SERMON: JOEL 3:1-3 - HUMANITY'S DEMISE - THE TUMBLING OF JUDAH'S ENEMIES - PART 1

 

Sermon: Humanity's Demise - The Tumbling Of Judah's Enemies - Part 1

Audio: SermonAudio

Video: SermonAudio

Text: Joel 3:1-3

Slides: 

Series: Joel

BOOK SUMMARY: FROM EDEN TO THE NEW JERUSALEM - CHAPTER 2B: PAGES 20-42 - FROM THE SACRED GARDEN TO HOLY CITY: EXPERIENCING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

THE TEMPLE-GARDEN OF EDEN

The Garden of Eden is portrayed in the opening chapters of Genesis as a divine sanctuary. It is the place where God dwells and man worships Him. Features in the garden are also found later in the tabernacle and temple but the garden is an archetype or the perfect situation which is later replicated but not fully realized due to sin. It might even be better said that the Eden is the temple and the garden is attached to Eden. Notice the similarities between the Garden of Eden and later sanctuaries.

• Eden and sanctuaries were guarded and entered from the east (Genesis 3:24; Numbers 3:38).
• The tree of life was in the garden and the menorah was in the sanctuaries (Genesis 2:9; Exodus 25:31-40).
• Adam was to work the garden and keep it. The same Hebrew words are only found together in reference to priests and their duties in the sanctuary (See Genesis 2:15; Numbers 3:7-8).
• Gold and onyx are mentioned in the garden and used to decorate the sanctuaries (Genesis 2:11-12; Exodus 25:7,11).
• The Lord walks in the garden and the sanctuary (Genesis 3:8; Leviticus 26:11-12). 
• A river flows from Eden and the future Jerusalem temple (Genesis 2:10; Ezekiel 47:1-12).
• The Garden of Eden and temple are described as being on mountains (Ezekiel 28:13-14; Isaiah 2:3).

Since Adam and Eve met with God face-to-face, it can be said that they had a priestly status in the garden which was a prototype for later dwelling places for God. Eden is the starting place for God's long-term plan. The fact that God called mankind to fill the earth with image bearers and that He rested after this on the seventh day shows us that God intended the entire earth to be a temple where humanity dwelled with Him. The Garden of Eden was meant to expand and cover the earth. The New Jerusalem in Revelation is the culmination of God's plan. 

Adam listened to the serpent, sinned and lost His priestly role. Through hardship Adam could only work the ground at this point. The cherub took over Adam's job of guarding the temple-garden as a holy place. Adam was kicked out of the garden and excluded from God's holy presence. This idea is carried over into priestly work where priests guard the tabernacle and temple on the east side to prevent anyone from entering the Most Holy Place. 

Mankind's ongoing sin perpetuates our problem. A hope is held out that one is coming who'd relieve humanity from their hard labor (Genesis 5:29).  As the evil of mankind grows, God destroys the world with a flood. Verbal links from Genesis 1 and Genesis 7-9 indicate that we are seeing a recreation of earth with Noah as a new Adam or head of humanity. In Genesis 1 and Noah's account we see waters covering the entire earth. We then see waters and being separated so that vegetation can grow and animal life can be supported. We see the same command to be fruitful and multiply and to fill the earth was given in the garden and in Genesis 9.  Adam and Noah had dominion over the animals.   As Adam sinned in the garden, Noah sinned in his vineyard. 

The story of humanity is repeating itself. Humanity pulls together and refuses to obey God's command to fill the earth. This is seen in the Tower of Babel account (Genesis 11). God confuses their language to cause people to disperse and fill the earth. In spite of all this, God is still on a lengthy pace to bring His plan to pass--to dwell with perfect image bearers on earth. 

THE TABERNACLE 

The construction of the tabernacle is the next step in God's plan to dwell with humanity on earth. But it begins with one nation.

Prior to the moveable tent (tabernacle) there were miniature forms of sanctuaries called altars. Sacrifices of worship were offered to God on these altars that are often connected with some sort of physical manifestation of God known as a theophany (Genesis 12:7-8; Genesis 35:1).  

As the process of God dwelling with humanity continues, He commission a special tent to be made for Him.  Features in the tabernacle are later repeated in the temple. A rectangular curtain barrier or "wall" was placed around the tabernacle. The exterior curtain could be entered from the east as one would enter the courtyard of the tabernacle.  Inside this exterior wall curtain was the tabernacle which was a large tent divided into two parts; the holy place and the most holy place. The first room of the tent was the Holy Place and was also entered from the east). Inside the Holy Place was the menorah, table of showbread and incense altar. These items for lighting, smell and food lead us to believe that someone lives here. The lavish decorations of gold and purple lead us to believe that it's someone of most importance.  The next and final room was the Most Holy Place. Inside the Most Holy Place was the Ark of the Covenant.  Inside the Ark was the Ten Commandments, some manna and Aaron's staff that budded.  In the ancient world, a chest was used as a footstool to the king's throne. Inside the footstool were treaties or covenants that the king made with other nations. Understood as a footstool, the Ark was the place were God set His feet as His throne from heaven touched earth. The tabernacles shows us God's continued plan to dwell with humanity on earth. Resemblances between the Garden of Eden and the tabernacle must be noted. The tabernacle is now associated with God's dwelling place on earth. It is frequently called His dwelling place (Exodus 25:8). Once the tabernacle was fully assembled, God's glory filled His dwelling place (Exodus 40:34-35).  His presence was then manifested by a cloud by day and fire by night as Israel journeyed to their promised land--their Eden-like land (Joel 2:3).   

That the Ark of the Covenant was God's footstool helps us to see that God was not confined to the tabernacle alone. The verbal cues in Proverbs 3:19-20 and Genesis 2:2-3 give us reason to believe that the tabernacle was a model of the cosmos.  As God used wisdom, understanding and knowledge to create all His works, so too, God gifted Bezalel with wisdom, understanding and knowledge to build the tabernacle and complete all the works associated with it. The tabernacle and temple are meant to remind humanity of God's original intent in creating earth and us. 

God stretched out the heavens like a tent (Psalm 104:2). Earth is described like a building with foundations and pillars (Psalm 75:3). As God's plan moves forward, we see a land of promise with Edenic fruitfulness.  But we see that Israel repeatedly fails to want to live with God as they choose to worship false gods instead. We are left wanting something more to come.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

1.  What new insights did you gain from this portion of the chapter?

2.  What seems to be the biggest hinderance in God's plan?

3.  How is your view of God altered knowing that He continues to move forward with His plan to dwell with humanity?

4.  As Adam and the priests were to keep God's dwelling place pure, does it help you to see your obligation to protect God's temple (the church) and to keep it pure? See 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; Ephesians 6:18-20).

5.  What are we to do in light of the fact that we now live with God and that, as priests, we can approach Him? See Hebrews 10:19-25

6.  How does this unifying theme help you to better understand other parts of Scripture and what is happening in the life of Israel in the Old Testament?

7.  Does this demystify some of the details surrounding the Ark or the Temple?

8.  Knowing what you know so far, why would basins for cleansing and sacrifices be needed in the temple work that priests were to do?