The Dwelling of the Name: The Place that bears His Name (Part 3 of 12)

billspivey
Nov 11, 2025
9 min read

Updated: 11 hours ago

The first structure where God placed His Name and revealed His glory

Introduction

Have you ever visited a historical site?

Along the way, there are usually signs pointing the direction—first a marker, then a distance, then a welcome sign as you arrive.

Finally, you find the monument or museum itself—the place built to remember what happened there. You might meet actors reenacting history, but something is missing—the real presence. The memory remains, yet the life of the moment is gone.

In a similar way, we can trace how God’s Name came to dwell among humanity. His presence brings life; His departure leaves an unfillable void.

At first, God’s people built altars to remember His presence. But in time, God Himself provided the pattern for His dwelling among them. The altars of the patriarchs were made by human hands to mark where God had appeared. When the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, He revealed something new—He would not only visit; He would dwell.

The God who met Noah, Abraham, and Moses on scattered hills now gave His people a pattern for His own dwelling place.

This marked a turning point in redemptive history: worship would no longer rise from isolated altars but from a single sanctuary designed by God Himself.

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. Each new structure—from altar to tabernacle to temple, and finally to the body of Christ and His Church—together reveals the same truth:

God desires to dwell among His people, not merely to be remembered by them.

"Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. / And they will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God." — Exodus 29:45-46

In the last blog, we explored the meaning of God’s covenant Name—YHWH, the eternal “I AM.” This next post in The Dwelling of the Name series explores what it means when God chooses a place that bears His Name—what happens when He moves from remembrance to residence, when human worship reaches upward and His presence descends to dwell.

1 · Altars of Remembrance — Worship Rising Up

Before there was a Temple, before a nation called Israel, there were altars.

Those who walked with God—Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and others—built simple structures of stone and earth to honor the LORD. They were memorials of encounter, not dwellings for a god to live in.

Each altar marked a moment when heaven met earth.

“Let my prayer be set before You like incense, and the lifting up of my hands like the evening sacrifice.” — Psalm 141:2

Abraham built altars throughout his journeys, marking the places where God appeared to him (Genesis 12:7–8). Sacrifice and prayer rose up from these places like a pleasing aroma, and God—pleased with faith and obedience—came down to bless, speak, or reveal Himself. This imagery of rising worship carries through Scripture: the smoke of sacrifice and the incense of prayer both symbolize the same truth—faith ascending toward God.

“The LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him.” — Numbers 11:25

While the patriarchs built altars of remembrance, the nations around them built temples and idols to house their gods—monuments of human imagination, carved to represent divine power they could see and touch.

But the LORD made His people different.

“You must not worship the LORD your God in their way.” — Deuteronomy 12:4

The surrounding nations sought to trap divinity in stone, but Israel was taught that the living God cannot be contained. Their altars were to remain simple—uncut stone, unadorned, undefiled—to show that God meets His people by revelation, not by human design. Until God Himself gave the design for His dwelling, Israel was to remember Him through altars of faith, not temples of imagination—symbols of obedience, not control.

2 · The Tabernacle — Mobile for the Journey

Through Moses, God rescued the Israelites from Egypt. Once they reached Mount Sinai (Exodus 25:8–9), God gave Moses the design for His dwelling—every measurement, material, and furnishing dictated by divine instruction based on the heavenly tabernacle (Hebrews 8:1-2).

“See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” — Exodus 25:40

The tabernacle was built to divine specifications: wood overlaid with gold, curtains woven in blue, purple, and scarlet, and the Ark resting in the Most Holy Place beneath the cherubim. When the work was completed, “the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” — Exodus 40:34

Nothing was left to imagination. The sacred tent symbolized both God’s holiness and His accessibility: the Holy One chose to live in the midst of a redeemed but imperfect people. It was the dwelling of His presence, but during the wilderness years, the LORD’s Name was not yet formally placed upon it.

The land belonged to God and the Israelites were His instruments of divine judgment (Leviticus 25:23). It wasn't until they reached the Promised Land, purge it of the wicked nations, and rested from war that the LORD would have a dwelling for his Name where the tabernacle would settled.

"10 But you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, ... Then to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name—there you are to bring everything I command you ... Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please. 14 Offer them only at the place the LORD will choose in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I command you." — Deuteronomy 12:10-14

The tabernacle was the first dwelling of God’s presence—preparing the way for the place where His Name would dwell in the Promised Land. Its movement foreshadowed the day when His dwelling would rest in a permanent place—the Temple in Jerusalem.

3 · From Tent to Temple — The Place that bears His Name

King David sought to honor God as God had blessed him. The best that David could offer could not compare to the riches of having the Presence of the Holy God.

"He [David] said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent." — 2 Samuel 7:2

God never asked for a permanent structure:

"5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ — 2 Samuel 7:5-7

David’s desire was noble—he longed to honor the LORD with a permanent dwelling, believing it would magnify His glory. When the Temple replaced the tabernacle, the focus shifted from mobility to permanence — from a God who moved with His people in the wilderness to a God whose Name rested among them in the land He promised.

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

But what did it mean for God’s Name to dwell in a structure? When the Temple was completed, Solomon's wisdom proclaimed the greatness of God and importance of His Name when he 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 night and day, this place of which You said, ‘My Name shall be there.’” — 1 Kings 8:27–29

God responded, affirming the promise:

“I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before Me; I have consecrated this temple by putting My Name there forever.” — 1 Kings 9:3

The Temple thus became the structure that bore His Name—a place of His ownership; it belonged to God. The Temple was God’s house—His throne. Its holiness came not from workers, priests, or sacrifices, but from the God who filled it. To meet the Holy God, one was invited to journey to His holy place of residence for prayer and sacrifice. The one location on Earth that God chose to dwell.

Even King Darius of Persia recognized the Name was on the Temple when enemies of the Jews tried to convince the king to stop the Temple reconstruction efforts of Zerubbabel:

"Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site ... May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem." — Ezra 6:6-12

The Temple became the visible proof that the covenant God desired to dwell among His people, not apart from them.

4 · The presence of his Name was conditional

The presence of God filled the Temple as fire descended on the offerings and the priests could not stand to minister. (2 Chronicles 7:1–2)

This glory confirmed that the covenant was alive—the Name had established its dwelling among His people. But God’s response to Solomon’s prayer carried a warning: if the people turned from obedience, He would remove His presence from the land and the Temple. (1 Kings 9:6–9). The Name marked ownership, but presence required faithfulness. Holiness was not in the stone walls but in the obedience of the heart.

The Temple stood as proof of God’s covenant faithfulness, but His people would soon learn that His Name is not bound to stone or city—it rests upon those who walk with Him.

Living in Light of the Name

1) What you just learned

You have learned that God’s dwelling among humanity unfolded in stages, each revealing something essential about His nature and His people. The altars of the patriarchs marked moments when humans responded to God’s appearing—acts of remembrance at specific times and places. The tabernacle, however, was not humanity’s idea; it was God’s. It revealed His desire to honor His people by dwelling with them during their journey toward the inheritance He promised.

The Temple came later as an expression of Israel’s desire to honor God’s Name with permanence and beauty. Yet Scripture makes clear that while God accepted the Temple, He was never dependent on it. When unfaithfulness spread, His presence departed, but His Name remained. God did not abandon His covenant, even when His people failed to honor the place where He chose to dwell.

2) Why this is important

This matters because the Temple revealed both the mercy and the holiness of God. It stood as a sign that fellowship with God was possible even while sin still existed—yet that fellowship was never guaranteed by stone, sacrifice, or structure alone. The Temple was holy because God chose to dwell there, not because it was impressive or carefully built.

Israel failed, but God did not. His willingness to dwell among a flawed people shows His grace; His departure when they turned from Him shows His holiness. God was content to dwell in a movable tent long before He accepted a grand Temple, reminding us that He is never impressed by human achievement. What He desires is faithfulness, humility, and obedience—not monuments that risk replacing devotion with admiration of our own work.

3) How this applies to sanctification

Sanctification requires a reordering of focus. Just as Israel was warned not to confuse the Temple with the God who dwelt there, believers today must not confuse church buildings, programs, or visible success with God’s presence. God’s work is not measured by outcomes, numbers, or recognition, but by obedience to what He has purposed.

Growth in holiness means learning to value what God values. Our attention must be on the work He has given us to do, not on the results we hope to produce. Faithfulness matters more than visibility. Obedience matters more than expansion. The question is not whether something looks successful, but whether it honors the God who chooses where—and with whom—He will dwell.

4) Reflection and orientation

True worship cannot be reduced to what we see or hear; it must come from the heart. Buildings do not contain the LORD, and music alone does not draw Him near. God has always desired hearts that seek Him sincerely and walk with Him faithfully.

Do we truly believe that God is willing to come close to us? Do we live with gratitude for His nearness, or have we grown accustomed to it? Are we attentive to His presence, or do we take it for granted? And perhaps most searching of all: are we living in such a way that God would be pleased to place His Name upon our homes, our work, and our gatherings—because He is honored there, not merely acknowledged?

Please visit the website at www.bible-is-history.com

Part 3 of 12 in The Dwelling of the Name Series

Back to Part 2

← Previous Series [The Meaning of the Name YHWH]

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Next in Series → [The People Who Bear His Name]

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