The Habitations of God (Part I)

Lesson Content

In Psalm 132:13,14 we see that the Lord chooses Zion, the most excellent, highest and holiest place in Heaven as His habitation and dwells there. In Revelation 21:3 we read, “... Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God”. These verses show that God is always desirous of dwelling with man. The wa y in which He dwelt with man on this earth through various ages from the time He created man, can be seen below. I Habitations of God in the Old Testament:

1. Garden of Eden: God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden until they fell into sin (Gen.3:8). God wanted man to eat of the tree of life and grow in life in

this fellowship and close communion with God, till he reached a place where he could also eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and be like God Himself. But man disobeyed God’s commandment and ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil before the time appointed and ruined the beautiful plan of God for him. However, unchanging in His purpose, God in His immeasurable love and mercy seeks after man to come and dwell with him.

2. The tabernacle in the wilderness: After the Israelites were delivered from the bondage of Egypt, they crossed the Red Sea and came into the wilderness. God told Moses, “...let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them” (Exo.25:8). According to the plan that God had shown him on Mount Sinai, Moses made a tabernacle and all its vessels, with the willing offerings of the people. This tabernacle was a shadow of Heaven. God dwelt in the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle. Whenever the camp of Israel moved, they would dismantle the tabernacle and carry it with them. When the Israelites entered Canaan this was set up at Shiloh by Joshua (Josh.18:1).

3. Solomon’s temple: This was built upon Mount Moriah, several times larger than the tabernacle (II Chron. 3:1). This was the mountain on which Abraham offered Isaac. Many years later, in 588 B.C., this temple was destroyed by the Babylonian king and the Jews were taken captive.

4. Zerubbabel’s temple: Then the might of Babylon decreased and the Babylonian empire came under the Persian kings. About fifty two years later during the time of king Cyrus many Jews joined together under the leadership of Zerubbabel, came to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple according to the decree of the king. In the midst of much oppositions, Zerubbabel’s temple was completed in 515 B.C. which is seventy three years after the Jews were taken captive (Ezra 6:15).

5. Herod’s temple: Zerubbabel’s temple which had broken in course of time was rebuilt by Herod. He started the work about forty years before the birth of Jesus. It took altogether forty six years to complete it (Jn.2:20). This is the temple that existed when Jesus was on earth. But in A.D. 70 during the time of Titus Caesar, this was raz ed to the ground by the Romans (Matt.24:2).