Where God Looks to Dwell

When king Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, he knew it was inadequate to house the almighty God who is eternal and dwells on high in unapproachable glory.  Through the Law of Moses God made a way for men to be sanctified as priests and for acceptable worship, offerings and sacrifice.  God's desire was to dwell among His people, yet their sinful condition made fellowship and communion impossible.  God in His mercy provided atonement and cleansing of sin as His people looked to Him in faith and obedience.

God said through the prophet in Isaiah 66:1-2, "Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? ² For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist," says the LORD. "But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word."  The invisible, glorious God shares no likeness with engraved images, nor is He confined within houses of worship.  All of heaven is His throne, far beyond what our eyes can see.  There is nothing made by man that God requires or can benefit Him at all.  Even the most glorious edifices constructed and adorned by men cannot be compared to His inspiring greatness.

God was not looking for man to build Him a house to dwell in, but God was looking to indwell those who fear and trust Him.  Paul revealed the spiritual reality of God's choice to reside within every Christian in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20:  "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?"  Every born again follower of Jesus Christ can know with confidence our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, that our bodies are indeed the dwelling place and house of God.  He is not attracted to dwell in ornate structures but these perishing bodies that are like tents that grow old and wear out.  Like Abraham dwelt in tents as he walked through the land God would give as an inheritance to him and his descendants, so God dwells in us as His inheritance during our earthly pilgrimage.

Hebrews 11:8-10 says, "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; ¹⁰ for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God."  By faith Abraham dwelt in the land of promise and lived in tents because he was waiting for a permanent home made by God.  In an amazing parallel, God has chosen to dwell inside believers He has purchased by the blood of Jesus, claimed as His own inheritance, and will one day usher us into His presence where He sits enthroned for eternity.  By His grace, we are God's gift for Himself.  He is not drawn to us by our physical beauty, earthly wealth or abilities, but by a humble heart and contrite spirit that trembles at His word.

We can build elaborate temples and structures, but it does not follow God resides in them.  He looks at people as a builder does a heritage house that is dilapidated and condemned with an aim to restore and improve it--not to flip on the market for a profit--but to make a dream home to live in himself.  God looks for hurting, beat down, broken hearts willing to humble themselves before Him in faith and to make Him room where He is pleased to dwell, for people who gladly hand over the title deed of their lives and say to their Saviour, "LORD Jesus, come on in."  We receive Jesus by faith as we are, knowing we will never be the same.