The Dwelling of the Name: From Stone to Spirit (Part 1 of 12)

The story of how God’s presence moved from the Temple to the human heart

© 2025 William F. Spivey Jr. All Rights Reserved (www.bible-is-history.com)

Shekinah Glory in the Temple

Introduction

In Daniel Chapter 9, the prophet prayed for the city—Jerusalem—and for the people of Israel. That prayer helps introduce the theme of The Dwelling of the Name—how God chooses a people and a place to bear His Name.

"Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name." (Daniel 9:18-19)

How can they “bear Your Name,” and why is “Name” capitalized? What does that mean for a city and a people?

LET'S EXPLORE: From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells one continuous story—God’s desire to be in relationship with His creation, to dwell among His people. He walked with Adam, spoke with Moses, filled the tabernacle with glory, and later made His home within believers through the Holy Spirit.

This post begins The Dwelling of the Name series, exploring how God’s presence moved from the Temple of stone to the hearts of His people through the Spirit.

This first study in The Dwelling of the Name series traces how that presence moved from stone to Spirit.

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1 · The Beginning — God With Man

In the garden of Eden, God walked with humanity in open fellowship (Genesis 3:8).

Sin broke that closeness, yet God’s purpose never changed. Every covenant—from Noah to Abraham—carried the same promise: “I will be your God.”

When Abraham built altars and “called on the Name of the LORD” (Genesis 12:8), He marked the ground where God met with man.

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2 · A Dwelling of Wood and Gold

Every day, a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night guided Israel through the desert—signs that the Living God was with His people. Later, God said to Moses, ‘Have them make a sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell among them.’"(Exodus 25:8–9)

The tabernacle was a mobile, temporary tent built exactly to God’s pattern. When the work of the tabernacle was completed in obedience, "the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled it." (Exodus 40:1-2, 33-35)

Israel could point to the tabernacle and say, “God is here. This is where and who we worship.”

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3 · A House for the Name — The Dwelling of the Name in Jerusalem

When Israel settled in the land, worship at “high places” (hilltops and sacred groves) influenced their practices. During David’s time, the tabernacle remained at Gibeon—about six miles north of Jerusalem—while the Ark of the Covenant rested in the City of David. Solomon obeyed God’s command to establish one permanent and unified center of worship. The tabernacle of Gibeon gave way to the Temple in Jerusalem, the house built for the Name of the LORD.

Solomon prayed, “The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You. How much less this temple I have built! Yet may Your eyes be open toward this temple … this place of which You said, ‘My Name shall be there.’” (1 Kings 8:27–29 is a reference to 2 Samuel 7:12-13)

God answered, “I have consecrated this temple by putting My Name there forever; My eyes and My heart will always be there.” (1 Kings 9:3)

The Temple became the visible center of worship—the dwelling of the Name in the city of the Name. To pray toward Jerusalem was to seek God’s presence and mercy.

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4 · Problems Within the Walls

Israel’s sin soon defiled the place where His Name dwelled. Through Jeremiah, God warned that the Temple had become “a den of robbers” (Jeremiah 7:11). Idolatry and moral corruption led to the defilement of the Temple and worship of God.

Ezekiel later saw the tragic vision of the glory departing from the Temple (Ezekiel 10:18–19).

The Presence left because hearts had turned away. The building still stood for a time, but the God who made it holy had withdrawn.

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5 · The Return of the Presence

Centuries passed. Then John wrote, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling [eskēnōsen] among us.” (John 1:14)

The Greek word eskēnōsen means “to pitch a tent” or “to dwell in a tabernacle.” In Jesus, God once again lived among His people—the true tabernacle made flesh. He was Immanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23), the visible return of the divine Presence that once filled the sanctuary.

When He died, “the curtain of the Temple was torn in two” (Matthew 27:51), showing that the way back to God’s presence was open.

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6 · From Stone to Spirit

After Jesus rose and ascended, the Spirit came at Pentecost: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:4)

Tongues of fire rested on each believer. The same glory that once filled the Temple now filled human hearts. Paul later wrote, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)

The dwelling place of God had moved—from stone walls to living people.

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Summary Statement

The story of Scripture is the story of God drawing near. The same God who walked with man in the garden and whose glory filled the Temple now dwells within His people through the Holy Spirit; from stone to Spirit, the LORD—whose Name is holy—still dwells wherever He is worshiped in truth.

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Next to Part 2

Next in Series → [The Meaning of the Name YHWH]

Part 1 of 12 in The Dwelling of the Name Series