God establishes his covenant with Solomon after the temple is built. God expresses his desire to live with his people. He says in 6:13, “I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.”
God uses this temple to express to us his desire for personal intimacy. Things have not changed. God still desires intimacy with his people. But today, He wants more than to live “among” his people. He wants to live in and through them. “Don’t you know,” Paul writes, “that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?” (1 Cor. 6:19 Today’s English Version).
Lucado writes, “Think with me about the temple for a moment. Was God a visitor or a resident in Solomon’s temple? Would you describe his presence as occasional or permanent? You know the answer. God didn’t come and go, appear and disappear. He was a permanent presence, always available. What incredibly good news for us! We are NEVER away from God! He is NEVER away from us—not even for a moment! God doesn’t come to us on Sunday mornings and then exit on Sunday afternoons. He remains within us, continually present in our lives.”
That’s why he was given a unique name at his birth. It was “Immanuel,” which means “God with us.”
Chuck
“But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.” Philippians 3:20