.
4. He protects from the fear of the future, by assuring us that he will never leave us nor forsake us.
III. GOD'S PRESENCE WITH HIS PEOPLE SECURES THEIR UNION WITH HIM. "Yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people." It is difficult to love and trust an absent Being, but nearness stimulates affection and confidence.
1. The people own God. He is "their God." This signifies willing acceptance following deliberate choice. No man has a true experience of religion until he can say from his heart, "The Lord is my God."
2. God owns his people. They are his by right of creation; they are still more his by right of redemption—" bought with a price." God's ownership implies
Observe, in conclusion:
1. Sin removes the tabernacle of God from our midst. When Israel sinned, the tabernacle was pitched outside the camp.
2. Christ brings Goal back into closest association with us. In Christ he "pitches his tent among us" (John 1:14).