[ Today's Readings ]
Should you build me a house to dwell in?
Honestly, what are we thinking? He is the uncontainable God of the universe. He is present in all places by his power. How can we think of confining him to a specific place our time? To be fair, the LORD himself has led us to think this way. His power is present everywhere but there are always specific places elevated to be points of encounter with him. Whether the burning bush, the ark, or the Holy of Holies, the God who is omnipresent chooses one location to be present to his people.
Perhaps we can make God's dwelling as fitting as possible. He is so great that he deserves the best we have. And this is true. But it does not consider the most important fact. God does not come to us because we finally prepare an adequate dwelling for him. He is content with the tent long before the temple is built. He comes to us in order to show his love for us.
And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth.
I will fix a place for my people Israel;
I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place
without further disturbance.
We are unable to provide a dwelling appropriate to the LORD our God. But because he loves us he himself provides the dwelling. Because he wants the best possible place of encounter with us he takes on flesh and becomes man.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
for he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
From this initial bastion God spreads his presence into us as well. In all of our concern for his dwelling place we would not likely advocate our hearts as the most fitting place for him to dwell. Yet because he loves us he wants to dwell in human hearts. He himself forgives the sins that makes our hearts unworthy of him. He comes to dwell within us by his mercy. This presence is even more real than was his presence in the Holy of Holies. This is what he promised to generations past! This is the dawn from on high that breaks first in the incarnation! The shadow of death begins to flee. The light of the world, the radiant dawn, Jesus Christ is coming. God dwells in mortal flesh. He wants to be born in us as well. Let us welcome him.
He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the rock, my savior.’
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm.
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