Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Psalm 90:1
Many of the so-called churches around us refer to the building they meet in as God’s house. That’s nonsense, of course, because since the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by Roman soldiers in AD 70, God has not had a physical house in this world. He dwells today in the hearts of true believers, and in the midst of His saints who are gathered to His Name. It is a precious truth that our Lord would desire to meet and dwell with us. Our text today turns that thought around and assures us that our dwelling place is our Lord Himself.
Moses wrote this Psalm. And Moses knew what it was to live in the opulence of the Egyptian palace and in the tents of the Exodus. He also knew all about the Tabernacle in which the presence of the Lord was to dwell among His earthly people. But in his Psalm, Moses does not write of a physical place for us to dwell, or a physical place for God to dwell. He addresses the Lord as the dwelling place for us. And he is not referring to Heaven as our ultimate dwelling forever because he speaks in the past tense – ‘Thou has been’. The concept of the Lord as our dwelling place is fascinating.
The Hebrew word that is translated dwelling place in our text has the meaning of a refuge as well as a habitation. Moses repeats this thought as the Israelites were about to enter the promised land: The eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms – Deuteronomy 33:27. That is why as we gather today to remember our Lord, we do so in absolute peace and safety. As the line in the Sunday School chorus reminds us, ‘Under the blood of Jesus, I am secure in Him’.
Just as precious today as the Lord’s presence in our worship is our dwelling place in Him, now and to eternity. – Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/iqLghYk-P-0