No Longer Foreigners And Strangers by PJ
When G-d created the world, He blessed and sanctified His creation. G-d was in His heaven and man was placed in the Earth. G-d's interaction with man was during His visitations. But on the mountaintop of Sinai, G-d made a new proposal to His servant, Moshe. Sh'mot/Exodus 25:8 CJB records, "They are to make me a sanctuary, so that I may live among them."
G-d was proposing a major change in His relationship with man, making it much more intimate. No longer would G-d only visit Moshe upon a mountaintop, but now G-d wanted to dwell with all Israel every single day. And while Moshe was more than enthusiastic about G-d's proposal, he questioned how such a thing could possibly be. Moshe could not understand how mortal man could accommodate the eternal King of the Universe.
The sentiment was also declared during the day of King Shlomo / Solomon as he built the Temple. As recorded in M'lakhim Alef / 1 Kings 8:27 CJB, "But can God actually live on the earth? why, heaven itself, even the heaven of heavens , cannot contain you; so how much less this house I have built."
It is an astonishing proposition that we can find answers about in the Midrash. While Moshe was concerned about the ability of fitting G-d's Presence into a physical structure, G-d's proposal could only happen if the people allowed Him in. It would occur through a metaphysical change in the hearts of men that would invite G-d into their hearts. As they opened up their hearts to G-d, His Presence could enter their nation and their hearts. All G-d needed was a heart prepared for Him.
But G-d didn't stop there. It was not enough to live in the building of a nation or in one people. He wanted more intimacy but He wanted it with all His human creation. But to move into mankind more fully, He had to have men whose hearts were cleansed from all unrighteousness on a permanent and continual basis. So He sent His Son, Yeshua, to make that possible. It took sinless Blood of G-d's very own Son to accomplish it.
Through the Blood sacrifice on the Cross, Yeshua opened the pathway to G-d Himself. It was now possible for mankind to come to G-d with circumcised hearts. And it was possible for G-d to indwell men by His Spirit. Total intimacy with His creation that had been enacted in steps.
We are temples of the Most High G-d and His Spirit indwells us as we accept Messiah Yeshua as our L-rd and Savior. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 CJB "Or don't you know that your body is a temple for the Ruach HaKodesh who lives inside you, whom you received from God? The fact is, you don't belong to yourselves; for you were bought at a price. So use your bodies to glorify God."
Ephesians 2:19-22 CJB "So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers. On the contrary, you are fellow-citizens with God's people and members of God's family. You have been built on the foundation of the emissaries and the prophets, with the cornerstone being Yeshua the Messiah himself. In union with him, the whole building is held together, and it is growing into a holy temple in union with the Lord. Yes, in union with him, you yourselves are being built together into a spiritual dwelling-place for God!"
Because we are in total intimacy with G-d's Spirit, which is only a down payment of the future intimacy to come, we are never alone, we are never abandoned, we are never without a backup, we are never without a friend, we are never without an answer, we are never without anything.
G-d desires us to imitate Him and life a life of love. United with Him we are light. We are to live like children of the Light in every kind of goodness, righteousness and truth. May we be rooted and founded in this great love of our G-d until we are filled with His fullness, no longer strangers and foreigners but mishpacha (family).
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