Heaven's KOA!

Psalm 61 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ⁴ I long to dwell in your tent forever
   and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.^[b] 5 For you, God, have heard my vows;
   you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

In the old testament, much of the nation of Israel lived out of tents. We have come a long way from living as desert wanderers, living out of tents, to the grand homes we live in today. But, if you remember even God lived in a tent! When God came to visit Moses and the Israelites, he went camping!

As the weather heads toward "camping weather", my excitement grows to go camping. I'm not really sure why I love camping so much. Camping is really a lot of work. Cooking over an open fire, dealing with unpredictable weather, and all sorts of critters, can be quite an adventure. A weekend camping trip in the rain can be miserable. But, I still love camping. I like to think more of the smells of clean air, the quite of the night, the sounds of the birds in the morning, and the slowness of the pace. Sleeping in a tent draws you closer to nature. You don't have the thick walls, the insulation and the isolation from what God has created. 

God might have thought the same thing. Maybe that's why he chose a tent when he visited the old testament believers. He wanted to be closer to his creation.  Just like he wants to be closer to us. He doesn't want anything to separate us from him. He doesn't want the walls and he hates the isolation. He even sent his son to destroy the sin that keeps us away from him. Now he has gone to prepare a place for us. He has prepared a mansion with many rooms. I'm sure some people would disagree, but when i get to heaven, I hope I get to sleep every night in a tent. I hope Heaven is a big KOA and I get to sit around a roaring campfire listening to Jesus. I long to dwell in God's tent forever. I long to slow down, to relax in his arms, and to worship him. What a glorious camping trip that will be! You better get your reservations in now!

Tent Camping with God!

Hebrews 9 (The Message)

 ^6-10After this was set up, the priests went about their duties in the large tent. Only the high priest entered the smaller, inside tent, and then only once a year, offering a blood sacrifice for his own sins and the people's accumulated sins. This was the Holy Spirit's way of showing with a visible parable that as long as the large tent stands, people can't just walk in on God. Under this system, the gifts and sacrifices can't really get to the heart of the matter, can't assuage the conscience of the people, but are limited to matters of ritual and behavior. It's essentially a temporary arrangement until a complete overhaul could be made.^11-15But when the Messiah arrived, high priest of the superior things of this new covenant, he bypassed the old tent and its trappings in this created world and went straight into heaven's "tent"—the true Holy Place—once and for all. 


I love tent camping. Steph tolerates it. We spent much of this summer vacation in a tent. For some reason I sleep so much better in the outdoors of a tent. Even though the elements can create problems, I just never get the same sound sleep at home. It might be the tent. It might be that I'm on vacation and don't have a care in the world. Whatever it is, I love it. It sounds kind of crazy, but I feel a closeness with God when I'm tent camping. But, I can't say that I can vision worshiping in a tent. But, in the old testament, the special tent of God was everything. This tent was THE place of God. it was where he lived. Not just anyone could enter the holy place. If they did, they would die. The only difference between this special tent and the tents used to live in, was it's purpose. It was set apart by God as the place where he chose to dwell among his people. 


Just before Jesus' arrival, the tent had long been replaced by the temple. But, really there wasn't much difference between the temple and the tent. Both were places set apart by God. It wasn't the fabric of the tent or the walls of the temple that made it special. It was who occupied the tent and who occupied the temple walls. It's not that I love camping in a tent.  I love Vacation! I love being able to relax and I know that God provides that gift!
The Holy Tent and the Holy Temple of the old covenant really got in the way of worshipping God. The Israelites got so bogged down with sacrifices, gifts, rituals, and behaviors, they forgot who they were worshipping. They were more concerned about the tent than the resident of the tent. When Jesus arrived he cut out all that fluff and got to the heart of the matter. He really took away the importance of the temple and concentrated on the importance of our heart. He loved us and wanted us to be with him. He didn't need a special tent, he didn't need a special building. All he needed was our hearts. Instead of dwelling in those "Man made" places he decided to dwell within us. Even now, he comes down to meet us where we live. He meets us face to face. He sets up his new tent in our hearts. Their is not middle man, their is not a priest to intervene. Jesus has given us access to God the Father. He is our Priest. Isn't that amazing. What a wonderful plan. What a wonderful God we serve!