article: a dwelling place for God

SANCTUARY - A DWELLING PLACE FOR GOD

"Lord, prepare me, to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true; With thanksgiving, to be a living sanctuary, Lord for You'. These were the words of a chorus on a CD given me by a friend in May 2007. Just a few days earlier a friend had seen a vision during prayer, when we had prayed together during a regular Monday slot at his local church: He saw a picture of many different birds flying down into what looked like a Sanctuary. They all seemed to be injured in one way or another; but in time, they all got better and flew away..."

Researching the scriptures, I discovered that the first use of the word, sanctuary* (KJV), concerned the place God would dwell in, in the Promised Land, along with His people. (Song of Moses in Ex 15:17) The next reference in Exodus 25:8 again concerns His dwelling with His people, which then would be the Tabernacle in the Wilderness.

The one reference in the New Testament is in Hebrews 8:2, which concerns Jesus now in the true sanctuary in heaven. This chapter and following chapters contrasts the Old Covenant with the New and seems to point out that the true sanctuary is the person of Jesus Himself. His body and of His blood given for us have made a way for us to enter God's presence in heaven, and by the Spirit we are now in Him and He in us, and we can be there in spirit now.

As the chorus quoted above says, prepare me to be a sanctuary (a dwelling place for God). The New Covenant enables us to do the will of God and please Him, as Jesus did while on earth. It was the covenant (oath) that consecrated Jesus to the will of God and so it is for us. (Heb 7:28)

The chorus mentions the need to be pure and holy and to be tried and true, all of which Jesus was throughout His earthly sojourn. Through our God we can overcome all things to be mature sons to inherit all things. (Rev 21:7).

A pointed question is where will we find the power to overcome in these difficult 'last days'? For Israel of old, it seems that whenever they were in distress, and turned and called on the Lord in truth, He remembered His holy covenant and delivered them. (Ps 105 & 106) An issue with them, as with us, is not just to be set free but also to stay free. But, with a better covenant, as the writer to Hebrews states (Heb 7:22), He can save us to the uttermost (v25).

God wants to be one with us – His everlasting covenant can secure it. Have we researched its terms? Have we claimed it?

Footnote

Just a day before writing this article, I discovered a DVD sitting in a personal DVD player that I had forgotten about. It was an album of instrumental songs set to pictures of nature. It was called, 'Sanctuary'!

* Sanctuary (4720 Strongs: miqdash : a sanctuary, a consecrated place or thing; from 6942 qodesh: to consecrate, to hallow, to prepare)