Thursday, May 25: Leviticus 16- God is there.

Verse 2 captured my attention. The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.

I stewed on the thought that God would manifest His presence over the atonement cover. God would be in that place. That it is amazing!  God who made the earth and everything in it, God who created the heavens and all that is beyond it determined to put a slice of Himself in that space over the atonement cover. WOW!

There is little wonder that Aaron had significant rituals to follow before he could enter that space and he could only enter that place on one prescribed day a year! Human beings cannot just waltz into the presence of God. Confronted with absolute holiness we, sin-filled human beings, die!

And the fact of the presence of God in that space separated Israel from all other peoples. Israel was God’s chosen and one declaration of God’s choice was that God manifested His presence among them.

Jesus said, For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. (Matthew 18:20). The presence of God with us… WOW.

Believers are filled with the God the Holy Spirit (Acts 2, and 4:8, 31, 13:9, 52, etc.). The presence of God with us personally day by day. DOUBLE WOW.

Quietly, questions rose to the forefront of my thoughts,

Do I reverence God in me, God present in us as the Israelites reverence God in the tabernacle?

Do I understand what a gift and what a ‘setting apart’ God presence means for me, for us who believe in Jesus?

A hush fell over my thoughts as I recognized the gift of Himself God has given me…

Oh, precious Lord, words escape me… Amen.