Exodus 29:46 - And they shall know that I am Jehovah their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them: I am Jehovah their God.
Exodus 29:45,46 has been presented as proof that supposedly Jehovah (Yahweh) had promised to come to earth and live among his people. Evidently, the thought is that Jesus is "Jehovah" who is speaking in these verses, and thus that Jehovah Jesus came to earth to dwell among Israel in the first century. This is being imagined and assumed in order to support the trinitarian concept that Jehovah (Yahweh) is three persons, and that Jesus is a person of Jehovah.
We definitely find nothing in Exodus 29 that presents Jehovah as being more than one person, or that the promised Messiah would be a person of Jehovah. There is definitely nothing in Exodus 29:45,46 that says that Jehovah will become a human being with a glory lower than the angels. -- Psalm 8:4,5; Hebrews 2:7,9.
Additionally, there is definitely nothing in these verses that warrant any conclusion that "Jehovah" here is not the same one person who is Jehovah in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. Jehovah, instead of saying that He will come and live on the earth as man, said that he would raise up a prophet like Moses. Peter identifies Jesus, not as being Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but as being the one whom Jehovah raised up to be a prophet like Moses. (Acts 3:13-26) The default reasoning is that Jehovah in Exodus 29 is the same one person who is the Messiah's God in Isaiah 61:1,2 and Micah 5:4.
How did Jehovah dwell among the children of Israel? The earlier verses tell us:
Exodus 29:41 - And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meal-offering of the morning, and according to the drink-offering thereof, for a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.
Exodus 29:42 - It shall be a continual burnt-offering throughout your generations at the door of the tent of meeting before Jehovah, where I will meet with you, to speak there unto thee.
Exodus 29:43 - And there I will meet with the children of Israel; and the Tent shall be sanctified by my glory. -- See also Exodus 25:22.
From this, we can see that Jehovah was speaking of meeting with his people in the tent. He did not become flesh in order to meet with the children of Israel in the tent,
Benson:
I will dwell among the children of Israel — As a proof of this the Shechinah, or symbol of his peculiar presence was among them. I will be their God — I will watch over them as a nation, by a peculiar providence, and show myself to be, indeed, that all-powerful and merciful God who delivered them in so miraculous a manner from Egyptian bondage.
Gill:
And I will dwell among the children of Israel,.... In the tabernacle ordered to be built for him, and which, when built, was placed in the midst of the camp of Israel; and here Jehovah dwelt as a king in his palace, near at hand to help, protect, and defend his subjects, and supply them with all things needful for them; see Deuteronomy 4:7.
Indeed, we haven't found any published Biblical commentator that claims that Exodus 29:45,46 is speaking of Jehovah becoming flesh and living upon the earth. To imagine and assume such would be a gross misuse of scripture.
References:
(We do not necessarily agree with all statements given by these authors)
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Benson's Commentary on Exodus 29
Gill's Exposition on Exodus 29
Related Studies:
The Tabernacle (Herald, November/December, 2002)
Three Days Journey (Daniel Kaleta)
The Sanctuary (David Stein)
God's Dwelling Place
Exodus, by Brother Frank Shallieu
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