Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

PRESENCE

The Hebrews believed that they had a unique relationship with their God (Exod. 19:5; Jer. 30:22; 31:3). But even God’s revelations were shrouded with mystery to protect the glory of the deity (Heb. kāḇôḏ, šĕḵînâ; Exod. 3; 33:17-23, esp. 20; cf. John 1:18). Abram and Jacob commemorated their experiences of God’s presence by erecting sanctuaries (at Shechem, Beer-sheba, Bethel, and Peniel). Yahweh prescribed the tent of meeting (Exod. 40:34-38) and the ark of the covenant (25:10-30) as aids to celebrate his presence. Later, the temple served this purpose (1 Kgs. 8; ; cf. Ps. 24:7-10). The people eventually took for granted the temple as a symbol of God’s presence and wrongly saw it as a guarantee of divine, protective favor (Jer. 7:1-4). The principal biblical word for “presence” is “face” (Heb. pānîm; Gk. prósōpon). Adam and Eve hid from the face (presence) of God (Gen. 3:8); Yahweh promised that his face (presence) would accompany Moses (Exod. 33:14); and the face (presence) of God is the fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11). Whenever displeased with his people, God would withdraw his face or presence (Ezek. 10:18; Ps. 22:1-21[MT 2-22]).

In the NT the presence of God is shaped by the doctrine of the incarnation, that God was made flesh in Jesus Christ. Though he was human (Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-11), he was the means of reconciling the world to God (2 Cor. 5:19; cf. John 1:1-18; 20:28; Col. 1:15-20; Heb. 1:1-4) whose glory shone in the face (presence) of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). God is present also as the Holy Spirit or Paraclete (e.g., John 14:25; Acts 2:1-47) and through angelic messengers (Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; 2:8-20). The ultimate hope for the unmediated presence of God is expressed as the coming (Gk. parousía, lit., “presence”) of Christ (1 Thess. 1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:13–5:11). Finally, John envisions the end time when God will be present with his people immediately and forever (Rev. 21:1-4).

Bibliography. S. E. Balentine, The Hidden God: The Hiding of the Face of God in the Old Testament (Oxford, 1983); L. H. Brockington, “Presence,” in A Theological Word Book of the Bible, ed. A. Richardson (New York, 1950), 172-76; S. L. Terrien, The Elusive Presence (San Francisco, 1978).

Richard A. Spencer

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

PRESENCE

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)