Created to Draw Near E-Book

Edward T. Welch

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Seitenzahl: 235

Beschreibung

You are a royal priest. That Reality Will Change Your Life Human beings are wired for connection. We long for deep relationships and real intimacy—both of which reflect our fundamental desire to be close to God. But all too often, whether because of our sin or our failures, we imagine that God prefers to keep his distance. In this book, Edward T. Welch shows us the purpose for which we were created: to be brought near to God as a kingdom of priests. He traces the priestly identity throughout the entire Bible, showing us how holiness leads to closeness to God. Through the blood of Jesus, God extends his invitation for all to draw near with open arms. And in his presence, we discover what it means to be truly human: known, unashamed, and wise, full of meaning, purpose, and abundant life.

Leseprobe

Thank you for downloading this Crossway book.

Sign-up for the Crossway Newsletter for updates on special offers, new resources, and exciting global ministry initiatives:

Crossway Newsletter

Or, if you prefer, we would love to connect with you online:

“Scripture is a strange book that tells a different story about who we are. It feels strange to hear that priesthood is a key theme of our identity in this life, so full of work stress, broken relationships, and personal failure. But Welch shows us that being near to God, secured by the priestly work of our Lord Jesus Christ, is what we were made for. This book will help you see yourself in this strange, wonderful light.”

Jeremy Pierre, Lawrence and Charlotte Hoover Associate Professor of Biblical Counseling; Chair, Department of Biblical Counseling and Family Ministry, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; author, The Dynamic Heart in Daily Life and God with Us: A Journey Home

“You have your grace books and your older holiness books. At times, they exist in two different worlds. Not for Ed Welch. In a book full of rich insights that link the Old and New Testaments, Welch paints a picture of holiness and intimacy with God that makes you want to be holy. He widens our view of holiness, working to craft it into a vision of beauty. You’ll want to obey after reading this book.”

Paul Miller, Executive Director, seeJesus; author, A Praying Life and J-Curve

“There is no greater human longing than for relational intimacy. This is because we are created for intimacy with our Creator and others. Sin destroys this intimacy, and the gospel restores it. The best news we will ever hear is that the perfectly holy God invites us into table fellowship as his adopted children. By faith every believer has full access as priests to boldly approach the throne of grace. Ed Welch offers great help in understanding these astounding results of the finished work of our Great High Priest. I hope this book has a great influence in encouraging God’s people to seize our priestly privileges in Christ.”

K. Erik Thoennes, Professor and Chair of Theology, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University; Elder of Congregational Life, Grace Evangelical Free Church, La Mirada, California

“‘You are a royal priest. That reality will change how you live.’ With this huge claim, Ed Welch introduces Created to Draw Near. I wanted to be persuaded, but I was doubtful. My doubts have now been blown away. How did I not see the significance and influence of this truth before? This book will indeed change the way you live by changing your view of God, yourself, and the gospel.”

David Murray, Professor of Old Testament and Practical Theology, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary

“I treasure Ed Welch’s writings. I don’t know another counselor who can write a book like this—Ed has built for us a rich biblical theology of God’s presence. Created to Draw Near helped me to understand my Old Testament better, and it grew my love for Jesus as Savior and High Priest of my soul.”

Deepak Reju, Pastor of Biblical Counseling and Family Ministry, Capitol Hill Baptist Church; author, On Guard and The Pastor and Counseling

“When some writers and preachers today suggest that the gospel is only about forgiveness, Ed Welch reminds us that it is also good news that God brings us into a life of holiness.”

Gerald McDermott, Anglican Chair of Divinity and Director of the Institute of Anglican Studies, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University

Created to Draw Near

Other Crossway books by Edward T. Welch

Caring for One Another: 8 Ways to Cultivate Meaningful Relationships (2018)

Side by Side: Walking with Others in Wisdom and Love (2015)

Created to Draw Near

Our Life as God’s Royal Priests

Edward T. Welch

Created to Draw Near: Our Life as God’s Royal Priests

Copyright © 2020 by Edward T. Welch

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Jeff Miller, Faceout Studios

Cover image: Shutterstock #1286471500

First printing 2020

Printed in the United States of America

Unlessotherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AT are the author’s translation.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB have been taken from The Holman Christian Standard Bible®. Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are from The Message. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-6638-7 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-6641-7 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-6639-4 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-6640-0

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Welch, Edward T., 1953- author.

Title: Created to draw near : our life as God’s royal priests / Edward T. Welch.

Description: Wheaton : Crossway, 2020. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019019519 (print) | ISBN 9781433566387 (tp)

Subjects: LCSH: Priesthood, Universal. | Identity (Psychology)–Religious aspects–Christianity.

Classification: LCC BT767.5 .W45 2020 (print) | LCC BT767.5 (ebook) | DDC 234–dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019019519

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019980346

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2019-12-12 10:04:23 AM

To

Ruby  Adelaide

Weston  Alden

Jasper  Jack

Penny  Lucy

Each of you, an inspiration

Contents

Introduction: Longing for Closeness

Part 1 Our Past

Eden

 1  In the Garden of God

 2  In God’s Image

 3  Not Yet Dressed

 4  Discern Right from Wrong

 5  An Intruder

 6  Discernment Lost

 7  Life Outside the Most Holy Place

Israel

 8  Sanctuaries and Ladders

 9  Jacob

10  Moses

11  A Nation of Priests

12  Holy

13  A Meal with God

14  In God’s House

15  Priests Clothed

16  Job Descriptions

17  Priests at Work

18  “Be Holy as I Am Holy”

19  In God’s Courtroom

20  A Tumultuous Interlude

Part 2 Jesus Our Tabernacle

21  The Holy One Descends

22  Jesus Our Passover Lamb

23  Interrupted by a Wedding

24  Jesus the Temple

25  Jesus the High Priest

26  Believe

27  Descending Further

28  The Lamb Slain

29  Jesus Ascends, the Spirit Descends

Part 3 Almost Truly Human

30  Priests in Plain Clothes

31  Priests Descend and Ascend

32  Saints

33  Shining Faces

34  Living Stones, Flowing Fountains

35  Enter In

36  Be Sent Out

37  Walking Uphill

38  The High Priest Prays for You

Epilogue

Notes

General Index

Scripture Index

Will God indeed dwell with man on the earth?1

Let everyone, therefore, who knows himself to be a Christian,

be assured of this, that we are all equally priests.2

The proper condition of creatures, is to keep close to God.3

Introduction

Longing for Closeness

Our independent streak runs deep. Our desire for closeness runs deeper.

A baby stops crying when held.Children want to be part of a group and have a best friend.Face-to-face always beats digital communication.To be truly known, with nothing to hide, and to truly know others is life at its best.Loneliness is the worst. Solitary confinement remains the most intolerable of punishments. Even a child’s short timeout can feel unbearable.When close to death, we want other people to be with us. No one wants to die alone.

The human condition is bent toward connection and closeness. We know that close relationships with other people are hard, and they can hurt us deeply, but we don’t give up. Even after being devastated we still hold out hope that a close relationship is possible. Substitutes for these relationships—things and activities—always fall short.


Go a little deeper, and we notice something similar even toward God. We might prefer him at a safe distance—a distant God makes fewer demands on us—but we want him close during trouble and might be frustrated when he seems quiet at such times, though we might have ignored him for months. Even atheists have their moments. Julian Barnes, in Nothing to Be Frightened Of, wrote of his attempt to face his fear of death, “I don’t believe in God, but I miss him.”4

To be close to God is certainly a human desire, but intimacy with someone you can’t see has its challenges, and intimacy when you feel a bit guilty is even more challenging. This intimacy, however, is the Christian hope, and we will not give up on it.

All this carries the stamp of our spiritual lineage: we are priests. God’s intent for humanity has been that we would live in his house and receive his divine hospitality.5 That is the mission of the priests—priests are near God. From that starting point, we will accumulate rich details. In his royal residence, which he declares is also our own, we are known, unashamed, at peace with each other, dressed in garments he himself tailored, ushered into a feast, and joined to him in communion that leaves us searching for words to describe. This priestly identity is a premiere way of understanding God’s people—all God’s people, male and female.

In order to enter in, Scripture must shape the priesthood for us because we all come with memories and images of priests—some good, some odd, some horrible. Many of us want to avoid priests who are wearing full regalia. They are different from the rest of us. When they are near, levity comes to an end, which suggests that God, too, opposes fun. They can use their authority for their own purposes, which poisons the entire priesthood and dishonors God. So we must understand ourselves as priests by how God identifies the priesthood rather than how we experience priests past and present.

Once you try on this identity, you will enjoy wearing it. Just imagine: the priests served in God’s house, knew God close up, ate meals with him, and enjoyed his presence. When they circulated among the people, they had the enviable job of pronouncing a blessing over them:

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. (Num. 6:24–25)

What’s not to like? And this is just for starters.

You are a royal priest. That reality will change how you live.

Part 1

Our Past

Eden

God

Heaven

Temple

Near

Eden

Earth

Humanity

1

In the Garden of God

A natural way to follow the priestly story is to look for tabernacles and temples. This is where priests worked, and this is where God came near. In Israel’s history, thetabernacle was God’s portable tent, assembled during the wilderness years. The temple refers to the stationary dwelling of God in Jerusalem that came later. They both identify God’s house on earth.

Figure 1 illustrates the layout of the original tabernacle. It consisted of an enclosed, two-room tent with an outer courtyard. The innermost room of the tent was the Most Holy Place, and this was where humanity came closest to the Lord. It was designed as a 15 foot by 15 foot square (4.5 meters). If you include the covering, it was a perfect cube. It was God’s throne room and the place of his presence. Access was restricted to one visit a year by the high priest. The adjacent room, with its less than perfect rectangular design (15 feet by 30 feet), was entered daily by one of the priests who cared for a lamp and an altar that burned incense. Outside the tent was an open courtyard, which was always a buzz of activity. Surrounding all this were heavy curtains 7 feet high, 75 feet wide, and 150 feet long.

Figure 1 The Wilderness Tabernacle (Exodus 25–30)

The problem is that the tabernacle doesn’t appear until later in Scripture’s unfolding story—around the time of Moses. Identities are forged at creation. So we look for times when God came near before the tabernacle.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Gen. 1:1–2)

God’s realm is heaven, and man’s is earth, which is why the Spirit’s hovering over the waters is unexpected. Hovering implies closeness. Eagles hover over their young (Deut. 32:11). The gods of legends stayed in their abodes. The one true God, however, came close, and when he did, the life of heaven came to earth. It did in the beginning. It did when the Spirit “overshadowed” Mary (Luke 1:35). It did later when the Spirit descended on Jesus at his baptism (Luke 3:22). It does now. Apparently, heaven was never meant to contain the triune God. The movement between heaven and earth was always intended to be fluid.

What follows is the story of that movement between heaven and earth—God coming from his abode into our own, and we being brought into his. Here you will find priests. It is an intensely personal story of mutual engagement. The question is, How will the holy God come close to his unholy people, make them his own, and be with them in the most intimate of ways? It will happen. The hovering Spirit heralded what was to come.

Within Eden was a garden—lush, with no hint of death or unfruitful foliage. Everywhere there was rich, lively, almost-too-much-to-bear life. It could be no other way because this was the garden of God, the place where heaven and earth met. It was a “trysting place” more than a mere garden.6 Here God and humanity went for a walk. This was “the holy mountain of God” that later generations hoped to gather around and perhaps ascend (Ezek. 28:14). This was God’s house.

For the ancient Israelites the reference was clear: the garden was the first tabernacle, and humanity’s home was in the presence of God, in his Most Holy Place. The evidence is unmistakable (figure 2).7 Wherever God is, there is the tent of his dwelling.

Figure 2 The First Tabernacle in Eden (Genesis 2)

And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 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. A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. . . . The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (Gen. 2:8–10, 15)

The word garden itself suggests something enclosed and protected. It was set apart from everything else. The garden was in Eden. Eden was a larger demarcated area, and then there was the world beyond. The heavenly template for the tabernacle was already in view: the holy place (Eden) was near him; the Most Holy Place (the garden) was nearer.Since God is life, we can expect to see water close by. “A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers” (Gen. 2:10). These rivers appear again both in Ezekiel’s vision of the temple (Ezek. 47:1–12) and in John’s vision with “the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rev. 22:1).Humanity had a mission in this tabernacle—“to work it and keep it” (Gen. 2:15)—which is the same language used for the priests and Levites in Israel’s tabernacle. The priests were to serve and “keep guard” over it (Num. 1:53; 3:36). This means that humanity’s work in the garden was not restricted to gardening. Humanity was to maintain the temple grounds and also protect it from intruders.Among Eden’s foliage was the tree of life. It may have been the means by which the Lord actually gave his people lasting life. It was also designated as a symbol of the life we have in God’s presence. God always connects the life we can have in him with a sign. In the next version of the tabernacle, the tree will be a stylized version of itself, taking the form of a flowering lampstand (Ex. 25:31–34), merging the images of life and light. Later, in the final temple, the tree is no longer partitioned but is available through Jesus to all the nations and is intended for their healing (Rev. 22:1–2).

All this means that from the beginning, our everyday existence was intended to be lived out in the temple precincts. Our heritage is the royal priesthood. And since God’s purposes for us have never changed, you are a royal priest. You have a rich job description, and his Spirit is with you. God’s fellowship and hospitality have begun in earnest.

For now, imagine this priesthood as a walk with the Lord. He walked with man and woman in the garden. He continued to walk with unfaithful people in the wilderness and promised, “I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people” (Lev. 26:12). He desires that we be close. This certainly can erode old myths of God being far off and chronically disappointed with you.

Communion. Closeness. Heaven comes to earth, and our home is at the intersection of the two. This has been God’s plan for humanity, and he has done it.

Response

In keeping with the personal back-and-forth communication we can have with God himself, it seems natural to respond.

1.  There is a difference between being set loose in a nice garden and being placed close to God in his house on earth. What difference does that make for the way you tell your own story?

2.  You learn a lot about people by spending time in their house. As you enter this early house, the garden, what do you learn about the Lord?

2

In God’s Image

We are created in God’s own image.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (Gen. 1:26)

Never has so much been packed into one phrase. To bear his image is to be like him and have the capacity to grow in a relationship with him. Nearness, after all, is useless if there is not a similarity of one to the other. We can enjoy the presence of a dog or a cat, and pets can sometimes touch our loneliness, but a pet can’t replace someone of our own kind.

Animals, like all creation, reflect God’s glory and bear his likeness. There is something about their strength, their communities, and their unique abilities that point to God. Light, water, and rocks do the same. They reflect God’s glory and are like him in some way. Humanity, however, stands out. Whereas all subhuman creation reflects God, we are like him in every way a creature can be like him.

For those coming out of Egypt, the first to hear of this image bearing, the news was electric. They had heard that only Pharaoh imaged a god and had access to the gods; the rest were Pharaoh’s servants or slaves. But then an entire slave nation was told that they shared a unique connection to the God who is over all gods. As children are to the father, so they were to God. A “chip off the ol’ block”—that’s what “in the image” communicated. This familial connection was affirmed when the same language was used for Adam’s relationship with his offspring. “When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image” (Gen. 5:3).

We experience a likeness or kinship to God that uniquely qualifies us for a relationship with him. We can represent him to the world, we can participate in his purposes, and we can imitate him. Of all creation, we share the closest kinship with God, so we alone can know him and be known by him in the most intimate of ways. We alone can have back-and-forth communication that is reserved for personal relationships. Our connection is more intense. We, distinct from all else, can know his love and love him in return. We alone have the capacity to live in God and he in us—a reality that became central to the apostle Paul’s teaching. No wonder the psalmist identifies us as having been crowned with glory and honor (Ps. 8:5).

So, as it turns out, priests are the very offspring of God and share in his likeness. Our lineage is from heaven, which makes us hybrids of heaven and earth, though the scales tip in the direction of heaven. We are more connected to heaven than is the rest of creation. We are children priests or, since our Father is the king, we are royal priests who can enjoy his companionship as he actually enjoys ours.

From that Edenic home we—humanity—were sent out, as if our home were also a staging site for our priestly mission. There was much to do. The world beyond Eden was untamed, and we were called to claim it for the Lord, work it, and keep it. Our mission was to imitate him and represent him on earth. We are angled mirrors capable of reflecting his glory to the world, which assumes that we need his presence; otherwise there is nothing to reflect. With our eyes on him, we learn his ways and then imitate him.

Life giving captures it. Fruitful. Humanity blesses the earth and extends the life of God to its farthest reaches—“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28). This means that man’s purpose was to expand the boundaries of the garden and raise up new priests to represent the Lord throughout the earth. Later, the mission was summarized as “be holy, for I am holy” (e.g., Lev. 11:45)—this too identifies people as agents of life. Later still, Jesus supplanted it with the Great Commission: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). The New Testament writers simplify the Great Commission as a call to reflect and embody the love of Jesus. Heaven comes to earth through us,through Spirit-powered love. And in the midst of it all, we enjoy fellowship as we participate in God’s plans and are further brought into his love. This is life in its fullness.

Humanity was given a heady and noble mission indeed, one that would benefit from some experience and maturity. As a result, before heading farther east and carrying the Lord’s emblem to new lands, humanity needed to be readied by way of a little testing and training.

Response

1.  You can certainly be sobered by this revelation of being made in God’s image. It carries significant responsibilities. But for now, your task is to be elevated by it. You are the King’s offspring on earth—an identity filled with honor. This adds meaning to everything. In the details of life, you live out your royal calling. Are you lifted up by this? And how does this make a difference in daily life?

2.  Receiving abundant life and giving life are significant features of your story. Take some time to recognize it. When have you known life? When have you seen it in others? At this point in the biblical storyline, we can already anticipate that giving and receiving life will find its fullest expression in Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life.

3

Not Yet Dressed

The first priests were naked, at least for a time.

Young children seem to enjoy being naked. My daughter would babysit for a family whose children designated four to five o’clock every afternoon as “Naked Hour.” When I first heard this, I thought it odd until I realized that our children and our grandchildren had their own versions of it; they simply hadn’t inflicted it on babysitters. First, one three-year-old twin grandson took off some clothes, then the other, then both took off more until there was general hilarity.

The hilarity, however, is reserved for young children, not for adults. Scripture does not identify naked romps through Eden as ideal for humanity. God always intended to dress us, and as we grow up, most of us prefer wearing clothes. So as good as “naked and . . . not ashamed” (Gen. 2:25) might sound to some, the fact of it announced the need for clothing that would come with maturity.8 This, no doubt, is a relief to most of us.

When kings ascend to their thrones, they wear majestic garments. When priests were installed, they were invested with royal robes (Ex. 28). Think of how royal robes gave honor to Joseph (Gen. 41:42), Mordecai (Est. 6:8, 11), and even the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:22). Brides, too, participate in this tradition. With new status comes new clothes. Adam and Eve were in line for such honor. Their task was to grow in wisdom, and with wisdom would come investiture and robes of righteousness. All this would make humanity more accurate representatives and reflectors of God’s glory, and it would draw us even closer to him.

So beauty is part of the priestly package. If we are close to God, it can be no other way. At the time of Adam and Eve, man certainly had dignity and a kind of beauty because of their close connection with the beautiful one. But that beauty was to increase as man grew in wisdom and became properly dressed in garments tailored under God’s specific direction. Once given and altered slightly, they would even inspire a song:

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;

my soul shall exult in my God,

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;

he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isa. 61:10)

The path toward this beautification was straightforward: “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat” (Gen. 2:17). This was the way toward beauty, honor, and communion with God. Do this and truly live. The path man chose veered from this path, but the beautification project continued nonetheless because it did not rely on man’s obedience and best efforts but solely on God’s pursuit.

Response

1.  Imagine what this beautification means for your insecurities and shame. God dresses his people, and, with this clothing, we have nothing to hide. As the story unfolds, the priests are the first ones to be clothed, and much of what comes later are variations of royal priestly garments (e.g., Eph. 6:10–18). How has God clothed you? What difference does that make?

2.  You are a priest who is clothed, and you are a priest who is growing or maturing. The child becomes the adult, and the adult always has room for greater growth and maturity. How do you hope to grow? As we notice even in human relationships, the result is even more intimacy with the Lord.

4

Discern Right from Wrong

The two trees of