January 15, 1999
This morning as I was reading Psa. 23, I was struck by the last statement: “that I may dwell in the house of YHVH forever” What does it mean to dwell in the house of the Lord? Is it a future event that takes place after death? Is it some building on the corner of Church Street? “One thing have I desired of YHVH, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of YHVH all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of YHVH, and to enquire in his temple” (Psalms 27:4).
What and where is the “House of YHVH”?
King Solomon prayed upon the dedication of his temple, “But will Elohim in very deed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee, how much less this house which I have built” (1Chr. 6:18). King David recorded for us another perspective, “Where shall I go from Your Spirit, or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, You are there, if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea" (Psa. 139:7-10).
So where is the house of YHVH?
Again, David gives us a clue, “For YHVH has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. ‘This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell for I have desired it’” (Psa. 132:13-14). “The hill (Mount Zion) which Elolim desires to dwell in; YHVH will dwell in it forever” (Psa. 68:16). This provided me with a lead to Elohim's (possible) dwelling place, albeit only in a form of a mountain, and not a house.
"I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of YHVH. Our feet shall stand within your gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together; where the tribes go up, the tribes of YHVH, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of YHVH. For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Seek for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within your walls (or armies), and prosperity within your palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the house of YHVH our Elohim I will seek thy good" (Psa. 122:1-9).
Thus far we see that Mount Zion, Jerusalem and the house of David are all connected to the dwelling place of YHVH, or to His house. However, there is another possibility mentioned in the Gospel of Luke: “and He (Yah'shua ) will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:33). “That men may know that Elohim rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth” (Psa. 59:13). In addition, mention is made in scriptures of YHVH dwelling in the House of Judah. Remember the two sisters, Oholah (Samaria) in Ephraim and Oholibah (Jerusalem) in Judah (Ez. 23:4). Here we can see "what's in a name". Oholah means: "her tent". but Oholibah means, "My tent is in her". Elohim declares that He will dwell in Judah's tent, or house.
So after all this running around what have we discovered about the house of YHVH? In an all-encompassing dimension, the house of YHVH is the house of Jacob, but within the house of Jacob is the house of Judah, and within the house of Judah is the house of David (where the throne is). So like any tabernacle/ temple this one too, has three parts; an outer court (Jacob), holy place (Judah) holy of holies (David). A house within a house, makes up the house of YHVH.
What does His house look like?
The New Covenant answer to this question would be the "believers". "What? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have of Elohim, and you are not your own?" (1 Cor 6:19). "What agreement has the temple of Elohim with idols? For you are the temple of the living Elohim; as Elohim has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their Elohim, and they shall be my people" (2 Cor. 6:16) (Ez.37:27). In this scripture (quoted by Paul), the restored house of Jacob, or the whole house of Israel, under the new covenant, is being addressed: "I will dwell IN them, and walk in them". Peter refers to these as living stones. "You also, as living stones are built up a spiritual house" (1Pet. 2:5). "In whom all the building fitly framed together grows into a holy temple in the Lord" (Eph. 2:21). But where is the quarry from which these stones have come? "Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you" (Isa. 51:1-2). What happened to the stones? "How dark the gold has become, how the pure gold has changed, the sacred stones are poured out at the head of every street… regarded as earthen jars in the hands of the potter” Lam. 4:1-2). I can see and hear the enemies of the Messiah scoffing as they did in the days of Nehemiah. “Can they revive the stones from the heaps of dust and rubble even the burned ones…if a fox should jump on it he would break their stone wall down” (Neh. 4:2-3). Elohim has not forgotten His tender mercies, even though He Himself burned and tore down the former house, because of inequity and sin. But now, will He not build the latter house and will it not be much greater? "The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says YHVH of hosts. `And in this place I will give peace" (Haggai 2:9). Praying for the peace of Jerusalem, is actually praying for the restoration of the house of Jacob.
We know, “unless tYHVH builds the house we labor in vain”. We are those precious sons of Zion, redeemed, and restored living stones that Elohim has brought up out of our dusty graves to be built into His dwelling place. Yah'shua being the chief corner stone. "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, (1Pet. 2:6) (Isa. 28:16). We the restored stones of Zion, are being built into a city whose builder and maker is Elohim (Heb. 11:10). The city that Abraham was seeking for would ultimately be built from his very own seed.
"For YHVH has built up Zion, He has appeared in His glory” (Psa 102:16). The chief corner stone was put into place, when the Father raised Yah’shua the Messiah from the grave. In like manner He is restoring us, gathering us, and will one day bring us to the place which is called for “His name sake” and there He will build His dwelling place, His house, His city, His nation, that will manifest His light and His glory. We will be His resting place.
"Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of YHVH's house, shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it (Isa. 2:2) (Mic. 4:1). "For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the house of YHVH our Elohim I will seek thy good" (Psa.122: 8).
Ephraim
Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity, (shevet achim)… for in this Elohim commands the blessing life eternal (Psa. 133).
This morning as I was reading Psa. 23, I was struck by the last statement: “that I may dwell in the house of YHVH forever” What does it mean to dwell in the house of the Lord? Is it a future event that takes place after death? Is it some building on the corner of Church Street? “One thing have I desired of YHVH, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of YHVH all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of YHVH, and to enquire in his temple” (Psalms 27:4).
What and where is the “House of YHVH”?
King Solomon prayed upon the dedication of his temple, “But will Elohim in very deed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee, how much less this house which I have built” (1Chr. 6:18). King David recorded for us another perspective, “Where shall I go from Your Spirit, or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, You are there, if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea" (Psa. 139:7-10).
So where is the house of YHVH?
Again, David gives us a clue, “For YHVH has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. ‘This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell for I have desired it’” (Psa. 132:13-14). “The hill (Mount Zion) which Elolim desires to dwell in; YHVH will dwell in it forever” (Psa. 68:16). This provided me with a lead to Elohim's (possible) dwelling place, albeit only in a form of a mountain, and not a house.
"I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of YHVH. Our feet shall stand within your gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together; where the tribes go up, the tribes of YHVH, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of YHVH. For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Seek for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within your walls (or armies), and prosperity within your palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the house of YHVH our Elohim I will seek thy good" (Psa. 122:1-9).
Thus far we see that Mount Zion, Jerusalem and the house of David are all connected to the dwelling place of YHVH, or to His house. However, there is another possibility mentioned in the Gospel of Luke: “and He (Yah'shua ) will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:33). “That men may know that Elohim rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth” (Psa. 59:13). In addition, mention is made in scriptures of YHVH dwelling in the House of Judah. Remember the two sisters, Oholah (Samaria) in Ephraim and Oholibah (Jerusalem) in Judah (Ez. 23:4). Here we can see "what's in a name". Oholah means: "her tent". but Oholibah means, "My tent is in her". Elohim declares that He will dwell in Judah's tent, or house.
So after all this running around what have we discovered about the house of YHVH? In an all-encompassing dimension, the house of YHVH is the house of Jacob, but within the house of Jacob is the house of Judah, and within the house of Judah is the house of David (where the throne is). So like any tabernacle/ temple this one too, has three parts; an outer court (Jacob), holy place (Judah) holy of holies (David). A house within a house, makes up the house of YHVH.
What does His house look like?
The New Covenant answer to this question would be the "believers". "What? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have of Elohim, and you are not your own?" (1 Cor 6:19). "What agreement has the temple of Elohim with idols? For you are the temple of the living Elohim; as Elohim has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their Elohim, and they shall be my people" (2 Cor. 6:16) (Ez.37:27). In this scripture (quoted by Paul), the restored house of Jacob, or the whole house of Israel, under the new covenant, is being addressed: "I will dwell IN them, and walk in them". Peter refers to these as living stones. "You also, as living stones are built up a spiritual house" (1Pet. 2:5). "In whom all the building fitly framed together grows into a holy temple in the Lord" (Eph. 2:21). But where is the quarry from which these stones have come? "Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you" (Isa. 51:1-2). What happened to the stones? "How dark the gold has become, how the pure gold has changed, the sacred stones are poured out at the head of every street… regarded as earthen jars in the hands of the potter” Lam. 4:1-2). I can see and hear the enemies of the Messiah scoffing as they did in the days of Nehemiah. “Can they revive the stones from the heaps of dust and rubble even the burned ones…if a fox should jump on it he would break their stone wall down” (Neh. 4:2-3). Elohim has not forgotten His tender mercies, even though He Himself burned and tore down the former house, because of inequity and sin. But now, will He not build the latter house and will it not be much greater? "The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says YHVH of hosts. `And in this place I will give peace" (Haggai 2:9). Praying for the peace of Jerusalem, is actually praying for the restoration of the house of Jacob.
We know, “unless tYHVH builds the house we labor in vain”. We are those precious sons of Zion, redeemed, and restored living stones that Elohim has brought up out of our dusty graves to be built into His dwelling place. Yah'shua being the chief corner stone. "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, (1Pet. 2:6) (Isa. 28:16). We the restored stones of Zion, are being built into a city whose builder and maker is Elohim (Heb. 11:10). The city that Abraham was seeking for would ultimately be built from his very own seed.
"For YHVH has built up Zion, He has appeared in His glory” (Psa 102:16). The chief corner stone was put into place, when the Father raised Yah’shua the Messiah from the grave. In like manner He is restoring us, gathering us, and will one day bring us to the place which is called for “His name sake” and there He will build His dwelling place, His house, His city, His nation, that will manifest His light and His glory. We will be His resting place.
"Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of YHVH's house, shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it (Isa. 2:2) (Mic. 4:1). "For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the house of YHVH our Elohim I will seek thy good" (Psa.122: 8).
Ephraim
Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity, (shevet achim)… for in this Elohim commands the blessing life eternal (Psa. 133).
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