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Scripture Reading: Gen. 2:1, 8-9; 28:18-22; Exo. 29:45-46; 40:1-2, 34-35; 2 Sam. 7:1-16; 1 Kings 6:1, 11-13; 8:10-11; 9:1-3; Isa. 66:1-2; 57:15; Psa. 90:1; 91:1; 92:12-13; 27:4; 23:6; Jer. 50:7b; John 1:14; 2:19-22; Matt. 16:16-18; 1 Pet. 2:5; Eph. 2:20-22; 1 Cor. 3:16; 17, 6:19; 1 John 4:13; Rev. 21:2-3, 11-12, 14, 19, 22-23; 22:1-2
The verses listed above nearly cover from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation. All these verses are included at the beginning of this chapter because we need to see that the truths presented in this chapter are supported by the entire Bible.
In this book we will address God’s building in a specific way. People can easily see God’s creation in their reading of the Holy Scriptures. However, the Scriptures not only reveal God’s creation but also God’s building. In the entire Bible only the first one and a half chapters of Genesis speak about God’s creation. From the second half of chapter 2 to the end of the book of Revelation, the Bible speaks about the other aspect of God’s work, God’s building.
Brothers and sisters, I hope that you would pay attention to these two things: God’s creation and God’s building. When you read the Bible, at the beginning you see God’s creation, but at the end of Revelation when you have finished reading it, what you see is the building of God. At the beginning of the Scriptures we are told that “the heavens and the earth and all their host were finished” (Gen. 2:1). This was the creation of God. At the end of the Bible it says that there is a city coming down out of heaven, adorned with every precious stone (Rev. 21:2, 19a). This is the building of God. In Genesis 2 we see a garden, and in the middle of the garden is the tree of life (vv. 8-9). This garden is a flower garden, filled with plants. We all realize that a garden does not readily convey to us the thought of building. A garden primarily shows us the created things of nature, such as flowers, grass, and trees. When we see a garden, we would say, “Oh, how beautiful are the flowers and the trees created by God!” All the scenery in a garden gives us an impression of the creation of God. However, when we come to the end of Revelation, we see that the tree of life is no longer in a garden; rather, the garden has become a city. There is no longer a nature scene comprised of flowers, grass, and plants. Instead, there is a building that has been built with precious stones.
Therefore, the picture at the beginning of the Bible is very different from the picture at the end of the Bible. At the beginning it is a creation scene, whereas at the end it is a building scene. At the beginning there is a natural garden, whereas at the end there is a builded city. At the beginning everything exhibits the beauty of creation, whereas at the end everything shows forth the glory of building. Brothers and sisters, I do not know whether you have seen these two different pictures. One picture is a natural, beautiful garden produced through creation, whereas the other picture is a glorious city produced through building. In one we cannot see any building; all we can see is creation. In the other we see that in the created universe there is a building that manifests the glory of God. Thus, the Scriptures reveal that God’s work consists not only of the work of creation but even more of the work of building. Furthermore, we see that God’s creation occupies only a little more than one chapter in the Bible, whereas God’s building occupies all the rest of Scripture. From this we can see that God’s building is a very crucial matter in the Bible. Thus, to see only God’s creation is simply not enough.
What is God’s creation? And what is God’s building? We all know that to create is to produce something out of nothing. In creation something was produced without using any materials. Building, however, is different. To build is to produce a structure by using materials that are already in existence. Before creation there were neither the heavens, the earth, nor man. God created all these things. Now here is a question: Why did God create all these things? Why did God create the heavens, the earth, and man? We should not believe that God accomplished His purpose through creation. If this were so, then it would be sufficient for the Bible to have only the first two chapters. If God only needed the heavens, the earth, and man, then God would have accomplished His purpose after He had created all these items. Then the Bible and the story of the universe would have been very simple; everything would have been accomplished by the middle of chapter 2 of Genesis. This is not, however, what the Scriptures reveal. God’s creation did not accomplish His purpose; rather, the creation of God is altogether for the next step of God’s work, which is building. God’s creation is for the preparation of material for God’s building. It is only when God has done a further work of building on created man that He will be able to accomplish His purpose. Therefore, God’s creation did not directly accomplish God’s purpose; the accomplishment of God’s purpose depends on God’s building.
What then is God building? What is the purpose of God’s building work? The Scriptures provide a clear explanation of this matter. We may not be so clear when we read the first few chapters of Genesis; however, when we come to the story of Jacob, the light shines forth, and we can see a little concerning God’s building.
Although Jacob had been chosen by God, he never thought much about God when he was young. He considered only his own welfare and how to take advantage of others by his craftiness. He was altogether a selfish man. However, his craftiness caused a big problem that forced him to leave home. While fleeing from his brother, he came to a certain place in the wilderness and spent the night there, because the sun had set. He took a stone as his pillow and went to sleep (Gen. 28:11). At this time he was really a wanderer, a homeless person. In this situation of wandering, God came to him. The God whom he did not care about came. The blessings that he wanted had all fled from him, whereas the God whom he did not want came to him. That night while he was sleeping, he saw a vision in his dream. In this vision there was a ladder set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven. On the ladder the angels of God were ascending and descending (v. 12). This vision impressed him deeply. I believe that the Holy Spirit enabled him to have some understanding of the meaning of this dream, which is that the God in heaven desires to enter into man on earth so that the earth and heaven may be joined and that man and God may dwell and live together. Therefore, after Jacob awoke, he did a marvelous thing. He rose up early in the morning, took the stone that he had used as a pillow, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. Furthermore, he said that this stone, this place, was Bethel (vv. 18-19, 22). In Hebrew el means “God,” and beth means “house.” Therefore, what Jacob meant when he said this was, “One day this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will become a house and a temple. This place is the house of God.”
The marvelous thing is that Jacob did not say, “This is my house.” Instead, he said, “This is the house of God.” This picture corresponds to the picture in John 4. In John 4 we see a thirsty Savior asking for water to drink and a thirsty sinner coming to draw water to drink. You see the thirst on two sides. Man is thirsty, and the incarnated God is also thirsty. Both God and man want to drink water. This is the picture in John 4. What does the picture in Genesis 28 tell us? On the surface we see a homeless man, a man wandering with no home and a man who has no resting place. When we read this chapter carefully, however, we get the feeling that there was not only a homeless man but also a homeless God. Man was not the only one who did not have a home. God also did not have a home on earth. At that time all that God and man had was a pillar of stone. Man was not able to live in it, neither could God dwell in it.
Therefore, the picture in Genesis 28 is the same as the picture in John 4. In John 4 we see that both God and man were thirsty. In Genesis 28 we see that both God and man were homeless. On earth there was a homeless man, and in heaven there was a homeless God. You could say that they both faced the same hardship and thus could have sympathy for one another. In John 4 the Lord Jesus had much feeling for the thirst of the Samaritan woman, and the Samaritan woman also could sympathize with the thirst of the Lord Jesus. Here in Genesis 28 you see that God felt for this wandering, homeless man on earth, and at the same time, this homeless man probably also could sympathize with the homeless God in heaven. Of course, I do not believe that at that time Jacob was as clear as we are today. Yet, even though he was not fully clear, under the authority of the Holy Spirit he spoke some very clear and intelligible words. He said that the stone that he had set up as a pillar would become the house of God.
I do not know how Jacob was able to speak the way that he did on that day. It is really a marvelous thing. Jacob also prayed that if God would give him bread to eat and garments to put on and would bring him back to his father’s house in peace, then he would take God as his God (vv. 20-21). Actually, he was bargaining with God here. He seemed to be saying, “If You take care of my food and clothing and if You give me peace, then I will consider You to be my God.” In other words, “If You do not feed or clothe me well and if You do not guarantee peace for me, then I will not take You as my God.” We may laugh at Jacob’s prayer, but we must realize that today there are too many Christians who are like Jacob. Please consider: how many of your prayers are like Jacob’s prayer? I am afraid that in much of your prayer you also are asking for food, clothing, and safety.
Nevertheless, it is marvelous that such a selfish Jacob, who did not care for God but only for his own interest, after making such a selfish prayer, uttered such a good word. He said that if what he had asked for would happen, then the stone, which he had used as a pillow, would become God’s temple, God’s house.
Often at the end of our selfish and foolish prayers, we also have one or two sentences that are very clear. We may often pray, “Lord, do this for me, and do that for me.” These are foolish prayers. Yet after praying this way, we may utter a sober word, saying, “If You would do this and that for me, then I would be absolutely for You.” “I would be absolutely for You” is a sober word. This is the way we often pray. Someone may pray, “Lord, if You would enable my son to graduate from college and go on to obtain a doctorate degree, then I would offer to You ten percent of whatever he earns.” This is to speak foolishly at the beginning and a little more soberly at the end. One who prays this way asks for God’s blessing at the beginning but somewhat touches God’s intention at the end. This is a Jacob-like prayer.
That day when Jacob asked God to give him food to eat and garments to put on, he was bringing up the matter of his food and clothing. We all know that in addition to needing food and clothing, man also needs a dwelling. Yet Jacob was wandering in the wilderness and did not have a home for his rest. As a result, at night he had to lay his head on a stone. I believe that he realized his need and therefore mentioned to God the problem of a house. However, it is strange that when he brought up the matter of a house, instead of speaking about his own house, he spoke about God’s house. This was a person who cared only for his own well-being and not for God. Yet after he mentioned the problems related to his well-being and expressed his desire to be properly fed and clothed, it was as if he forgot about his need for a house and instead spoke about God’s house. We must believe that this is the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit. Jacob’s last few words touched the intention of God’s heart. When God brought heaven to earth, His intention was to gain Bethel, the house of God, on earth. This is the first mention of the house of God in the Holy Bible.
We have to know that in both the Old and New Testaments, whether in Hebrew or Greek, these three words — palace, house, and home — are all related. Even in the Chinese language these words are also related. A home usually is a house, and the house in which great persons such as kings live is a palace. A palace is a home, and a home is a house, a building. The entire Bible shows that God desires to gain a home, a building, in this universe. Moreover, when God revealed His intention for the first time in the Scriptures, He revealed it to a wandering, homeless person. This is marvelous.
From this point onward, the matter of God’s desiring to build a house on earth becomes clearer and more concrete. God eventually gave Jacob a great number of descendants. They are referred to as the house of Jacob and the house of Israel as well. The Scriptures reveal that God’s desire was to make the house of Israel His house. After God delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt, He told them that He would dwell in their midst and be their God (Exo. 29:45). This shows that God delivered His people so that He could gain a dwelling place, a house, on earth.
When the children of Israel came to the wilderness, God charged them to set up a tabernacle for Him to dwell with them. For the setting up of the tabernacle, the most important items were the standing boards overlaid with gold. They were wooden boards, yet they were covered with gold on the outside; they were golden boards, yet they were wood on the inside. Bible readers know that in typology wood denotes humanity, whereas gold denotes divinity. Hence, wood overlaid with gold implies that divinity and humanity are mingled as one. This mingling of God with man is a building. With the tabernacle the story of the mingling of divinity with humanity is seen not only in the boards but also in other furnishings, such as the Ark, the table of the bread of the Presence, and the curtains. In fact, the whole tabernacle itself shows such a mingling. This mingling is a building, and this building is the house of God.
We have to remember that God’s dwelling in the tabernacle in the midst of the children of Israel was just a sign, a figure. Actually, God did not consider the tabernacle His dwelling place; rather, He considered the people of Israel His dwelling place. God did not just dwell in the tabernacle; He dwelt in the midst of the children of Israel. The real intention of God was to mingle Himself with the children of Israel and to mingle the children of Israel with Himself so that they might become His dwelling place. With regard to this matter, God used the tabernacle as a sign. Therefore, when the children of Israel raised up the tabernacle, the glory of God, which is God Himself, filled the tabernacle. At that point God had obtained a dwelling place on earth.
After the children of Israel entered Canaan, God repeatedly blessed them, giving them rest all around and enabling them to live in peace. At that time, considering the question of a dwelling place for God, David their king said, “I dwell in a house of cedar, but the Ark of God dwells within curtains” (2 Sam. 7:2). In light of this, he decided to build a house for God. However, God in effect told him, “Do not rush! I will first build a house for you, out of which a son will come forth, and it is he who will build a house for Me. I must first build you a house, and then you can do it for Me.”
This is a great spiritual principle. No one can do things for God first. God always does things for man first, and then after this, man can do things for God. God never asks anything from you when your hands are empty. God always gives to you first, and then asks a little from you. This may be likened to a father who first gives his child a bag of candy and then asks the child for a piece of candy. Nevertheless, sometimes the father is treated very pitifully, because even though he has already given the child a bag of candy, when he asks for only one piece of candy, the child puts his hands behind his back. In this situation the father has no other way except to bring out another bag of candy and tell the child, “If you give me a piece, I will give you another bag.” After some calculation, the child considers it quite a bargain to give one piece and get another bag, so he is willing to give his father a piece of candy. However, the father will have to prepare a third bag if he wants to ask the child for another piece. If the father does not have the third bag of candy, the child will not give him a second piece of candy. Likewise, there is always a similar difficulty whenever God asks us for something. However, I can tell you that if God asks you for something, He has a “second bag” already prepared for you. Furthermore, He not only has a second bag, but He has prepared an unlimited number of bags. You can be at peace because God never asks anything from you when you are empty-handed. Instead, He always gives to you before asking anything from you.
That day when David first wanted to build a house for God, even Nathan the prophet, who knew God, did not understand this principle. Therefore, he said to David, “All that is in your heart go and do, for Jehovah is with you” (v. 3). Then God came to Nathan immediately and told him, “No! Go and tell David that he cannot build Me a house. I must first build him a house, and afterward a son will come out of that house, and then that son will build Me a house.”
Eventually, when Solomon was born, he did build a temple for God, and the glory of God filled it. That temple, however, was still only a sign. Just as God did not dwell in the tabernacle, He also did not dwell in the temple. Rather, God considered the children of Israel to be His temple. When the condition of the children of Israel before God was normal, God dwelt among them, and that temple was filled with the glory of God. When the children of Israel were in desolation before God, God could no longer dwell in their midst, and the glory of God also left the temple. Therefore, the temple was only a sign, a symbol. The real temple was the children of Israel. God did not dwell in a house made of stones; instead, He dwelt among the children of Israel. Therefore, God said in Isaiah, “Heaven is My throne, / And the earth the footstool for My feet. / Where then is the house that you will build for Me, / And where is the place of My rest?... / But to this kind of man will I look, to him who is poor / And of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word” (66:1-2). Just as heaven is not God’s dwelling place, so the house on earth is not His dwelling place. He looks to a group of people into whom He can enter. Furthermore, God spoke through Isaiah, “Thus says the high and exalted One, / Who inhabits eternity,... / I will dwell in the high and holy place, / And with the contrite and lowly of spirit” (57:15). These words clearly reveal that the heavens and the earth are not the dwelling place of God. The dwelling place that God wants to have is a group of people. If God does not gain a group of people, then He will be a God without a home in the universe. Therefore, He longs to gain a group of people so that they can be built together to be His dwelling place.
Please remember, however, that God wants us not only to be His dwelling place but also to take Him as our dwelling place. If you read carefully about the godly people in the Old Testament, you will find out that the one thing they desired the most, the thing that gave them the most comfort and rest, was to dwell in the house of God. Every one of the godly saints of old had his own house, but none of them considered his house a place of rest. They all desired to dwell in the house of God. Therefore, they said, “One thing I have asked from Jehovah; / That do I seek: / To dwell in the house of Jehovah / All the days of my life” (Psa. 27:4). They also said, “A day in Your courts is better than a thousand; / I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God” (84:10). These verses show that God’s house is our house. Please remember that this house is the issue of the mingling of God with man, and it is also the mutual abode of both God and man — God dwelling in man and man dwelling in God. God dwells in this abode, taking man as His dwelling place, and man dwells in it, taking God as his dwelling place.
Without man, God does not have a home in the universe, and without God, man also does not have a home. The Bible shows that man is the house of God, and God is the house of man. In this universe if God does not gain a group of people, He is a homeless God. Likewise, if we do not obtain God, we are homeless people. Let me ask all of you, where do you live? Someone may say that he lives on Ren Ai Road, and another one may say that he lives on Shin Yi Road. May I ask you, do you really live in those places? If you only have a house that you purchased or that you rent, you are a homeless person! If your circumstances were to change a little, or if something were to happen to you, you would not know where to go. Man’s eternal dwelling place is God. Without God, man is without a home on earth. Therefore, in the Psalms a godly saint of old says, “O Lord, You have been our dwelling place / In all generations” (90:1). What this psalmist seemed to say was, “Our forefathers throughout the generations all dwelt in You, and today we also dwell in You.” The earthly dwelling places are not our homes. Our eternal dwelling place is our God. The Lord Himself is our home, our resting place. When we have Him, we have real rest.
Today many people have mobile homes. Thank and praise the Lord, every one of us who has God has a “mobile home” following us all the time. When we are on a train, He follows us. When we are in an airplane, He also follows us. We are people who have God, so we are no longer homeless. Today we do not need to rest our head on a stone; rather, we can rest our whole being in God. We are His dwelling place, and He is also our habitation.
Jeremiah 50:7 says, “They [the children of Israel] have sinned against Jehovah, / The habitation of righteousness, / Even Jehovah, the hope of their fathers.” This God is the habitation of their fathers and their habitation. Do not think that the children of Israel dwelt in the land of Israel. The land of Israel was not their dwelling place. God was their dwelling place. While they were dwelling in God, they were dwelling in the land of Israel outwardly. Thus, when God left them due to their abnormal condition, He also drove them away from the land of Israel. Therefore, the land of Israel was not their dwelling place. Only God Himself was their dwelling place.
The whole universe needs a building for God to dwell in man as His abode, and man to dwell in God as his abode. God and man are a mutual abode to each other. Without man, God is a wandering God, a homeless God. In the same way, without God, man is a wandering man, a homeless man.
Therefore, God intends to have a building in this universe in which God is built into man and man is built into God so that God and man, man and God, can be a mutual abode to each other. First John 4:13 says, “In this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, that He has given to us of His Spirit.” Today God is building us into a spiritual house, the temple of God, a universal building, and a universal house so that God may have a home and man also may have a dwelling place. In this way both God and man may have rest.
The ultimate manifestation of this building is the New Jerusalem. In this city, God is in man, taking man as His dwelling place, and man is in God, having God as his habitation. This is a glorious matter. This is the work God wants to do today.
