One Of Life's Great Questions
John Rockhold III
There he sits, his elbow on his knee, his head resting in his hand. Weather comes and goes … time passes by … still he sits … thinking, pondering, considering some great thought. While not claiming to be “The Thinker,”* may we examine what I believe are two great, challenging, consuming, and connected thoughts. Both thoughts have overwhelming consequences for mankind.
God began man’s existence with a personal, persistent, and powerful interconnection. God determined to have an intimate relationship with the zenith of His creation. When sin placed a gulf between Him and man, it was God who did the seeking. It was God who sought to heal the wound. Continuing His campaign of reconciliation, God worked with and through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
By providential care, Joseph preserved Jehovah’s people and promise until – from that one, Abraham’s seed – He called a nation. By miracles and plagues, Jehovah rescued His chosen people and led them by His hand to the land of promise. Over and over, the children of Israel rebelled against the Lord. They sought idols; they demanded a king; they wanted to be like their neighbors; and they wanted to rely on themselves.
In these circumstances, Solomon built a temple in Jerusalem, dedicated to the God of heaven and earth. The wisest man who ever lived poised one of the great questions, “But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth?” (2 Chronicles 6:18). With clouds and glory, God thundered the answer from heaven. Yes, I will. I will dwell with man! (2 Chronicles 6:13; 7:1).
However, while there was a grand and glorious display of His power and might, the best was yet to come. Following a four hundred year period of silence, the cry of a baby in Bethlehem broke the silence and proclaimed a message echoed by the angels to the shepherds, “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11).
John the apostle, while omitting a birth narrative, opened his gospel with a concept that God will dwell among men when he wrote, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us ...” (John 1:14). In the same chapter, John the Baptist declared to his disciples, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
The answer to the question, “Will God dwell among men?” is a resounding “Yes!” Jesus, the God-man, will not only dwell among men, but His purpose and His mission are to take away the sins of the world. Those are my sins and your sins. What wonderful news! This fact is worthy of my thought, my time, my talent (energy, feeling, mind, and spirit) – my total being. Jesus can save me from myself and sin: both of which are devastating to my soul. –1601 24th St., Parkersburg, WV 26101. 304-488-7041. jrockholdiii@gmail.com
* “The Thinker,” is a nineteenth century sculpture by Auguste Rodin of France. -Editor.