God Does Not Live in Buildings, He Lives in People

The Torah Has 45 Chapters About the Tabernacle — Why?

The Torah writes about the Tabernacle a total of 45 chapters. Exodus has 13 chapters devoted to the Tabernacle. Leviticus has 18 chapters. Numbers has 13 chapters. Deuteronomy has 2 chapters. When I discovered this information, I was actually in shock. My question is: why did the Holy Spirit give us so much text and information that, at first glance, doesn't look useful for future generations who moved on to the Temple in Jerusalem?

My answer: it is so that the people of Israel would know and understand that the presence of the Lord is in the middle of the camp, and that they have a share and partnership in a constant reminder of God's presence dwelling with them on the same earthly level — not detached far above in the heaven. This unique tent served as a blueprint for how the children of Israel were to approach God: in holiness, in purity, and in reverence. Every woman knew that her gold earrings and bracelets were shining in the Menorah by day and night. This idea that the people were partners with God and each had a physical part in the "place of God's dwelling" was a very important aspect of the feeling of ownership and belonging and partnership with the Lord God, the Creator of the universe.

The Tabernacle vs. The Temple — A Crucial Contrast

The Tabernacle and the Temple are not the same thing, and Pekudei forces us to understand why. The Temple in Jerusalem was built by 50,000 foreign workers sent by Hiram from Tyre. The building material was from Lebanon. The design was a typical pagan architectural design of a temple to their gods. There was no participation on a volunteer basis by the people of Israel in the building of the Temple in Jerusalem. This is the reason why the Temple became the territory of the Priestly Levite families. The Tabernacle was at a location in the middle of the camp of Israel that constantly reminded the people of God's presence. It was a reminder that they had "stock" in that house of the Lord.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not have tabernacles or temples. They had a personal God that walked with them wherever they pitched their tents. The God of the Patriarchs was with them everywhere they went, and identified Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Temple in Jerusalem, with all its beauty and glory, did not bring too much glory to God in the long run. It was condemned by Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, and Amos. Israel prostituted after the idols of their pagan neighbors in the very Temple that Solomon built. The priesthood was corrupt in the time of Yeshua, but the Temple was beautiful and one of the finest buildings in the Greco-Roman world. Let us remember: the box is much less important than what is inside of it.

What Solomon Said at the Dedication — And Why It Should Be on Every Church Door

In orthodox Jewish synagogues, the feeling of ownership is still in practice. The money for building a synagogue is normally given by the members of that synagogue, and the names of those who contributed are near the entrance. The names of the members are on their chairs. But in Solomon's dedication of the Temple — built by foreign workers with foreign material — he still understood something that most Christians and Jews have forgotten:

This dedication speech of Solomon is one that ought to be posted on every synagogue and church building. It is idolatrous to think that church buildings or synagogues are the house of God. No — they are houses for us, for us humans to have a place that is sanctified by God for His children to gather and to serve. The individual, the community, is where God dwells. As the Torah said:

God Dwells in Our Hearts

We at Netivyah will forever be grateful for Robert (Bob) and Margaret Lindsay for allowing us to use the Baptist House on Narkis Street 4 in Jerusalem. There were many times that violent persecution was directed against us — a military hand grenade exploded just minutes after we left the building. My teaching was shorter than usual and we were just a few meters away when the grenade exploded in a plastic bucket full of nails right at the door that we just walked out from. The Chief of Police of Jerusalem, Dr. Arie Shnaitzer, who was my classmate and personal friend from preschool through high school, would worship with us for weeks and have detectives stationed around the building. Dr. Lindsay never wavered.

God does not dwell in buildings made by human hands. But our hearts — the hearts of man after being circumcised by the Holy Spirit — can contain Him if we open the door and let Him in. As it says: