exodus – Dancing In The Kingdom

Dancing in the Kingdom- Table of Contents

Dancing In the Kingdom – Part 3 – Dancing in the Kingdom– Chapter 17 – Finding our place

Relation to Yahweh

[Bible references: Exodus 6:1-6; 1 Corinthians 13:12]

Most English translations of the Bible obscure a very significant relationship. In Exodus 6, the Creator revealed himself to Moses as Yahweh for the first time in history. Our translations mask the personal nature of the name when they translate that name with the title, LORD. However, if when reading the Old Testament replacing the word LORD with the name, Yahweh, we will discover, particularly in the Psalms, a very personal relationship between us and Yahweh.

Not only is God not some impersonal force but He is a person with whom we can have a relationship. In fact, He created us to have a special relationship with Him. As such, the meaning of our lives cannot be found solely within ourselves as if we were isolated creatures or self-contained universes. We are image-bearers of Yahweh, the person who is a community, we are designed to be people in community. And since we are created as an outpouring of the love that was shared between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we should outpour that very same love in our relationship with Yahweh and with each other.

We were created to be co-creators with Yahweh. Not that we have the same kind of powers, but we can use the materials and abilities He has supplied for us to create families, cities, nations, art, tools, and many other types of things. It was intended that our creations would glorify Him.

We know that we are not able to love Yahweh in the same way He loves us. Firstly, He is the Creator, and we are the creatures. Secondly, ever since our Rebellion, we were born in a corrupt state with a tendency to rebel against our Creator. Therefore, to discover the meaning of our lives, we need to search out the essence of the love of Yahweh toward us. In Chapter 15, we explored the various spiritual disciplines which could be helpful in guiding us in the search of who Yahweh is and how he loves us.

Even though our rebellion against Yahweh has harmed our relationship with Him, he continues to love us and has made provision for our relationship with Him to be restored. It is also because of his love, that he has had great patience to endure our constant rebelling and he is constantly working to draw us back to him. Our relationship with Yahweh does not require us to do great things or to do sufficient good things to outweigh the bad things we do. We “merely” need to be born again, to have his Spirit join with our spirit. When we are born of the Spirit, that is when we are born again, then we are not only image-bearers, but children of our heavenly Father. And one day, we will know him fully even as we are fully known by Him.

Observe

Read Exodus 6:1-6. What is the difference between knowing God as “God Almighty” (El Shaddai) vs. “Yahweh?”

Biblical eras

The following table provides a quick outline of the different periods of history covered in the Bible and can serve as a guide as you read different sections of the Bible. The table is followed by a brief outline just a bit to help see the larger story whose details are filled out in the rest of the book.[1]

Biblical event	Summary
Creation	God dedicates the universe as His temple, a place for him to be with his people.
Sin	God created us in his image, which included the ability to freely love. But we freely to not love God with devastating consequences
Nations	God floods the world and restarts the human project. The beginning of nation forming.
Patriarchs	Out of all the nations, God chooses one nation through whom his people can be redeemed. The new nation, which is promised a land of their own, starts with the family line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
Exodus	God’s new nation begins its formation in Egyptian slavery and then leads them out to the land he promised them.
Judges	Once settled in the Promised Land, God raises up people to lead and administer justice
Kings	The people reject God’s kingship and demand human kings like the nations around them. Sin initially causes the kingdom to be split into two and further sin causes the two kingdoms to be sent into exile
Exile	The Northern kingdom is captured by and exiled into Assyria then disappears from history, leaders from the Southern kingdom are brought into Babylon. which is eventually overtaken by the Persians who allow the exiles to return home
Return from exile	Only some of the exilees return. Against opposition they attempt rebuild the temple and the wall around Jerusalem, but not to its previous splendor
Intertestament	There is a gap between the last inspired text written in the Old Testament and first inspired texts written for the New Testament
Gospels	God takes on human form in Jesus, grows up in Galilee, begins his ministry and then is executed and resurrected
Church	Upon receiving the Spirit, the apostles begin building the church
Missions	The church is scattered and begins spreading around the Roman Empire
End times	Jesus’ return and His restoration of the Kingdom

[1] For a more detailed timeline see Appendix E – Bible Timeline