Today’s selected passage continues in the Old Testament prophetic book of Isaiah, and more specifically, is found in the sixty-sixth and final chapter of the book. This final chapter of the prophetic book of Isaiah begins with an incredibly powerful declaration concerning the habitation of the Lord of hosts. Consider the words which the Lord spoke through His servant, the prophet Isaiah—“The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: Where is the house that ye build unto me? And where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isaiah 66:1-2). I am reminded of the words which the prophet Isaiah declared, which are recorded in the fifty-seventh chapter of this same prophetic book. “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15). I’m also reminded of the words which David wrote—words which are recorded in the fifteenth chapter of the book of the Psalms—“Lord, Who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is condemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved” (Psalm 15:1-15). I am also reminded of the words which David would later write and are recorded for us in the twenty-fourth chapter of the same poetic book—“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Psalm 24:1-5).

 WHAT HOUSE CAN YOU BUILD FOR ME? WHAT DWELLING PLACE CAN YOU ERECT FOR ME? WHAT HOUSE CAN YOU RAISE UP FOR ME TO DWELL IN? Do you remember the words which Solomon wrote in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes? In the fifth chapter of this particular book we read words which are actually quite remarkable when one takes the time to consider them. “Keep thy food when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon the earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is k nown by a mul;titled of words. When thou o west a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God” (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7). Here within this particular set of verses Solomon makes an incredibly important and emphatic statement concerning the Lord—“FOR GOD IS IN HEAVEN.” It is absolutely imperative that we recognize and understand these words, for one of the single greatest needs we have is to understand the dwelling place—the very habitation of the Lord of hosts. You will recall in the prayer which Jesus encouraged His hearers to pray how He expressed something similar to this. “Our Father which art in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). Solomon declared that God is in heaven, and Jesus encouraged us to pray unto the Father acknowledging that He dwells in heaven. When teaching His audience and hearers to pray to the Lord of hosts in heaven, Jesus not only reveals the Lord as “our Father,” but Jesus also speaks of this Father as dwelling in heaven. In fact, at the very outset of Jesus’ prayer to the Father was the acknowledgement and declaration of the dwelling place of the Father—in heaven. When praying to the Father, it is absolutely necessary that we recognize and understand that His dwelling place is in heaven.

 The sixty-sixth and final chapter of the prophetic book of Isaiah opens with a powerful statement concerning the Lord—more specifically, where the Lord dwells. Through the prophet Isaiah the Lord declares that heaven is His throne, and that the earth is His footstool. In other words, through the prophet Isaiah the Lord was ensuring there was absolutely no mistaking the habitation and place of His dwelling. The throne of the Lord is established in righteousness and judgment in heaven, while the earth is His footstool. It’s worth noting that the Lord didn’t merely declare that heaven was His throne, nor that the earth was His footstool, but He also went on to ask two very pointed and specific questions. The first question is actually quite interesting when you consider that the Temple which Solomon had built unto the Lord still stood in the city of Jerusalem. The first question the Lord asks is, “Where is the house that ye build unto me?” It’s necessary that we ask this question, for there was already a house which had been built unto the Lord in Jerusalem. The Lord asked concerning the house which would be build unto Him, yet a house had already been built for Him upon the earth. In fact, from the time of Moses the Lord had a house—a dwelling place and habitation—upon he earth. During the days of Mose and the children of Israel in the wilderness, the Lord had a house which was positioned at the very heart and center of the camp of Israel. During the forty years of wandering through the wilderness, the Lord had a house which He had in the midst of His people as they journeyed through the wilderness. Wherever the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire would stop in the wilderness, it would be there where the Tabernacle of Moses would be set up. It was there in the midst of this house the shekinah glory of the Lord of hosts would be manifested in their midst. During their forty years in the wilderness, there was always a house where the Lord would be able to dwell in the midst of His people. One of the most interesting realities concerning the Tabernacle of Moses is that when the pillar of cloud stopped, or when the pillar of fire stopped, the Tabernacle was the first house to be set up in that place. In essence, the Tabernacle of the Lord was set up in the place of rest. THE TABERNACLE OF THE LORD IS SET UP AND ESTABLISHED IN THE PLACE OF REST! This is an incredibly important concept, for the prophet even alludes to this in this particular chapter—“Where is the house that ye build unto me? And where is the place of my rest?” (Isaiah 66:1).

 When speaking of the house which is built and established unto the Lord, it is necessary that we understand that this house is set up and established in the place of rest. The children of Israel would wander through the wilderness, and they would follow the pillar of fire by night, and the pillar of cloud by day. The tabernacle of Moses would be carried by the Levites and the priests as the children of Israel journeyed through and wandered in the wilderness. However, when the pillar of cloud stopped and settled on a specific place, or when the pillar of fire stopped and settled on a specific place, the children of Israel would cease their wandering, and would set up their individual tents, and the corporate camp in that place of rest. INDIVIDUAL TENTS ARE SET UP IN THE PLACE OF REST! CORPORATE CAMP IS SET UP IN THE PLACE OF REST! THE TABERNACLE OF THE LORD IS SET UP IN THE PLACE OF REST! One of the single greatest realities concerning the children of Israel entering into the Promised Land is that the Tabernacle of the Lord would no longer move through the wilderness being carried by the Levites and priests. When the children of Israel entered into the land of Canaan, and after they had moved throughout the land dispossessing enemies, adversaries, and foes which were stronger and greater than they, the Tabernacle of the Lord would be set up and established in their midst. In the wilderness, the pillar of cloud stopping and settling in a specific place, and the pillar of fire stopping and settling in a specific place was actually something that is worth noting, for wherever the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire stopped, that place would not only be the place of rest, but it would also be the place of habitation and dwelling. Wherever the pillar(s) stopped, it would be in that place where the children of Israel would find rest, and would not only find rest, but would also find a place of dwelling. It’s worth noting that the Lord of hosts managed and controlled the place(s) of rest for the children of Israel in the wilderness, for so long as the pillar of cloud by day moved, or the pillar of fire by night moved, the children of israel were to continue journeying and following. It was the Lord of hosts who was directly responsible for the rest and dwelling of the children of Israel—and not only for the rest and dwelling of the children of Israel, but also for the rest of the Tabernacle. It was there in the place of rest where individual tents were set up in the midst of the wilderness. It was there in the place of rest where the corporate camp of Israel would be set up. It was there in the place of rest where the Tabernacle of the Lord would be set up and established in the midst. How interesting is it to consider that the Levites and priests were to transport and carry the dwelling place of the Lord wherever they went in the wilderness, yet it was only in the place of rest it could actually be set up. The Levites and priests were responsible for carrying the dwelling place of the Lord, yet they could not ever determine where or when it would be set up. Only the Lord of hosts Himself determined when and where the Tabernacle would be set up and established.

 I am absolutely convinced there is a powerful spiritual principal that is presented for our consideration in this reality. While the Levites were anointed and set apart to carry the Tabernacle through the wilderness as the children of Israel were led by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, they could never determine when or where they could unpack and set it up. Not even Moses, nor Aaron Moses’ brother could determine or decide when or where the Tabernacle could be set up in the wilderness. The Tabernacle could only be set up in that specific place of rest the Lord had ordained and appointed for them. In all reality, the children of Israel were led through the wilderness from one of place of rest to another place of rest. The children of Israel were led from one place of dwelling to another place of dwelling. It was the Lord of hosts who alone determined where and when they would experience rest from their journey through the harsh wilderness. It was the Lord of hosts who alone determined where and when the children of Israel would set up their tents before Him in the wilderness. We must pay attention to this, for the same principle applies to us in this generation, for the Lord directly determines our place of rest. It is the Lord who leads us as pilgrims and strangers in this generation, and it is the Lord who leads us from one place of rest to another. It is true that Jesus called all who were weary and heavy laden to come unto Him, and He would provide rest, yet that doesn’t mean we won’t either find ourselves wandering like the children of Israel did through the wilderness, or engaging in battle and conflict as the children of Israel did in the land of Canaan. In the wilderness the children of Israel found themselves wandering from one place of rest to the next, while in the land of Canaan—at least initially—they found themselves moving from one place of conflict and battle to the next. Eventually there would come the point and place when they would subdue thirty-one kings, and the Tabernacle of Moses would be set up in Shiloh in the midst of the land. Eventually the Tabernacle of Moses would no more be carried through the wilderness and set up in different places, but would be set up and established in a specific place. That place the Tabernacle would be set up would be in that place of rest which the Lord of hosts Himself established in their midst. Oh that we would understand and firmly grasp this concept that the Tabernacle could only be set up and established in the place of rest—in that place where the journey has ceased (at least for a set period of time), and in that place where warfare and conflict had ceased.

 I am reminded of a passage of Scripture that is found in the seventeenth chapter of the Old Testament book of First Chronicles. It is in this passage of Scripture that we find the account of David realizing that he himself dwelt in a house of cedars, while the Ark of God dwelt under curtains and within a tent. “Now it came to pass, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in an house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord remaineth under curtains. Then Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thine heart; for God is with thee. And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in: For I have not dwelt in an house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another. Whersoever I have walked with all Israel, spake I a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have ye not built. Me an house of cedars? Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, even from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be ruler over my people Israel: and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, and have made thee a name like the name of the great men that are in the earth. Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no. More; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning. And since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all thine enemies. Furthermore I tell thee that the Lord will build thee an house. And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee: but I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for evermore. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David” (1 Chronicles 17:1-15). This matter of David being prohibited from building a house unto the Lord is further confirmed in the fifth chapter of the Old Testament book of First Kings when the author writes of Solomon, son of David king of Israel. “And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David. And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the Lord his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. But now the Lord my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrences. And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name. Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians. And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the Lord this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people” (1 Kings 5:1-7).

 When David sought to build a house unto the Lord in the midst of Jerusalem, the word of the Lord came to Nathan preventing David from doing so. The word of the Lord came to Nathan the prophet preventing David from building a house unto the Lord, for the Lord used David to fight all His battles with the nations and peoples round about Israel. The Lord anointed David as king and gave him victory, triumph and rest over all his enemies and adversaries rounds bout. David was mightily anointed by the Lord, and was surrounded by a great army of men who were known as “the mighty men of David.” The Lord surrounded David with mighty men who helped him fight the battles of the Lord round about the inheritance—a reality which bears a striking similarity to Joshua who led the children of Israel into and through the land of Canaan. The Lord wonderfully anointed Joshua to fight the battles of the Lord within the inheritance, thus securing the inheritance from within. The Lord would anoint David to fight His battles without and outside the inheritance, thus securing the inheritance from without. It would take one generation to secure the inheritance of the people of God from within, while another generation would rise up to secure the inheritance from without. Once Joshua and the army behind him secured the inheritance from within, the Tabernacle of Moses could be established in the midst of the land in Shiloh. Once David and the mighty men around him secured the inheritance from without, his own son would build the Temple of the Lord in the midst of the land. It was from the place of rest—and I would even say from the place of victory and triumph—the Temple of the Lord could and would be established in the earth. David could not build for the Lord an house in Jerusalem, for David was a man of war and much bloodshed. It was and could only be from that place of rest that the Temple of the Lord—the very house of the Lord—could be established and set up in the earth. In the wilderness, it was from the place of rest—rest from their wandering through the wilderness—the Tabernacle of Moses could be established. We must understand this, for this is why rest is so incredibly important within our lives—rest from our labors, from our striving, rest from our burdens, rest from our anxieties, rest from our fears, rest from anything and everything that would seek to distract and destroy us. There are a number of men and women who attempt to build for the Lord an house, yet they attempt to do so from and within a place of conflict, from a place of strife, from a place of turmoil, and the like. We must understand that when the Lord leads us into a place of rest, it isn’t simply so we could build our own tent (our own dwelling), but so the Temple and dwelling of the Lord can be established. This is what is so powerful about David’s words, for David recognized that he was living in a place of rest, and that he was dwelling in a house of cedars, yet the Ark of the Covenant dwelt behind curtains.

 With all of this being said, it is imperative that we recognize and understand those with whom the Lord of hosts dwells. The prophet Isaiah has already declared the high and lofty One which inhabits eternity, and whose name is Holy, dwells in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit. Even in this particular passage of Scripture, the Lord declares that it is upon this man whom He will look—even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at His word. Consider the words which are recorded in the eighteenth verse of the thirty-fourth chapter of the book of the Psalms—“The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and safety such as be of a contrite spirit” (Psalm 34:18). “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:17). “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). “Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou headrest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord” (2 Kings 22:19). Heaven is the throne of the Lord, and the earth is His footstool, yet He looks upon him that is poor and of a contrite of spirit, and who trembles at His word. The Lord is the high and lofty One, and who dwells in the high and holy place, yet even in the midst of, and even from that place, He dwells with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit. The Lord dwelt in the Tabernacle of Moses in the wilderness, and He dwelt in the Temple of Solomon in the land of Canaan, yet He dwells not in that which is made by human hands. Consider the words which Stephen spoke when he was giving his defense before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem when they were preparing to stone him. “Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen. Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David; who found favor before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. But Solomon build him an house. Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? Saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things? Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye” (Acts 7:44-51).

These words were echoed by the apostle Paul which are recorded in the seventeenth chapter of the same New Testament book—“Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though He needed any thing, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath m add of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though he be not far from every one of us: for in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or sliver, or stone, grave by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: because he hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead” (Acts 17:23-31). I am reminded of the words which the apostle Paul wrote in both of his epistles to the Corinthian congregation of believers. “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? Know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? For two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, w high ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, with are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:15-20). “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath He that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with. Idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

 In order to truly understand this reality—not only the reality of the dwelling of the Lord, but also with whom and within whom He dwells—it is imperative that we consider the words of the prophet Ezekiel which are recorded for us in the thirty-sixth chapter. “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleanness: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel” (Ezekiel 36:25-32). One of the most powerful truths surrounding the return of the children of Israel to the land of inheritance, and even the rebuilding of the Temple of the Lord is that the rebuilding of the Temple would suggest that not only had the people returned to the land, but the Lord had returned unto the people. It would have been one thing for the Lord to return the people to the land of their inheritance, but to allow them to rebuild the Temple which had been destroyed with fire suggests the incredibly wonderful reality that the Lord was once more willing to dwell in the midst of His people. The Lord dwells not in temples made with human hands, but instead dwells with those of a humble and contrite spirit. The Lord dwells not in temples made with human hands, but instead has a temple in the earth made not with human hands, yet has the very breath of Almighty God within and in the midst of them. The Lord dwells not in temples made with human hands, for the Lord has a temple within the earth that no man can ever destroy. When the Day of Pentecost came and the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the one-hundred and twenty in the Upper Room, the Lord established upon the earth a second temple—one that was not made with human hands as was the Tabernacle and the Temple. Oh that we would recognize that we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, and that the Lord desires to dwell in the midst of His people in those whom He has called to come out, to be separate, and to touch not the unclean thing. How absolutely wonderful and powerful is this reality, and one which we must acknowledge with every breath of our beings, for we are called to be and have been created to be the Temple of the Holy Spirit within and upon the earth.