S4: Week 14 Day 4: Connecting Exodus 40:34-38 & John 1:10-14

Summary

A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace

Episode: Season 4, Week 14, Day 4: Connecting Exodus 40:34-38 & John 1:10-14
Release Date: April 3, 2025
Hosts: Beth and Alexa from The Daily Grace Co.

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Introduction to the Episode

In this episode of "A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace," hosts Beth and Alexa guide listeners through the intricate connections between the Old and New Testaments, specifically focusing on Exodus 40:34-38 and John 1:10-14. This episode is part of Season 4, which follows the "Christ in All of Scripture" reading plan, aiming to demonstrate how every part of the Bible points to Jesus Christ.

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Exploring the Central Theme: God's Dwelling with His People

Beth opens the discussion by setting the stage for the episode’s focus on God’s desire to dwell among His people. She outlines the study's objective: to explore how Jesus Christ fulfills the Old Testament's portrayal of God's presence.

Key Quote:

"Each week we will dive deeply into two passages of Scripture, one from the Old Testament and one from the New, seeing how they connect and point to Jesus."
— Beth [00:00]

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Jesus as the Fulfillment of God's Dwelling

Alexa takes the lead in delving into the scripture passages. She emphasizes that John 1:14 reveals Jesus as the incarnation of the Word, who made God’s presence tangible by taking on human flesh. This act of becoming human allowed Jesus to live among the people without the barriers that previously existed due to sin.

Key Insights:

• Jesus’ Incarnation: By becoming flesh, Jesus fulfilled God’s plan to dwell intimately with His people, overcoming the separation caused by sin.
• Contrast with Moses: Unlike Moses, who could not enter the tabernacle due to God's overwhelming glory (Exodus 40:34-38), Jesus could freely interact with and touch people, symbolizing a new kind of divine presence.

Notable Quote:

"Jesus walked amongst people without any limitations. Through Jesus, God was able to be truly with his people."
— Alexa [00:49]

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The Continuity of God's Plan from Genesis to Eternity

Beth further expands the discussion by tracing the narrative from Genesis through Exodus to the New Testament. She highlights the fall of man in Genesis 3:8 and how it disrupted the direct relationship between God and humanity. However, God's unwavering plan to restore this relationship culminates in Christ.

Key Points:

• Genesis to Exodus: Adam and Eve’s sin introduced separation from God, yet God's presence remained symbolically present (“the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden”).
• Tabernacle as a Foreshadowing: The tabernacle represented God’s temporary dwelling among His people, pointing forward to the ultimate dwelling through Jesus.

Key Quote:

"God had a plan to restore his relationship with mankind and to be with his people again. And we see that plan fulfilled through Christ."
— Beth [02:09]

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Symbolism of Tents and Eternal Dwelling

The conversation shifts to the symbolic language connecting tents in the Old Testament to Jesus’ role in the New Testament. Alexa reveals an enlightening connection between the Hebrew word for "dwell" (שכן, shaken) and "tabernacle," which also means "to pitch a tent."

Key Insights:

• Tabernacle and Dwell: The tabernacle, a tent, signified God's temporary dwelling. Jesus, as the ultimate tabernacle, signifies God's eternal and unbounded presence with humanity.
• Eternal Perspective: This connection not only ties God's past interactions with His people to the present but also points forward to the future eternity where God will dwell with His people permanently.

Notable Quote:

"The word 'dwell' means tabernacle, or to pitch a tent. How amazing is it that God established the tabernacle so that he could dwell in a tent... point forward to eternity, when God will fully dwell with his people forever."
— Alexa [03:01]

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Conclusion and Forward Look

As the episode wraps up, Beth and Alexa reflect on the depth of God's revelation through scripture and the significance of Jesus as the culmination of this divine narrative. They express anticipation for fully experiencing God's glory in eternity, as seen through the lens of the biblical story.

Closing Remarks:

"It's crazy to think about how God's plan of restoration has meant that he reveals Himself to his people more and more each time he acts in the world. I can only imagine how crazy it will be to see his glory fully revealed in eternity."
— Beth [03:47]

They encourage listeners to continue engaging with the study, hinting at practical applications in the following episodes.

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Additional Resources and Engagement

Beth and Alexa invite listeners to explore further resources available on thedailygraceco.com, including studies, journals, and other materials designed to deepen one’s love for God and His Word. They also promote their social media channels for ongoing encouragement and Bible study tools.

Final Quote:

"Be sure to check out our show notes for some helpful links and resources related to today's episode... We're looking forward to studying God's Word with you again tomorrow."
— Alexa [04:14]

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Key Takeaways

• Christ-Centered Scripture: Every part of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, points to Jesus Christ as the central figure.
• God’s Desire for Intimacy: Through Jesus’ incarnation, God achieves an unprecedented level of intimacy and presence with His people.
• Symbolic Continuity: The use of tents and tabernacles in the Old Testament serves as a foreshadowing of Jesus’ eternal dwelling with humanity.
• Restoration through Christ: Jesus embodies the fulfillment of God’s plan to restore the broken relationship caused by sin, bridging the gap between God and man.

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This episode eloquently ties together foundational biblical narratives, demonstrating the seamless thread of God’s redemptive plan through Jesus Christ. Whether you’re following the study independently or alongside the podcast, Beth and Alexa provide profound insights that enrich one’s understanding of scripture and the unifying presence of Christ throughout the biblical story.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to A Year in the Bible with daily Grace. This year, we want to spend a few minutes with you every day walking through our study Christ in All of Scripture. Each week we will dive deeply into two passages of Scripture, one from the Old Testament and one from the New, seeing how they connect and point to Jesus.

[B]

Whether you are doing the study yourself or just following along with us here, we are hopeful that through studying these passages each week, you will see how Christ is not only present throughout the entire biblical story, but but the center of it.

[A]

Hey, friends. Welcome back to another episode of A Year in the Bible. My name is Beth and I'm here with my co host, Alexa.

[B]

Hey everyone.

[A]

Today we are going to be making the Christ connection between Exodus 40, 34, 38 and John 1:1014. So, Alexa, could you start off our conversation about that?

[B]

Yeah. Yesterday we talked about how John 1:1014 and Exodus 40:34,38 speak to how God has dwelt with his people. But what we didn't talk about is how Jesus took on flesh so that he could dwell with his people. John 1:14 tells us that the word became flesh. The word is Jesus Christ, who became human to be with us. The Son of God fulfilled God's desire and plan to be present with his his people. And what is so amazing is that Jesus walked amongst people without any limitations. We saw in Exodus 40:34 through 38 that Moses couldn't enter into the tabernacle because of God's glory within it. You know, there was a clear boundary because of sin. But when Jesus took on flesh, he walked and talked with people and he touched people. And so through Jesus, God was able to be truly with his people, which fulfills the words of Isaiah 7:14 of the virgin giving birth to a son who will be named Emmanuel, which Matthew 1:23 tells us means God with us.

[A]

So through Jesus, God has come to dwell with his people like never before, not only in their midst, but as a human himself. That's so cool. Can you say more about how the whole story of God and his people has been leading to this moment?

[B]

Yeah. If we go back to Genesis, we see that Adam and Eve were in a perfect relationship with God without the presence of sin, there was nothing that separated them from God. After Adam and Eve sinned. It says in Genesis 3:8, then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze. Now that's likely using figurative language since God is spirit, but still, that language communicates intimate presence. But God goes on to give consequences for their sin, one of them being that they are removed from this intimate presence and cast out of the garden. Even so, God had a plan to restore his relationship with mankind and to be with his people again. And we see that plan fulfilled through Christ.

[A]

So while God was dwelling with his people in the garden and through the tabernacle, this time his presence has come even more fully and intimately through his human flesh.

[B]

Yes, exactly. And I love how the study day today made the connection with the language of tents. In Exodus 40, 34, 38, we read about the tabernacle, which was a tent. And then the word dwell that we see In John 1:10, 14 means tabernacle, or to pitch a tent. I don't. I don't remember when I learned that for the first time, but I do remember my mind just being blown by that. Like, how amazing is it that God established the tabernacle so that he could dwell in a tent? Also that he could point forward to Jesus, who would one day come to earth and tabernacle with his people, which also not only points us back to God's presence with his creation before the fall, but also forward to eternity, when God will fully dwell with his people forever.

[A]

That's amazing. It's crazy to think about how God's plan of restoration has meant that he reveals Himself to his people more and more each time he acts in the world. I can only imagine how crazy it will be to see his glory fully revealed in eternity. Well, thank you all for joining us today. We have one more day to think about all of these passages, so join us tomorrow as we discuss what it looks like to apply what we have learned this week. Bye.

[B]

Thank you for listening to today's episode of A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace. Be sure to check out our show notes for some helpful links and resources related to today's episode. And make sure you're following Daily Grace Podcast and hedaily Grace Co on Instagram for more Bible study resources and encouragement. We're looking forward to studying God's Word with you again tomorrow. Bye, friends.