Where Yahweh Lives

On page 1 of the Bible, when God created the earth and everything else in it, we learn that it was good. Everything was exactly as it was supposed to be - Yahweh was dwelling and co-ruling with mankind in the garden of Eden where we were safe, loved, secure, well-fed and given purpose until page 3 when we totally blew it. We decided we didn’t want to play by Yahweh’s rules. Instead, we decided that we knew a better way and made up our own rules and assumed authority. And Yahweh let us. He withdrew and left us to our own devices, the result of which is what we see around us today - violence, abuse, insecurity, hatred. This place is fundamentally broken. And to some degree, everyone knows this. Whether you believe in Yahweh or not, you have been searching for a way back into Eden. You know that this place is messed up. And so, we look for Eden - to try to make it ourselves or (for most of us in this room) to look for the One who made it good in the first place. Not necessarily the geographical location but what it really means - a place where everyone is safe, valued, loved, and secure.

As Israelites, we have grown up having been told that when God created the earth and everything else in it, it was good. Yahweh was dwelling and co-ruling with mankind in the garden of Eden, until we totally blew it. We decided we didn’t want to play by Yahweh’s rules. Instead, we decided that we knew a better way and made up our own rules and assumed authority.

The actions that were taken that day have directly influenced so many things that we see today. As a result of that day, we live in a broken world. We hurt each other and take advantage of one another. We We have been searching for a way back into Eden. Not necessarily the geographical location but what it really means - where Yahweh lives.

The Tabernacle and Temple = Models of Eden

If you look closely, there are

Tabernacle:

Exodus 37:6–9 LEB

And he made an atonement cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits its length and a cubit and a half its width. And he made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work at the two ends of the atonement cover. One cherub was at one end, and one cherub was at the other end of the atonement cover; he made the cherubim at its two ends. And the cherubim were with outspread wings above, covering with their wings over the atonement cover and facing each other; the faces of the cherubim were toward the atonement cover.

Exodus 37:17–19 LEB

And he made the lampstand of pure gold; he made the lampstand of hammered work—its base and its branch, its cups, its buds, and its blossoms were all part of it. And six branches were going out from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its second side. Three almond-flower cups were on the one branch with a bud and a blossom, and three almond-flower cups were on the one branch with a bud and a blossom—likewise for the six branches going out from the lampstand.

Exodus 37:17–22 LEB

And he made the lampstand of pure gold; he made the lampstand of hammered work—its base and its branch, its cups, its buds, and its blossoms were all part of it. And six branches were going out from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its second side. Three almond-flower cups were on the one branch with a bud and a blossom, and three almond-flower cups were on the one branch with a bud and a blossom—likewise for the six branches going out from the lampstand. And on the lampstand were four almond-flower cups, with its buds and its blossoms. And a bud was under the two branches that came from it, and a bud under the two branches from it, and a bud under the two branches from it, likewise for the six branches coming out from the lampstand. Their buds and their branches were from it, all of it one piece of pure gold, hammered work.

Exod 37:

Exod. 37:

Exodus 37:20–22 LEB

And on the lampstand were four almond-flower cups, with its buds and its blossoms. And a bud was under the two branches that came from it, and a bud under the two branches from it, and a bud under the two branches from it, likewise for the six branches coming out from the lampstand. Their buds and their branches were from it, all of it one piece of pure gold, hammered work.

Temple:

1 Kings 6:18 LEB

with the cedar within the inner house having carvings of gourds and buds of flowers. It was entirely of cedar; there was not a stone visible.

1 Kings 6:23 LEB

He made two cherubim of olive wood for the inner sanctuary, ten cubits high.

1 Kings 6:29 LEB

On all of the walls around the house, he carved engravings of cherubim and palm tree images and budding flowers both inside and out.

,

1 Kings 6:32 LEB

On the two doors of olive wood he made carvings of cherubim and palm tree images and budding flowers, and he overlaid them with gold by beating out the gold on the cherubim and the palm tree images.

1 Kings 6:32

1 Kings 6:35 LEB

He carved cherubim and palm tree images and budding flowers and overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the carved work.

1 Kings 6:

1 Kings 7:29 LEB

and on the frames which were between the crossbars were lions, oxen, and cherubim. On the crossbars both above and beneath the lions and oxen were works of cascading wreaths.

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1 Kings 7:42 LEB

and the four hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments for the two lattice works, the two rows of pomegranate-shaped ornaments for each latticework to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the surface of the pillars;

1 Kings 7:49 LEB

as well as the five lampstands of beaten gold at the south and five lampstands at the north before the presence of the inner sanctuary, with the flower-shaped ornaments, the lamps, and the pair of tongs all of gold.

1 Kings7

Where the Name of Yahweh Would Reside

1 Kings 8:15–20 LEB

Then he said, “Blessed be Yahweh the God of Israel who has promised with his mouth to David my father and fulfilled by his oath, saying, ‘From the day that I brought out my people Israel from Egypt I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a house where my name might be, but I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.’ David my father desired to build a house for the name of Yahweh the God of Israel, but Yahweh said to David my father, ‘Because you desired to build a house for my name, you did well in that it was within your heart. However, you will not build the house, but your son who has come from your loins, he shall build the house for my name.’ Yahweh has carried out his promise which he had made; I have risen in place of David my father, and I sit on the throne of Israel as Yahweh promised, and I have built the house for the name of Yahweh the God of Israel.

1 Kings 9:3–9 LEB

Yahweh said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your plea which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house which you have built, by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. As for you, if you walk before me as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and with uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep my ordinances and my judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘A man will not be cut off for you from upon the throne of Israel.’ “If ever you or any of your descendants turn from following me and do not keep my commandments and my ordinances that I have set before you and you go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then I will cut Israel off from the face of the land that I have given to them, even the house which I have consecrated for my name I will cast away from my face; and Israel shall become a proverb and an object of taunting among all the peoples. This house shall become a heap of ruins; all those passing by will be appalled by it and hiss, and they will say, ‘On what account did Yahweh do this to this land and to this house?’ And they will say, ‘Because they have forsaken Yahweh their God who brought their ancestors out from the land of Egypt and they embraced other gods and bowed down to them and served them. Therefore, Yahweh brought on them all of this disaster.’ ”

1 Kings 9:3 LEB

Yahweh said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your plea which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house which you have built, by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

Revelation 22:1–5 LEB

And he showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming out from the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of its street, and on both sides of the river is the tree of life, producing twelve fruits—yielding its fruit according to every month—and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. And there will not be any curse any longer, and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his slaves will serve him, and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will not exist any longer, and they will not have need of the light of a lamp and the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give light to them, and they will reign forever and ever.

Hezekiah in the Temple

2 Kings 19:14–20 LEB

Hezekiah took the letters from the hand of the messengers and read them. Then he went up to the temple of Yahweh, and Hezekiah spread them out before the presence of Yahweh. Then Hezekiah prayed before the face of Yahweh and said, “O Yahweh, God of Israel who lives above the cherubim. You are God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the world; you have made the heavens and the earth. Incline your ears and hear; open, O Yahweh, your eyes and see and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to insult the living God. Truly, O Yahweh, the kings of Assyria have utterly destroyed the nations and their land. He has hurled their gods in the fire because they are not gods, but the work of the hands of a human made of wood and stone, so they destroyed them. So then, O Yahweh our God, rescue us, please, from his hand, that all of the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Yahweh, you alone are God!” Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel, ‘What you have prayed to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.

If we were to have set up a camera in the corner of the temple starting at the time it was first built until this moment in time when Hezekiah is on his face, do you know what we would see? According to 2 Chronicles, we would see some rather ugly things.

It starts out great: Solomon dedicates the temple, and Yahweh’s presence fill it. But not much later, things start to go downhill.

5 years into Rehoboam’s reign, the temple is raided and, according to , “(Shishak king of Egypt) took everything.”

Future kings, distrusting of the power and love of Yahweh, will make deals with godless kings and take the wealth from the house of Yahweh and give it to them in exchange for protection from some other enemy.

And worst of all, other kings of Judah will fill the Temple of Yahweh with idols to other gods, like the Asherim and Baals whose worship involves worshipers having sex with temple prostitutes - in the temple.

If you are Yahweh, and you’re watching this thieving, pornographic monstrosity unfold before your very eyes, what do you think you would be feeling? In your mind, does Hezekiah’s act of humility make up for the years and years of disgrace and sacrilege? If it were up to me, not a chance. But it’s not up to me, is it?

2 Kings 19:20 LEB

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel, ‘What you have prayed to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.

Rhetorical question: who hasn’t defiled themselves - their hearts, the new temples of Yahweh - with the gods of pleasure, entertainment, hatred.

Is there anyone in here who has not set up idols and bowed down to those gods in the very temple that belongs to Yahweh?

2 Chronicles 19:20

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