Theological Commentary: Click Here
Notice that
today we shift from the inner workings of the tabernacle to the courtyard. The courtyard is accessible to all. This is also where the sacrifices happen upon
the altar for burnt offerings. Sin is
redeemed in the places where all have access.
The inner
workings of the tabernacle are closed off and hidden. The places about which we learned yesterday
are interior, hidden behind curtains, and closed off to the people. Only certain people with special permission
can go in there.
This has
great symbolism to our life. First of
all, our sin is worldly. That doesn’t
mean to say that our sin is external.
Certainly not! All of my sin
begins within. But all of my sin is
worldly. My sin affects the world around
me. People have access to my sinful
nature. Therefore, people should be able
to see my redemption as well. People
should be able to experience God redeeming what is broken about me.
Now for my
second thought. While everyone should be
able to see witness to my redemption, not everyone will see the full working of
God within me. Only the priests, who had
special permission to enter the tabernacle, could go in and experience more of God’s
presence within the tabernacle. So it is
with me. While everyone around me should
be able to experience God’s hand working in and through me, only those who take
the time to truly get to know me will also know the deep workings of how God is
working within me. The fruit of God’s
work should be seen by all. The means of
God’s work is a mystery within us.
This is why
relationship, discipleship, and mentoring are so important. We need closeness to see how God is at work
in others. We need closeness to truly
reveal how God is at work within ourselves.
There are times and places for both the external faith open to all and
the internal faith revealed to those who desire to seek it.
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