“Intimacy With God”

In the Haftarah, one learns that Saul failed to obey the word of the Lord and allowed Amalek to survive long enough to father a child, which many generations later produced Haman. These events reveal that failure to obey the word of God can have disastrous results which may not be seen for generations.

The clothing of the priests and their work are the primary subjects in this week’s Torah portion. This work takes place in the Tabernacle and one reads,

“And I shall dwell in the midst of the Children of Israel and I shall be to them God. And they shall know that I AM the Lord their God Who brought them out from the land of Egypt for dwelling in their midst, I AM the Lord their God.” Exodus 29:45-46

It is clear that the work of the priests relates to the Lord’s presence and His glory being experienced by the Children of Israel. This intimacy that the Lord offers to the people should be our utmost desire. Even though the work of the priests is necessary for this intimacy to be realized, there is another important element that is required. This element is redemption. Redemption is foundational for a relationship with the Lord and one experiencing His Presence. The concept of redemption is found in the text in the words, “…I AM the Lord their God Who brought them out from the land of Egypt…” The Exodus from Egypt should rightly be understood as redemption. It is this reason why Passover is called the Festival of Redemption. Messiah Jesus laid down His life on the 14th day of Nissan, i.e. Passover, to be our redemption. Once again, it is through redemption that one has the potential to experience true intimacy with God.

In the same way that the Exodus from Egypt only gave the Children of Israel a potential to experience intimacy with the Lord, the work of the priests was also a necessary component. So too does the believer today have to serve and obey the instructions of the Lord in order to experience the intimacy with God by means of the Holy Spirit Who dwells in the believer, like the Presence of the Lord dwelt in the Tabernacle.