In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. Ephesians 2:22
One day King David looked around at the peace and prosperity that his reign had brought to Jerusalem, and being a good and godly king, noticed the sharp contrast between his own lovely new home and the temporary and weather-worn fabric dwelling place for the ark of God. As he talked with his good friend, the prophet Nathan, he pointed out that his house was built of cedar, but the ark dwelt ‘within curtains’. He was referring to the tabernacle, the temporary worship structure that God directed Moses to have built while the Israelites were making their way from Egypt to Canaan. That same structure was still serving as God’s house, and David felt it was time for a permanent house. Through Nathan, God told David that his son would build such a house. But He also reminded David that since the Exodus, He had not dwelt in any house, but in a tent. God also reminded David that He had not put it into anyone’s heart to build a house for God (2 Samuel 7:7). Until this point, God was content to dwell in the temporary tabernacle. This reminds us of the building that God is occupying in our day, a habitation that, although not temporary like the Tabernacle, is still under construction.
God’s presence was evident in the tabernacle when it was completed according to God’s pattern, just as it was evident in the temple when Solomon had completed it according to God’s pattern. But there was only one tabernacle, and only one temple, and only one ark of God. And God had instructed the Israelites that there was only one place for sacrifices and worship: ‘Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest; but in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee’ (Deuteronomy 12:13-14). Just as in Israel’s day, God still has only one house that He occupies today. But unlike in Israel, that one house is not confined to a single location. It exists as a great habitation made up of every person who through God’s salvation is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. And it has a local representation amid those who recognize the pattern that the Lord Jesus gave to us: ‘For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20).
God has no other pattern today for His dwelling place. No building, regardless of how ornate and elaborate, can serve this purpose. His delight is to dwell in the heart of every believer who has been built into His holy habitation. And His delight is to dwell in the midst of obedient believers who assemble only in the Name of His Son and in obedience to His Word. -Jim MacIntosh