Written by Dawn Rutan
Last night I was reading Psalm 132, and was struck by verse 13, “For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place” (ESV).
I suppose Palestine will always be recognized as the “Holy Lands,” because that is where God began His interaction with mankind and that is where Jesus walked while on this earth. In the Old Testament God chose Zion, and specifically the Temple, as His dwelling place. The Temple was the only place where animal sacrifices were authorized. And this was still the case when Jesus arrived on the scene. So you can imagine His dismay at finding the Temple desecrated by the moneychangers and those selling animals for sacrifice. But you can also imagine the terror the Pharisees felt in hearing Jesus say that He could destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. It wasn’t just a matter of losing the local church building, but the dwelling place of God.
But Jesus was doing something entirely new. Now the dwelling place of God is not limited to a place, but is with man and even in man:
- John 14:16-17 – “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, …He dwells with you and will be in you.”
- 2 Corinthians 6:16 – “…For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be there God, and they shall be my people.’” [quoting Leviticus 26:12]
- Revelation 21:3 – “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.”
It really is astounding if you think about it—God, who is not limited by space or time, desires to dwell with and in His chosen people. We don’t have to go to a specific place to meet with Him, talk to Him, or ask for forgiveness.
I hadn’t thought about it till now, but the Old Testament sacrificial system ended when the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. And since the Jews don’t recognize Jesus as the Messiah, how exactly do they atone for their sins and receive forgiveness? One website I found stated: “Without [sacrifices] forgiveness is obtained through repentance, prayer and good deeds… It is important to note that in Judaism, sacrifice was never the exclusive means of obtaining forgiveness, was not in and of itself sufficient to obtain forgiveness, and in certain circumstances was not even effective to obtain forgiveness” (http://www.jewfaq.org/qorbanot.htm).
I don’t know about you, but I find great reassurance in the New Testament promises of forgiveness: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). We don’t have to rely on sacrifices, doing enough good deeds, or any other caveats that someone else may add. And for those who have trusted Christ, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). I know how often the enemy tries to bring condemnation against me, and I can only imagine how much more I would fear condemnation if I were not certain of Jesus’ redeeming death on the cross. Any religion that depends on me being good enough or doing enough good things is actually quite terrifying.
Thank God that He has made a way for us to be with Him, not just for eternity, but for daily life as well!
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, …that He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:14-19).
