Our God Dwells Among Us
Introduction
From the beginning to the end of the Bible, "God has an insistent, persistent, consistent yearning to be with - to be among - His people." (Randy Roberts)
The purpose of this study is to consider what the Sanctuary/Tabernacle/Temple of the Holy Bible tells us about our Holy God and see if the above quote is Biblically correct.
In The Wilderness
Exodus 25:8 Have the people of Israel build me{Jehovah(vs.1)} a holy sanctuary so I can live among them.
Exodus 29:44-46 Yes, I will consecrate the Tabernacle and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 45 Then I will live among the people of Israel and be their God, 46 and they will know that I am Jehovah their God. I am the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am Jehovah their God.
Leviticus 26:11-13 I will live among you, and I will not despise you. 12 I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt...
In Solomon's Temple
1 Kings 6:11-14 Then Jehovah gave this message to Solomon: 12 “Concerning this Temple you are building... 13 I will live among the Israelites and will never abandon my people Israel.” 14 So Solomon finished building the Temple.
- After this time, much evil came into Israel because they kept leaving Jehovah, in favor of other gods. => Judges 2:11-15 "Then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of Jehovah and served the Baals. They abandoned Jehovah, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed other gods from the gods of the peoples who were around them, and they bowed down to them, so that they offended Jehovah. They abandoned Jehovah and served Baal..."
- But did Jehovah forsake His people forever? No.
Ezekiel 37:26-28 And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give them their land and increase their numbers, and I will put my Temple among them forever. 27 I will make my home among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 And when my Temple is among them forever, the nations will know that I am Jehovah, who makes Israel holy.”
In the Gospel
John 1:14 So the Word became human and made his home among us{or, from the Greek word eskēnōsen, => "tabernacled" or "pitched his tent" among us}. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
- Now, and forever more, it is the only-born Son of Jehovah(Jn3:16) who dwells among us. Jesus guarantees His perpetual presence with His followers:
After Jesus' Ascension
2 Corinthians 6:16 ... we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. {-Paul quoting Lev26:12; Ez37:27}
- Paul defines the identity of this "God" => 1 Corinthians 8:6 "... there is one God, the Father..." Supporting scripture => https://sidnash.org/?1God
- Matthew 18:20 For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them. -Jesus
Ephesians 2:22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.
Revelation 21:3,22 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them... 22 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
From this, we can see that the final and everlasting temple is the Almighty Creator and His only-born Son. But, what was the first temple on Earth?
Desiring to live by every word that comes from the mouth of Jehovah (Deut8:3; Matt4:4)
-Sid Nash: 02/26/2026. Latest version: https://sidnash.org/docs/GodAmongUs.html