James Montgomery Boice points out that Augustine, the early church theologian, was schooled in the philosophies of the ancients. He had imbibed of platonic thought and associated himself with the Manicheans. He had read all about the logos. He had connected the logos to the divine and knew the logos was active in creation. But, he had never read that the logos became flesh. He had never comprehended the sublime truth that God took upon Himself human flesh; that in Christ dwelt the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form; that the logos became incarnate. That reality is ultimate and to contemplate such is highly intellectual and should lead to worship in faith. To contemplate the humiliation, the condescension, and the mission of God in such a dynamic should be staggeringly halting to say the least.

Second, on that beautiful Christmas night two-thousand years ago, the Lord tabernacled among us. The word John uses for "dwelt" refers to pitching one's tent. How beautiful is the picture of the Lord pitching His tent among us for a time. Of course, this picture is a reference to the Old Testament tabernacle that represented so much about God to the people of Israel and points to so much for us. The tabernacle is a shadow but the reality is Christ.

Dr. Boice points out a few of those dynamics. He notes that the tabernacle was in the center of the camp. The twelve tribes were strategically placed around the tabernacle. As the tabernacle points to Christ, this is a demonstration that Christ is the center of all things and indeed the center of all the nations. I might add that the twelve tribes, or the 144,000 of the Revelation, typify the whole of the people of God whom Christ purchased from every nation, tribe, and language. The Lord Jesus Himself said, "If I be lifted up (on the cross), I will draw all peoples to myself (Jn. 12:32)."

The tabernacle was where the law was preserved. And so was Christ. It was He who fulfilled every point of the law. O friends, be thankful you are not under the law and that you have a holy Savior!

The tabernacle was the dwelling place of God. Again, in Christ "dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9)." Indeed, He is God with us.