But you shall seek the place where the Lord your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go. There you shall take your burnt offerings … and there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice … you and your households, in which the Lord your God has blessed you. (Deuteronomy 12:5-7)
There is another interesting tidbit I want to address as it pertains to “the place” God chose for His dwelling place. The Hebrew term translated “dwelling place” is שיכנו shikh’no which means “His habitation.” This term is derived from the same root word (שכן shakhan) from which the word משכן mishkan, or Sanctuary is derived. From this root word also comes the word שכינה sh’khinah — a word that does not mean “glory” but “indwelling,” referring to the Indwelling Presence of God. It is His Presence, in fact, that completes the Sanctuary, meaning that only when His Presence is there can the mishkan function as He intended. So then, the Place is where His Presence dwells.
Recall that when Abraham was commanded to take Isaac to the place that God would show Him, it was to the same place where the Temple, the House of God’s Presence, would eventually stand. The Bible describes that “On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off” (Genesis 22:4). That this occurs “on the third day” connects us to an important prophecy which points to the Messiah and the Messianic Kingdom. As it written, “After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight” (Hosea 6:2), or in other words, His Presence will be among us.
The point of all this is to accentuate the notion that God desires to dwell among us and within each of us. His Presence walked in the garden with Adam before the fall and His desire will truly come to fruition when Messiah returns and dwells among men. As for now, “His Habitation” is where His Presence dwells which He has determined to be in the lives of all who love Him. Until Messiah returns and rules from His Throne in Jerusalem, we are “The Place” — that is, if He dwells within us. So, let us all live a life that is acceptable, holy and the proper habitation for His Indwelling Presence.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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