God Dwells Among Us

A Biblical Theology of the Temple

G. K. Beale,Mitchell Kim, Benjamin L. Gladd

• Éditeur: IVP Academic
• Année: 2021
• ISBN:
  9780830855360
• Sujet: Teologia e religione
• Sous-sujet: Teologia cristiana

The temple has always been a source of rich scholarship and theological reflection, but what does it mean for the church's ongoing mission in the world? G. K. Beale and Mitchell Kim examine temple theology throughout Scripture, exploring how this theme relates to Christian life and witness today. From Eden to the new Jerusalem, they argue, we are God's temple on the earth, the firstfruits of the new creation.Now part of the ESBT series, God Dwells Among Us bridges biblical theology and the needs of the church. God has always desired to dwell among us; now the church must follow its missional call to extend the borders of God's kingdom and take his presence to the ends of the earth.Essential Studies in Biblical Theology (ESBT), edited by Benjamin L. Gladd, explore the central or "essential" themes of the Bible's grand storyline. Taking cues from Genesis 1-3, authors explore the presence of these themes throughout the entire sweep of redemption history. Written for students, church leaders, and laypeople, the ESBT offers an introduction to biblical theology.

Chapter One

Eden as a Temple

THE CONTEXT OF GENESIS 1–2

LONGING. We are creatures of longing. When we misdiagnose the object of this longing, then we become frustrated and disappointed. Our longings for relationship often get frustrated in conflict. Our longings for satisfaction get frustrated in discontent. Our longings for significance get frustrated by our own inadequacies. J. R. R. Tolkien diagnoses the roots of our longing: “We all long for [Eden], and we are constantly glimpsing it: our whole nature at its best and least corrupted, its gentlest and most humane, is still soaked with a sense of ‘exile.’”1 The longings of our hearts are frustrated from this exile, but these longings are properly satisfied in the dwelling place of God originally found in Eden. God’s presence in his dwelling place satiates our longings for relationship, satisfaction, and significance, and the opening chapters of Genesis show how God intended those longings to be properly satisfied—in Eden. God made us for himself as his images in the Garden-temple in Eden (Gen 1–2). God’s presence gives life and purpose in Eden, so we should not wonder that “our hearts are restless until they find their rest in [him].”2 In this chapter, we will explore how Eden is presented as a temple and dwelling place of God, satisfying our longings for life and purpose.

EDEN AS A DWELLING PLACE OF GOD

Eden is presented as a sanctuary and place where God dwells, as seen in Genesis 1–2 and the wider witness of the Old Testament.3 Even the seemingly casual mention of God “walking” in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:8) is rich with connotations that suggest God’s presence in the temple. In Leviticus 26, the Lord promises that he will “walk” among them and be their God (Lev 26:12). In Deuteronomy 23, the Lord commands the Israelites to keep their camp holy because he “walks” in the midst of their camp (Deut 23:14). When David plans to build a temple in 2 Samuel 7, the Lord reminds him that “I have been walking about in a tent [the tabernacle!] for my dwelling” (2 Sam 7:6, translation altered). In a similar manner, the Lord is “walking” in Eden (Gen 3:8) because Eden itself was the temple and dwelling place of God.

More explicitly, Ezekiel calls Eden a temple, referring to it as “the garden of God . . . the holy mountain of God” containing “sanctuaries” (Ezek 28:13-14, 16, 18). “Mountain” and “sanctuaries” are both references elsewhere to the temple.4 Ezekiel also speaks of an Adam-like person in Eden wearing bejeweled clothing like a priest (Ezek 28:13, alluding to Ex 28:17-20) whose sin profanes the sanctuaries and causes him to be cast out (Ezek 28:17-18).5 Therefore, the Garden of Eden is most explicitly called a temple with an Adam-like figure as its priest in Ezekiel 28:18.

A number of other lines of evidence help us see Eden as the first temple. The ark in the Holy of Holies, which contained the Law (which led to wisdom), echoes the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (which also led to wisdom). Both the touching of the ark and the partaking of the tree’s fruit resulted in death. The entrance to Eden was from the east (Gen 3:24), just as the entrance to the temple was from the east (e.g., Ezek 40:6). Both Eden and the temple are characterized by the holy presence of God that brings wisdom.

God’s presence in Eden is associated with images of life and purpose found in the Garden. The imagery in Eden paints a compelling picture of the satisfaction of basic human desires in God’s presence. For example, the desire for life is satisfied by the waters of the river of life and the fruit of the tree of life. The need for purpose is fulfilled in Adam’s priestly call to work and keep the Garden-temple (Gen 2:15; see Num 18:5). Parallels between Eden and the tabernacle/temple further demonstrate that our desire for life and purpose are properly satisfied in God’s presence.

EDEN AND THE LONGING FOR SATISFACTION:
THE TREE AND RIVER OF LIFE

In the concise narrative of Genesis 2, six verses describe the tree of life and the river flowing out of Eden (Gen 2:9-14). Is sacred Scripture “wasting” precious space here? In actuality such seemingly trivial details, easily skipped by a hasty reader, brim with the significance of life found in the presence of God. The verdant imagery of Eden, especially its trees and rivers, reflects abundant life in God’s presence, and this verdant imagery is mirrored in the later tabernacle and temple.

The tree of life. Gen 2:9: “And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” The “tree of life” stood in the middle of the Garden, and the fruit of this tree would give life forever (Gen 3:22). Why? Proverbs 3 shows us that God’s wisdom is compared to the “tree of life” and that his wisdom shines light on the paths of life and peace for God’s people (Prov 3:16-18). Similarly, in the tabernacle and temple this “tree of life” served as the model for the lampstand outside the Holy of Holies, since the presence of God would shine light on the paths of life for his people. This lampstand looked like a small tree trunk with seven protruding branches with flowering almond blossoms (Ex 25:31-40; 37:17-24), a picture of the life-giving fruitfulness that is found in God’s presence.6

Abundant life is seen not only in the tree itself but also in the verdant imagery of the Garden, since “out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food” (Gen 2:9). Solomon’s temple also abounds with such verdant imagery (1 Kings 6:18, 29, 32, 35; 7:18-20).7 The end-time temple overflows with life, as trees of life grow on the banks of the river of life to bring healing for the nations (Ezek 47:12; Rev 22:2; see discussion below). The abundance of life found in the Garden paints a picture of the abundance found in the tabernacling presence of God. God’s presence overflows with life.

The river of life.

Gen 2:10-14: A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

A seemingly incidental reference to a river flowing out of Eden also reminds us of the abundant life flowing from the presence of God. This river in Eden gives life to the many trees growing on its banks, including the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life (Gen 2:10, 17; 3:24). This water flows out of Eden to water the Garden before flowing outward to give life to the rest of the earth and places where nations would reside (Gen 2:10-14). Similarly, in later depictions of the temple, a river flows with trees of life on its banks. In Ezekiel 47, a river flows from below the threshold of the temple with trees on the banks of both sides. The waters of this river make seawater fresh (Ezek 47:8), give life to creatures (Ezek 47:9), and cause leaves of healing to blossom on the trees of its banks (Ezek 47:12). In Revelation, a river flows in the new Jerusalem, with “the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month,” and “the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Rev 22:1-2). This river flows from the presence of God (“from the throne of God and of the Lamb”) outward to bring life to the surrounding nations.

This river of life abounding with God’s presence flows from the inmost place of God’s presence outward into the nations. In the temple, God’s holiness is supremely manifest in the Holy of Holies and spreads outward to the Holy Place and then the outer court, where all Israel could assemble for worship, and which symbolized, as we will see, the whole world. In the eschatological temple, the river flows from the Holy of Holies into the temple courts and then the nations outside (Ezek 47:1; Rev 22:1). In Eden, the river flows from God’s presence in Eden into the Garden and then the rest of the earth, where nations would eventually reside (Gen 2:10-14). A gradation of holiness is seen in Eden and the temple as the presence of God increases from the innermost place of Eden/Holy of Holies outward to the earth and the lands where nations would live.

As a result, this gradation of holiness is evident in the parallels between Eden and the temple. Just as the Holy Place contained the lampstand, shaped like the tree of life, and the bread of the presence to sustain the priests, so the Garden of Eden is the place of the tree of life (Gen 2:8-9) and provides food to sustain Adam (Gen 2:16). Just as the outer court of Israel’s second temple provided a place for the nations to come, so the land and seas to be subdued by Adam outside the Garden are the nations of Cush and Assyria (Gen 2:13-14); though, of course, these lands were not yet populated with peoples.8 The parallels can be seen in figure 1.1.

Figure 1.1

Since the river of life flows from God’s presence into the lands of nations, so our mission to the nations must flow from the life found in God’s presence. When the source of our commitment to mission is located only in the backwaters of our idealism, then we can burn out and become bitter. Many idealistically plunge headlong into a sacrificial commitment to the poor or unreached or hurting, compelled by brokenness over their plight, but the resources of that idealism run dry when tested by the challenges of costly obedience. However, when our resources run dry, we drink more fully and deeply from the abundance of life found in God’s presence. Our God gives joy and strength to endure! The life that we find in God’s presence is more than enough to overcome every challenge for the mission God has placed before us. However, life must clearly flow from God’s presence into the needs of the nations, and the needs of the nations must drive us to drink more fully from the life found in God’s presence.

Just outside the Garden, the river is surrounded with land that abounds with good gold, bdellium, and onyx stone (Gen 2:12). Each of these marks life in the presence of God. “Pure gold, like clear glass” covers the temple (Rev 21:18, 21), just as the sacred furniture in the tabernacle was made of gold. Poli...