186IMMERSE•CHRONICLESAnother critical event in the Exodus occurs when God’s personal presence comes down and inhabits the Tabernacle (a great tent set up at thecenter of Israel’s camp). This Tabernacle becomes God’s house in the midstof his people and is filled with symbols of the earth and sky. It is thus a miniature picture of the cosmos, revealing God’s desire to cleanse and renewthe whole creation and to make his home with us here once again.God is present with his people in their new land, keeping the promiseshe made through Moses. But Israel struggles to honor its covenantal obligations. Throughout the story of Israel, the nation turns away from God againand again. This breakdown threatens the covenant itself. God is committedto working through his people. So if they fail, then his restoration projectcannot move forward.But this story is full of God’s surprises. Along the way, God establishes afurther covenant with Israel’s king David. God assures David of a dynasty ofkings on which the promises and hopes of Israel will be concentrated. Thedestiny of Israel as the beginning of God’s new humanity is now focusedhere.However, the people of Israel persist in rejecting God’s covenant—worshiping idols, inflicting injustice on the poor, and looking out only forthemselves. In anger and frustration, God finally intervenes. He exiles hispeople from their own land and withdraws his presence from them. Othersnow rule over Abraham’s family, and Israel’s role in the divine drama seemsto have disappeared. A key biblical truth is revealed here: There can be norenewal, for Israel or the wider world, until evil and wrongdoing are dealtwith. Judgment is part of setting things right.The failure of Israel is critical for the overall Story. Israel was called to bethe means by which God saves the world, but now the rescue party itselfneeds rescuing. Everything God intended for his people—indeed, for theentire creation—now seems in doubt.God sees everything that has gone wrong. But wrongdoing, violence,and death will not get the last word—not in God’s Story. He has anotherpromise. Through his prophets, God brings a vision of a new future, onealigned with his founding purpose. He will establish a new covenant, onethat completes and surpasses all the covenants that came before. Godhimself will return to his people and restore them. They will be the lightthey were always meant to be. So the people wait—praying, worshiping,longing—for one more promise to come true.4. The Story of Messiah JesusBy the first century ad, Israel had been suffering under foreign rule forcenturies. Now subjugated by the Roman Empire, God’s people are divided about what to do. Zealous factions advocate violent rebellion. ManyImmerseChronicles_NLT.indd 1866/21/2017 10:01:42 AM
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