Where does God live?
We have heard a lot recently about home, becoming at home and being at home with God. Today I want to ask the question: Where does God actually live? The teacher asked in school: Where does God live? One student immediately raised his hand and said, «God lives in the bathroom.» «What makes you think that?» asked the teacher. The student replied, «Every morning when my father is standing in front of the closed bathroom door, he rumbles at the door and shouts, «My God, are you still in there?» But we know that God does not primarily dwell in the bathroom. Today we want to take a closer look at where he really lives.
God dwells in the tabernacle
When Israel was in the wilderness at Mount Sinai, the Lord gave Moses detailed instructions for the construction of a portable tent sanctuary. «The Israelites shall build me a sanctuary, that I may dwell with them». (Exodus 25:8). The tent sanctuary itself consisted of two parts: The sanctuary, with an area of about 9 by 4.5 metres, and the Holy of Holies, which had a square base of 4.5 metres. The two parts of the tent sanctuary were separated by a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn. This tent sanctuary was surrounded by a rectangular courtyard with an outer wall of curtains measuring 45 by 22.5 metres. This was the first place of worship built by man for God, and God dwelt in this sanctuary. Something that amazes me is this: In Exodus 31 we read that God called artists to work for the tabernacle. «And God said: I have chosen Bazalel. I have filled him with the Spirit of God and given him wisdom, understanding and skill to perform craftsmanship. I have enabled him to draw up plans for all the work to be done, to create objects of gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set precious stones and to carve wood.» So God was not indifferent to how his sanctuary looked. He had precise ideas and only the best was good enough.
God dwells in the temple
Solomon’s father David was forbidden by the Lord to build the Temple in Jerusalem because he was a man of war and shed blood. (1 Chr. 28,3) Therefore it fell to Solomon to build the temple. He began it in his 4th year as king and it took seven years to build. The temple was 27 metres long, 9 metres wide and 13.5 metres high. The Temple consisted of three main parts: the outer court, the main hall or sanctuary and the inner sanctuary or holy of holies. This is where the Ark of the Covenant with the Ten Commandments was kept. The entire interior of the temple, including the walls and floors, was covered with gold. Some 400 years later, the Temple of the Lord was burnt down by Nebuzaradan, the commander of the Babylonian king’s bodyguard. No remains of the temple have yet been found.
Reconstruction of the temple
About 60 years later, the Temple was rebuilt by Zerubbabel. The temple was certainly not as large and as richly decorated as Solomon’s temple. This was eventually replaced by a magnificent temple by King Herod 18 years before Christ. This temple complex was a gigantic structure. In August 70 AD, the temple was destroyed by the Romans. The 14 lowest rows of stones on the west side, known as the Wailing Wall, can still be seen today. These are the essential buildings that were built for God. Now we ask ourselves, where does God live today? There are many passages in the Bible that describe where God lives. I have chosen two that spoke to me.
God dwells in our heart
Who actually lives at home with you? Do you have a partner with whom you live? Do the children still live at home? Or do you live with your parents? Or do you live alone? How you live is a very important question that determines your attitude to life. Living with someone always means living for that person or persons, adjusting one’s life to each other, taking into account each other’s needs, striving for the well-being of all. With whom I live, I share my life. When I plan something, I ask for the opinion and advice of the others with whom I live.
I want to live and live with someone I love, or at least be close to them, if it is not yet possible to share a home. Jesus says: «He who loves me will do what I say. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and dwell with him». (John 14.23). Yes, it is a logical consequence that God dwells with us if we hold fast to His Word and love HIM. God wants to dwell where we dwell and live!
Are we aware of this? Jesus does not say that he wants to dwell in beautiful churches and magnificent cathedrals. HE wants to dwell with us and in our midst! Our heart and our living space is the dwelling place of God. Are you aware that God wants to dwell in our heart, that our heart is the Holy of Holies, which the priests were only allowed to enter once a year. That is a wonderful thought. In the Gospel of John there is a beautiful narrative, when the first disciples became aware of Jesus, they asked him, «Master, where do you dwell?» They wanted to know him and where and how he lives and resides. But he didn’t give them a specific address or mailing address, he just said, «Come and see!» So you see it, not only with the eyes, but with all the senses it is perceptible where God dwells. This can also be our dwelling, our home. But God does not allow himself to be imprisoned there either, but wants to be wherever we are.
So how can we prepare a proper home for God? From time immemorial, people have tried to create a place for God where he can be, where he can be found and where he can be worshipped. Magnificent temples and houses of worship have been built. The larger and more magnificent these buildings were, the more venerable God was and the more reverent the people were. But Jesus did not give a mandate to build churches, he did not say that the more magnificent and impressive the sacred buildings are, the faster people will believe in God and fill the churches. God longs to dwell in our hearts. We also want to keep the home we live in clean. I feel like that. I don’t feel comfortable if it is dirty everywhere in our house. When we have visitors, we are sure to clean our home. But can we show our visitors all the rooms, including the attic and cellar?
I also have a part-time job. I read about 800 electricity meters for AEW once a year. Several times I had to read the meters in the basement of houses, and I was told by the house owner that he currently had a building site in the basement. And really, I had to climb over harasses and dirty laundry to get my work done. The funny thing is that this alleged «construction site» has been like this in quite a few flats for years now, and got worse every year. What is the situation in our heart’s flat? Do we also have «building sites» there that are getting worse and worse? Can God see into all the «rooms» of our heart, or does it have boards that say: No entry.
God dwells in praise
«But you are holy, enthroned above the praises of Israel.» (Psalm 22:4). Where there is worship and praise, God dwells. In worship and praise we are close to God’s throne. Who would not want to be? So today we want to think a little more about praise and worship. Glorifying God, praising him, thanking him with words, songs, music, indeed with one’s whole life, is an important theme of the Bible. «Sing psalms, hymns and songs inspired by God’s Spirit; sing them gratefully and from the depths of your heart to the glory of God… giving thanks to God the Father.» (Colossians 3:16b-17).
Give thanks: When we give something to someone, the recipient says thank you. God has given us thousands of reasons for which we can be grateful.
Praise: In praise, you praise God for what He has done.
Worship: Worship is a gesture of honouring a king. Christians adopt the gestures and worship Jesus as their King. In worship we marvel at Jesus admire his personality and manner. And the better we get to know him, the greater becomes the desire in us to exalt him and make him great. So what is worship in practice? Is worship simply the 15-minute worship part in the service and then it goes on in the programme? No, worship is a lifestyle. The Bible says: «I will praise the Lord always; his praise shall be in my mouth forever». (Psalm 34:2). The Bible is full of us praising God always, all the time, continuously. When things are going well, but also when we are going through difficult times of sorrow and worry. Not just on Sunday morning in worship. Make it a habit to worship God again and again, everywhere. Worship is more than a Christian activity. Worship is an attitude of heart that submits to God’s lordship. A worshipful lifestyle looks up in wonder to the Triune God again and again, in every situation of life, and honours him through his life, his being. «Whatever you do, conduct yourselves in such a way that God is honoured by it». (1 Corinthians 10:31). Worship times in the congregation and in the small group are absolutely necessary. They motivate us to worship, they help us to come into the presence of God, teach us and often touch our innermost being. And they involve those who are going through difficult times, perhaps just listening in worship, and encourage them to look to God.
Why praise and worship? Worship is a calling and an offering The Bible is full of texts on the worship of God. Not only are the people of Israel exhorted to worship God alone, but it is also foretold that Gentiles will come to worship God. Likewise, the angels and all the heavenly host worship God and creation also worships God. Worship is the calling of believers and the church today, tomorrow and for eternity. Praise and worship are the language of heaven. Listen to verses from the Book of Revelation where the Bible speaks about our future with God: Mightily their voice sounded: «To the Lamb who was sacrificed belong all power and riches. To Him alone belong wisdom and power, honour, glory and worship!» Then I heard all the other creatures join in too. All in heaven and on earth, the dead under the earth, like the creatures of the sea, they all cried out, «Praise and honour, all glory and power belong to him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever!» (Revelation 5:12–13). We do not want to stop praising and thanking God in the name of Jesus. These are our sacrifices with which we confess to God. We always worship something. We worship something from which we expect happiness: person, partner, hobby, money, career. Praising God keeps us from worshipping the wrong things in life. Satan, God’s adversary also wants to be worshipped. He said to Jesus: «I will give you all the kingdoms of the world if you fall down and worship me». (Matthew 4). Jesus, however, clearly rebuked him and told him God’s commandment: «Worship and serve God your Lord alone!» May the Holy Spirit help us grow more and more into a worshipful lifestyle.
In worship, our love, trust and faith in God grows: by expressing the statements about what God is like in prayers and songs, we fill our minds with these biblical truths about God. Over time, they become more and more a reality in our lives and change the way we think, speak and act. Praise. Walls come down – enemies are defeated! After Paul and Silas cast out a spirit of divination and stand up for the gospel, they are thrown into prison. However, Paul and Silas do not mope: «Around midnight, Paul and Silas prayed; they praised God with hymns, and their fellow prisoners listened to them. Suddenly the earth shook so violently that the building was shaken to its foundations. At the same moment, all the doors burst open and the chains of all the prisoners fell to the ground». (Acts 16:25–26). As a result, the jailer and his whole house are converted. This experience encourages us to thank God even in difficult times, to praise Him because I know that He has everything under control. «But we know that all things work for the good of those who love God». (Romans 8:28).
We too can experience walls coming down in our lives, doors opening, chains/attachments coming off, becoming free when we look away from our worries, bad circumstances, difficulties to Almighty God and worship Him for His limitless possibilities. In worship we lift our eyes to the Almighty God. Worship is a choice. I look away from me and my possibilities, I look to God and his possibilities. If we live that, we will also be victorious. Walls will come down and enemies will be pushed back. Become a worshipper like King David. Before David was anointed king, he became a worshipper. He worshipped God with his harp, with the sheep and later when writing the Psalms. He worshipped God even in times of persecution and suffering. David praised God 7 times a day: «I seek you in your sanctuary to see your power and glory. Your love means more to me than my life! Therefore I will praise you; all my life I will thank you and lift up my hands in prayer. I rejoice and praise you, I am happy and satisfied as at a banquet». (Psalm 63:3–6). This man, with the worshipful attitude of heart, was later chosen by God to be king for Israel.
Become more and more a worshipper of God. When you worship, you are where God dwells, you are in the throne room. Speak or sing words of admiration, words that express your love for him. God is touched by our words. Amen!
