Finally, Joseph was blessed with "the good will of him that dwelt in the bush" (Deut. 33:16). The last item of the universal blessing is God's dwelling. The One who dwelt in the bush has a good will, a good pleasure. Anyone who lived in a bush would expect to have a better home. If you were dwelling in a bush, your good will would be to have a better home. I would not like to live in the bush with you, but I would like to live with you in a better home. Suppose a young man who lives in a bush desires to marry a certain young lady. The good will of the one in the bush is to live with his wife in a nice house after they are married. Before the tabernacle was built, the Lord dwelt in the bush (Exo. 3:4). God delivered His people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt with the intention that they would build first the tabernacle and then a temple for Him. Moses saw a vision of God in the bush, and God spoke to Moses from the bush. But in Leviticus 1:1 God spoke to Moses out of the tabernacle. God blessed the children of Israel with this good will. This is God's best will, with which He has blessed His chosen people. God has blessed the children of Israel with the best blessing—to have His dwelling. What blessing could be greater than this? Eventually, Aaron, a sinner, is able to enter into the presence of God in the Holy of Holies. What blessing could be greater? The highest blessing is to enter into God's dwelling and stay in His presence. Even we ourselves become this dwelling.
At this point I wish to point out that we cannot understand the Bible according to our natural concept. Although you may read the Bible and be able to recite many verses, you cannot see anything until the vision comes. If you hear this word about God's dwelling, Exodus will be a new book to you. The book of Exodus begins with the vision of God in the bush speaking to Moses with the intention that one day Moses would lead the children of Israel out of Egypt into the wilderness to build a tabernacle for God. What a blessing! In the entire Old Testament, there is no blessing higher, greater, or sweeter than the blessing of God's dwelling place. Often the psalmists expressed their desire to be in God's temple. Psalm 84:10 says, "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness." No blessing is as sweet or great as the blessing of God's dwelling. This is the ultimate blessing.
The New Jerusalem is called the tabernacle of God. When the Lord Jesus became flesh, He was a tabernacle of God (John 1:1, 14). He was also God's temple (John 2:19, 21). Following Him, the church was built up to be God's temple (1 Cor. 3:16). Eventually, the entire New Jerusalem will be an eternal tabernacle, the central blessing among God's blessings. The new heaven and new earth will be a blessing, but the center of that blessing will be the New Jerusalem, God's tabernacle. In the New Jerusalem God will dwell with us, and we shall dwell by Him.