Psalm 84:1 "How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!" (ESV)
This scripture played this morning as I got ready for work and I began reflecting on the dwelling place of God. At one point, there was the temple- a physical building dedicated to the worship of God. This is an easy concept for us to grasp. Every culture, every people group has their sacred places, the places where the gods come to earth and meet people in some way.
I remember studying John 1 in college. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (vs 1, 14) The word "dwelt" (Greek σκηνόω) can be translated to encamp, to tabernacle, to dwell among. The word in Hebrew (yes, I know, different language than New Testament) in Psalm 84 is מִשְׁכְּנוֹתֶ֗יךָ which can literally be translated tabernacle or dwelling place.
So when Jesus came and dwelt among us, things got a bit more complicated, less concrete, harder to grasp. Suddenly we start hearing about the Holy Spirit dwelling in us (Greek οἰκέω Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 3:16): different word but similar concept, including the idea of living with someone in the same house.
The thing that got me thinking along these lines this morning was the idea that we are the dwelling places of God, and that the psalmist of Psalm 84 could be saying how lovely we are. Where the rubber really met the road for me was considering that the people I interact with every day, neighbors, staff at the hospital, patients, are the dwelling place of God. How often do I think of them as lovely, worthy of writing psalms about? Yet in these faces, in these lives, in these hearts is where God dwells. How would I conduct myself differently if I understood and remembered that?
Theologians and scholars among you- any thoughts?
This scripture played this morning as I got ready for work and I began reflecting on the dwelling place of God. At one point, there was the temple- a physical building dedicated to the worship of God. This is an easy concept for us to grasp. Every culture, every people group has their sacred places, the places where the gods come to earth and meet people in some way.
I remember studying John 1 in college. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (vs 1, 14) The word "dwelt" (Greek σκηνόω) can be translated to encamp, to tabernacle, to dwell among. The word in Hebrew (yes, I know, different language than New Testament) in Psalm 84 is מִשְׁכְּנוֹתֶ֗יךָ which can literally be translated tabernacle or dwelling place.
So when Jesus came and dwelt among us, things got a bit more complicated, less concrete, harder to grasp. Suddenly we start hearing about the Holy Spirit dwelling in us (Greek οἰκέω Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 3:16): different word but similar concept, including the idea of living with someone in the same house.
The thing that got me thinking along these lines this morning was the idea that we are the dwelling places of God, and that the psalmist of Psalm 84 could be saying how lovely we are. Where the rubber really met the road for me was considering that the people I interact with every day, neighbors, staff at the hospital, patients, are the dwelling place of God. How often do I think of them as lovely, worthy of writing psalms about? Yet in these faces, in these lives, in these hearts is where God dwells. How would I conduct myself differently if I understood and remembered that?
Theologians and scholars among you- any thoughts?
