Isaiah 66:1–2
Thus says the LORD:
“Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest?
For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,”Says the LORD.
“But on this one will I look:
On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word.
The earth is filled with God’s glory! Holy Spirit dwells in His people, those who trust in Jesus, who accomplished everything necessary for salvation. We form the Body of Christ and Holy Spirit dwells in us. We are the caretakers of the world that He created and loves. We love others the same way that He loves us.
God’s True Tabernacle
Acts 7:44-50 Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, 45 which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David, 46 who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob. 47 But Solomon built Him a house.
48 “However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:
49 ‘Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
What house will you build for Me? says the Lord,
Or what is the place of My rest?
50 Has My hand not made all these things?’
Israel Resists the Holy Spirit
Stephen has described how Yahweh has accomplished His purposes and kept His promises—despite Israel’s failings—through Abraham, Joseph, and Moses. Stephen now introduces David’s role in the history of Israel. Instead of allowing David to build Him a house (the temple), Yahweh told David that He will build David a house, or dynasty. (2 Samuel 7) Solomon built the temple as a permanent tabernacle where Yahweh’s presence would dwell in a special way among His people (1 Kings 6; Acts 7:43). By placing so much emphasis on the temple as Yahweh’s exclusive dwelling place, Israel disrespects Solomon who built it—he recognized that no physical building could contain Yahweh, the Lord of heaven and earth (1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 2:6). The implication is that the religious leaders are the ones who have misunderstood the true nature of the temple (Jeremiah 7:1–15). Stephen quotes Isaiah 66:1–2. Faithlife Study Bible
The ancient tabernacle had been the focus of the Israelites’ national worship. Even after the miraculous deliverance from Egypt there was a tendency among the people to forget God’s presence with them. The tabernacle was a constant testimony of God’s presence no matter where the people went.
Paul tells us that we are the tabernacle, the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16). We can never move out of the presence of God, for we carry His presence with us (Psalm 139).
It was David’s desire to give God a permanent dwelling. The danger of David’s request was that some might identify the presence of God with one place, as if God were confined to that location. God honored David’s desire by permitting his son Solomon to build such a house and by filling it with the Shekinah glory, a demonstration of His presence. But God did not live in the temple. The Creator cannot be confined by anything He has made. His presence fills all that He has made. Solomon understood this when he dedicated the temple (1 Kings 8:27–30). In his speech, Stephen emphasized that God could not be confined to temples made with hands. The NKJV Study Bible
Stephen upbraids the Jews with the idolatry of their fathers, to which God gave them up as a punishment for their early forsaking him. It was no dishonour, but an honour to God, that the tabernacle gave way to the temple; so it is now, that the earthly temple gives way to the spiritual one; and so it will be when, at last, the spiritual shall give way to the eternal one. The whole world is God’s temple, in which he is every where present, and fills it with his glory; what occasion has he then for a temple to manifest himself in? And these things show his eternal power and Godhead. But as heaven is his throne, and the earth his footstool, so none of our services can profit Him who made all things. Next to the human nature of Christ, the broken and spiritual heart is his most valued temple. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Do our stories make us bigger, or smaller?
Do they invite us to be people of grace, or to be people of umbrage and anger?
Do our stories spill the light of mercy and compassion, and restoration and amends?
Speaking of stories, on one day in 2013, I walked across a bridge. The sun shone down from a bleached blue sky. The air was cool, but our spirits don't notice, as we stand and sing under the sign, Edmund Pettus Bridge. We are in Selma, Alabama on Bloody Sunday. I was honored to join a group of new friends on the 13th Annual Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage. We were led by Representative John Lewis.
As it turned out, I walked smack dab into an epiphany.
Or perhaps, the epiphany walked into me.
Either way, it wasn't on my agenda.
But this I know: control (craving the status quo) and epiphanies are not to be found in the same sentence. Epiphanies open our eyes, and they open our heart. And gratefully, after that day, I could never be the same.
Today is a good day to pause. And tell stories that let us remember the gift of epiphanies.
And to let the light of mercy and compassion be rekindled.
In a world where cruelty is real and taking a toll, I know it's something I could use. Sabbath Moments
Our loving heavenly Father has immeasurable compassion for all people, even in our sin and brokenness. God "has pity on the weak and the needy" (Psalm 72:13) and waits patiently for us to repent (2 Peter 3:9).
We might ask ourselves:
● Do I love my enemies (Matthew 5:44)?
● Do I pray for people who offend me (Luke 6:27-28)?
● Do I extend forgiveness and grace to others as God has to me (Ephesians 4:32; Matthew 18:21-35)?
●Do I trust God's judgment even when I don't understand His ways (Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 11:33)?
When we prefer personal comfort over our calling, our pride blinds us from seeing God's love clearly.
But when we recognize how God has loved us, we are compelled toward compassion for others. Rather than overlooking God's ways, we become overwhelmed by His mercy and flourish in all He has called us to do. First5
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