The Dwelling Place of God is with Man
Tracing God’s Desire to Dwell with His People throughout the Bible
"Don't miss the forest for the trees." I've heard this expression at various points and in different contexts when I get too bogged down by details. When it comes to reading the scriptures, it can be good to get lost in the trees, taking a deep dive into concepts and word studies for a more thorough understanding. Albeit important, we can sometimes become singularly focused that we miss out on the grandeur of the entire forest. When we step back to see the big picture, we unlock even greater heights of love and awe for our God and His amazing plan.
As my family and I have taken steps to serve among unreached peoples, the Lord has bolstered our conviction and given us a better grasp of the whole story. This is the grand narrative: the fact that from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is one big, consistent message about Almighty God, who is worthy of the praise of all people. After man's rebellion separated us from God, He lovingly enacted a plan to restore a relationship with us and receive the praise of all peoples, nations, and languages. What an incredible thought that you and I find ourselves amid this redemptive story, and we each have a part to play in it.
With that in mind, I want to look at a particular thread woven throughout the story of Scripture that has theological implications that provide peace and confidence in this life and give us eternal hope and perspective. What is it? It has to do with the simple word "dwell."
This word became more apparent as I looked at some of my favorite Psalms. Here are a few such examples…
David, in Psalm 27, writes, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”
Moses writes in Psalm 90:1, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.”
The writer of Psalm 91 records: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”
The use of dwell in the Psalms first started to get my attention. As I zoomed out to consider the whole story, it became apparent that this word, and more importantly, the implied truth, is found throughout the pages of Scripture.
God’s Initial Dwelling Place
Journey back to the beginning in Genesis 1&2 with me. God speaks the earth into existence, gives life, and establishes order. God interacts with Adam and Eve in the creation mandate and instructs, provides, and empowers them. While the word dwell is not present in the passage, the story implies that God is in their midst, establishing a relationship with those He created.
Mankind Separated from God’s Dwelling Place
Genesis 3 displays the tragedy and consequences of sin as Adam and Eve are kicked out of the garden and can no longer dwell in harmony with God. Brokenness enters the world. But hope is not lost as God gives a promise (Gen 3:15). God's rescue mission had begun, a work that He would carry out, and one that would be for all nations (Gen 12:3).
God’s Pursuit to Dwell Again Among Men
Fast forward to Exodus, whereby God's chosen people, Israel, have just been freed from the bondage of Egypt and their covenant with God confirmed. Here, we pick back up on our theme as God says in 25:8, "let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst." Likewise, in 29:45, He says, "I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God.”
Leviticus then provides the conditions for which man could experience the blessedness of God dwelling in their midst, which leads us to Leviticus 26:11-12. We read, “I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.”
Just like you and me today, the people of God experienced many ups and downs (though seemingly many, many more downs), yet the Lord remains faithful and steadfast in His plan. The temporary tabernacle eventually gives way to the temple in the promised land, of which Solomon is rightly humbled over and asks, “But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth?” (2 Chron 6:18) How the all powerful Creator of the universe could dwell among men was bewildering, however there was no doubt that this was God’s plan, as he spoke to Solomon, saying, “And I will dwell among the children of Israel…”
The Incarnation: God Dwells Among Men
God acts with intensity and intentionality to move closer to His people so that He might dwell with them again. As we well know, the temple is present for a season but really is another link in the chain as the Old Testament landscape is pointing to the coming of the Messiah, of whom John says (1:14): "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." The incarnation demonstrates another step of God humbly pursuing a relationship with humanity as He came as a man to dwell among men. (Phil 2:7)
In so doing, Christ would taste death for everyone, be buried, and ultimately rise again, granting forgiveness of sins and redemption for all who believed. It is significant to the thread we are tracing of God dwelling with humanity. Jesus's finished work on the cross allows us to enter God's presence again. (Heb 10:19)
The Ascension: God Dwells In Men
As if that’s not enough, there’s more. As good as the presence of Jesus was next to and with His disciples after the resurrection, He had a better, more powerful promise to come after His ascension.
Jesus stated in John 14:7 “You know him (the Holy Spirit), for he dwells with you and will be in you.” Jesus was planning, through His Spirit, to physically dwell in His followers.
Paul writes in 1 Cor 13:6, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?" Wow! The Old Testament temple was undoubtedly grand, however, how much better is this new reality that the people of God would now be the temple of God's dwelling place.
Eternity: God’s Dwelling Place is With Man
We stated in Genesis and now conclude in Revelation, tracing this same theme all the way through. How does the story culminate? Revelation 21:3 gives us some insight into this. “‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God." Genesis 3 was bleak, to say the least, as it messed up the perfect state of Genesis 1 & 2. Yet, as we see here, we know the end of the story. God is victorious and reinstates the perfect, blissful relationship from the beginning of time as He will dwell with people forever.
To summarize all of the above points… God created man to be in relationship with Him, and as such, He delights to dwell with His people! His desire and purpose since before creation was to make provision for redeeming and restoring this relationship for which we were created so that we will dwell with Him for His eternal glory and our eternal joy.
Implications for Us Today
My hope is that tracing this thread and stepping back to look at the forest is inspiring and encouraging enough. However, in conclusion, I want to encourage you by tying this all to two practical remarks to consider for your everyday life this week…
1. Abide in Jesus! Remember that your position in Christ is secure as you are indwelt by the promised Holy Spirit. There is nothing you can do to change that. At the same time, strive to foster your relationship with God by spending time with Him. Jesus commended Mary for spending time with Him. (Luke 10:42) David’s one desire was to spend time in God’s presence (Ps 27:4). If God’s desire is to dwell with us and give us His presence (Luke 11:13), then let us likewise make it our greatest priority each day to intentionally spend time with him!
2. Go with conviction and confidence! Whether you are crossing the street, or perhaps looking to cross borders and cultures like my family, we go and make disciples because we have a conviction that God is still pursuing lost sheep that He wants to rescue, redeem, and dwell with forever. As it stands, countless billions still dwell in darkness, but we go because a great light has dawned that shines into that darkness. (Mat 4:16) And we go confidently, because no matter what the evil one or the schemes of this world throw at us, we know that He is with us always (Mat 28:20) and that we have an eternal, heavenly dwelling (2 Cor 5:2) that far surpasses this world.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, be encouraged today. Our God is with you, in you, and you have eternal hope of dwelling with Him forever.
Aaron Atlas
Aaron’s journey started in a cross-cultural context, born in Europe, raised by American parents, but spent most days among North African immigrants. After being saved at a young age, God was gracious to form and forge his faith in a gospel-centered home, as well as to expose Aaron to God’s heart for the nations through short-term experiences and the impact of godly men.
