“For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.” 1 Thessalonians 4:7 NKJV
In the book of Exodus, God gave Moses detailed instructions for constructing a tabernacle that would sit in the center of the camp. The tabernacle would house furniture made of gold including the most famous piece the Ark of the Covenant. The blueprints are provided in Exodus 25-28 and God required the Israelites to make the tabernacle to those exact specifications. If one thing was off or if corners were cut in the construction process, it would undoubtedly incur God’s severe judgment and the withdrawal of His holy presence. The reason the tabernacle had to be flawless is because it was designed to be an earthly abode for God Himself.
God’s dwelling place on earth had to be so perfect that the task was impossible to achieve by even the most skilled artisans. It could only be accomplished by skilled artisans who were Spirit EMPOWERED. God filled Bezalel and Oholiab with His Spirit to construct the tabernacle and the furniture (Exodus 31:1-11; Exodus 36-39) to His exact specifications. When the tabernacle was finally completed and erected, the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
“Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested about it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” Exodus 40:34-35 NKJV
Virtual Tour of the Tabernacle provides a digital glimpse of what this majestic scene might have looked like. This YouTube video does a wonderful job showing how special the tabernacle truly was but we can only imagine what it must have been like to actually feel and see God’s Shekinah glory. The splendor of God’s glory must have been so beautifully irresistible yet unapproachable because of His holiness. Truly the tabernacle was a holy place unfit for any mortal man because it was designed for the King!
In the tenth century BC, God moved into a temple created by king Solomon. It was a significant upgrade from the tabernacle before but functioned just the same. Over a span of three hundred years, the temple became desecrated with idols. A LOT of idols. Sadly the once holy temple was in shambles and the glory of the Lord was long departed. During Hezekiah’s reign as king of Judah, he ordered a cleansing of the temple (2 Chronicles 29:5). To give you an idea of how bad the condition of the temple was during Hezekiah’s time, the cleansing that Hezekiah ordered wasn’t something that could have been straightened out with a little sweeping here and some mopping there. The temple was so full of filth that it took EIGHT straight days to remove it all (2 Chronicles 29:17)! Like the tabernacle in Exodus, the temple had to be a dwelling place suitable for a holy God.
This brings me to the church age. The amazing thing is God no longer confines Himself to the tabernacle nor the temple in Jerusalem; He dwells in the hearts of His people who love and obey Him (Joel 2:28).
“God who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.” Acts 17:24 NJKV
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NKJV
Our bodies are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. Even though God dwells in the hearts of those who love Him, His worth and holiness have not changed. Our temples must be a dwelling place suitable for the LORD because God is still worthy of a dwelling place that is fit for a holy God.
“But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16 NKJV
The Holy Spirit cannot dwell in a place that is unkept and filthy. Negligence of the temple (our hearts) will lead to the departure of the Holy Spirit and ultimately our rejection and eternal damnation.
I recently finished a book entitled Rescue Me by Glenn Meldrum. In his book he compares the human heart to a “chamber pot” full of filth and bad character. For those who are too young to know what a chamber pot is, a chamber pot is a porcelain bowl kept at the side of a bed for emergencies to avoid taking late night trips to the outhouse. This was before the time of modern plumbing. Chamber pots usually had floral designs and looked elegant on the outside but the inside was full of human excrement. Our hearts are like chamber pots in the sense we look pretty on the outside but our insides are inherently full of filth. This simple truth is the reason why we are a needy people in desperate need of a total reformation of our character.
God cannot dwell in a heart that reeks of sin and uncleanliness. God cannot dwell in a heart that loves gossip, complains or has uncontrollable outbursts of anger. God cannot dwell in a heart that is constantly being fed garbage from the internet and video games. Our temples must be a holy abode for Almighty God. To do anything less is to treat God as common which is irreverence.
My prayer is that God totally transforms the character of my heart so my temple is a dwelling place suitable for the King. When gold is heated in molten form, the impurities float to the surface in a removable solid called dross. Like this purification process, the very presence of God is the refiners fire that purifies us from the filth in our hearts (Malachi 3:3). My desire is to stay in His presence, like Joshua son Nun (Exodus 33:11), so my heart is a dwelling place suitable for the presence of holy God. Is YOUR temple suitable for the King?
Joshua Hawk 