He has laid waste his dwelling like a garden; he has destroyed his place of meeting. Lamentations 2:6a
I was struck recently by this verse in Lamentations. It is in the middle of the long, sad account of the taking captive of the people of God and the destruction of Solomon's Temple. What intrigued me was the pairing of the two ideas: a garden as God's dwelling and the Temple as his place of meeting.
The Garden of Eden was God's place of meeting with Adam and Eve, and where He dwelt and walked with them. Later the Tent of Meeting, in the desert and after, was like a portable "garden" and place where God met with man. Even in the tent God designed hints of the garden meeting place. God directed them to make the lampstand – the light of his Presence – in the shape of flowers.
They made the lampstand of pure gold. They hammered out its base and shaft, and made its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. Exodus 37:17
After that, the temple that Solomon built by God's design was decorated with carved flowers, pomegranates and palm trees echoing the Garden. But that didn't work out either. Men continued to reject God and turn away from him for idols of their own making, so that temple was destroyed. Yet another was built and later expanded by Herod. But this temple also was polluted with greed and cruel legalism. And when Jesus came to it, he cleansed it, but he also prophesied its destruction.
Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it 'a den of robbers.'" Matthew 21: 12-13
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." Matthew 24:1-2
And it was destroyed, just as he said, and its treasures carted away by the Romans. Yet God's passion did not waver. In his mercy and grace, he did not give up on a meeting place. Jesus said the meeting place would be called a house of prayer. Jesus demonstrated himself as a "house of prayer" while here on earth.
"When our Lord was compassed with the weakness of flesh He was much in prayer … The occasions recorded are very numerous; but these are no doubt merely a few specimens of a far greater number. Jesus was habitually in prayer; He was praying even when His lips did not utter a sound. His heart was always in communion with the Great Father above." -- Charles Spurgeon, Our Sympathizing High Priest
Jesus came to make a way back to the meeting place, to the place where we could be always in communion with the Father. By his death on the cross Jesus made the way, became the Way. When he took his last breath on the cross the curtain hiding the Mercy Seat, the place of meeting, was torn in two. But the goal was always another Temple, and that Temple is being built from living stones.
… you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5
So now, you who long for the Presence, the meeting place is you and me. Now our hearts can be the Garden, the Temple, the meeting place.
Yes Lord! Let my heart be always in communion with you, Father, even when my lips do not utter a sound! I pray that you would dwell within me through your Holy Spirit. Come and let us walk together in your garden!
Come into your garden, my love; taste its finest fruits. Song of Solomon 4:16b (NLT)
I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. Friends Eat, friends, and drink; drink your fill of love. Song of Solomon 5:1
For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." 2 Corinthians 6:16b
How to become God's meeting place.
Linocut by Sheila Bair
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