Dwelling In The Lord’s House

Psalm 23, one of the most beloved chapters in Scripture, ends unusually. After David affirms the various ways the Lord protects, leads, and blesses him, he confidently predicts he will “dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23.6). Similarly, in Psalm 27.4 he writes about the “one thing” he’s asked of God: to “dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” The only “house of the Lord” that David knew personally was the physical structure of the tabernacle (later, the temple). As every godly Israelite understood, no one could actually live within the walls of the holy structure, nor even in its courts (Nehemiah 13.7-9). Dire consequences befell unordained Israelites who waltzed into God’s house (2 Chronicles 26.16-21). The priests from Levi’s tribe could minister within it and camp around it, but no one dwelt inside it except God himself. Therefore, David’s desire to live with the Lord expressed a future reality, ultimately realized in Jesus Christ.

In John 14, Jesus was only hours away from experiencing his brutal murder. In the remaining time he had with his closest disciples, he prepared them for their future work and reassured them of God’s care. In vs. 2, he declared, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” (ESV). Other English translations less accurately translate the verse, “In my Father’s house are many mansions,” (KJV, NKJV, ASV) giving the idea that every Christian will inherit a personal palace someday in heaven. Jesus’ real point is that his people will dwell safely in the house of the Lord after their work is accomplished. Rather than the two room space of the tabernacle/temple, God’s eternal home will not lack space within it – there are “many rooms.” Also, all Christ-followers are welcomed inside it, the true fulfillment of David’s dreams of human and divine unity.

A few personal applications arise from these two connected passages. First, where do we desire to dwell? Are we primarily concerned with planning, stressing, and working on houses made of earthly materials, which are all destined to be destroyed when the Lord returns (2 Peter 3.8-10)? Or do we place a greater amount of struggle and attention on the house of the Lord? As the prophet Haggai said, “consider your ways” (Haggai 1.5, 7). Second, with whom do we desire to dwell? The typical king was intent on dwelling with beautiful women, attentive servants, and protective soldiers, yet David desired the Lord beyond any other. Are we primarily focused on improving our human relationships? Or do we crave worshipping the Lord and ache for his presence as David did? Only within our Father’s house do we find the full scope of pleasure and contentment we seek.

Nathan