Temples Made With Hands

"God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands."

--Acts 17:24  (NKJV)

From the daily Bible reading on March 12, 2013 of Psalm 50:16-23; Acts 17:16-34; Numbers 10:11-11.

Luke stayed behind in Philippi, and Silas and Timothy remained in Berea for a while before heeding Paul's call to come to him in Athens.  So Paul found himself alone in that great Greek metropolis.  As he walked the city he noticed all the temples and idols.  And as was his wont, he took to the synagogues and the marketplace, preaching and sharing the Gospel.  Certain Athenians asked him to address the Aeropagus, a court of appeals of sorts and the body that met there.  During his speech there, Paul remarked how religious the Athenians must be, even worshiping an "unknown god".  This, he said, even though they didn't know Him, was the One true God, the maker of everything.  He lives in no temple, is bound by no temple crafted by human hands, nor is He made by human hands.  He goes on to ask what need would God have of anything we mortals could provide when He is the creator of everything we depend upon for our very life.  If God ever needed anything, He could simply think it into existence, just as He did the heavens and the earth.

God has no need of any home we could build, no matter how large or fancy, when heaven is His home and the earth His footstool.  No, the One true God cannot be fashioned by us; we are fashioned by Him.  Our temples and synagogues and tabernacles and church buildings do not house Him, they provide us shelter while we worship Him as a corporate body.  But we can provide a dwelling place for His Holy Spirit.  Within us.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, He sends the Holy Spirit down to dwell within us.  One of the Three Persons of God lives inside of us.  God chooses the ones He formed in His own image to be the home of one of His Holy Spirit.  Praise the Lord.  Amen.

Lord God, please forgive us when we erect mighty edifices and think they will find enough favor in Your sight that You will choose to dwell among us within them.  Forgive us when we try to find favor with You by our works rather than by simply believing in Jesus Christ Your Son.  Thank You for the words of Paul who tells us that You do not dwell in temples made by hands, but that Your Holy Spirit dwells within us thanks to Jesus Christ our Lord.  In His sacred name we pray.   Amen.