Human life is very busy; day in and day out, we spend our time working, thinking, pursuing — all towards creating our own definition of living. But in the midst of this bustle, do we ever take a moment to pause and ask why we are living this way? For what? No matter how we define our earthen life, whether religious or worldly, without an exception, it leaves us as an empty shell without the sense of fulfillment.
Even as believers, though we may faithfully carry our daily devotionals and prayers, we still find ourselves inwardly floating through our daily lives without a substantial goal or purpose. Just as in the book of Exodus the children of Israel were brought out of the worldly system of Egypt, many believers today are still wandering in the wilderness. In our experience and teaching from Sunday school, we have only understood Exodus as God saving His people out of Pharaoh’s tyranny and plagues in Egypt, and the receiving of the ten commandments in the wilderness; we have yet to arrive at the latter part of the book, let alone experience it.
So how is it that as believers we can have God’s life, yet still miss the essential meaning of our existence? Although on the surface the book of Exodus is about redemption and salvation, in reality, the way God interacts with His people is essentially life. A believer’s life is all about a being that is found in living according to God’s desire. In chapters 12 through 23 of Exodus, the journey out of Egypt, the reconstituting of the people with manna, and marital covenant given in the wilderness are only a part of a larger picture; what is that journey out, even our salvation experience for? The remaining chapters of Exodus spanning from 24 to 40 lay out a master plan for a building, the tabernacle. Before the tabernacle was built, the children of Israel were just a multitude with no clear meaning to their lives; but then, the tabernacle was erected and the glory filled the tent. Each tribe was gathered to live with the tabernacle as the center of their lives. Their relationship with the tent was everything to do with their existence, their testimony on the earth as God’s chosen people. Today, God’s life in us gives us a clear purpose and meaning, which is for God’s building. Our being saved is for this tabernacling on the earth in this age. Just as the glory filled the tabernacle once it was erected, today the church is where God’s glory is expressed, revealing His heart, not for the individual believer only; but for many members functioning in that true satisfaction found between God and man in this mutual dwelling. Building up the church is indeed the center of a believer’s life — the divine life we have received is for this divine purpose — to build the church, the true tabernacle.
(Above are notes of fellowship taken from a gathering on 10/6/2023, not reviewed by the speaker.)