These two verses explain how amidst the worship and praise, led by the priests, the cloud settled upon the temple, just as it had in the past upon the tabernacle. It was God’s way of expressing His presence with His people. The singers had led the whole congregation in singing “His steadfast love endures forever.” This worship is followed by God revealing himself. Those who worship God from a true heart will experience a unique sense of His presence even today. That’s the purpose of our praise & worship.
In John 1:14 we read where “the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us.” The word for “dwelt” is sometimes translated “tabernacled” which is the literal meaning of the word. John’s whole Gospel is about the miraculous presence of God in the presence of mankind in the person of his Son, born of a woman. Jesus is the new divine presence of God with His people. John goes on to say “and we beheld his glory, glory as the only son of the father, full of grace and truth.”
Then in John 1:18 we read that no one has ever seen God, but God’s one and only son who is in the presence of the Father has “revealed” or “made him know” to us. I don’t understand how God can exist in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but it has been revealed to us and I can but believe it. It’s like Robert Morgan said, “God the Father planned our redemption, God the Son purchased it, and God the Spirit performs it within us. Grace has its source in the heart of God; its scope encompasses all human beings, and its sufficiency meets every need.”
Chuck
“You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.” 1 Peter 1:22