What does Scripture say about the house of the Lord? That’s what I set out to discover with Phil Wickham’s new song, “House of the Lord,” playing in the background. The answer weaves through the Old and New Testaments.
We only scratch the surface, but let’s see how much we can explore.
In this episode, I discuss:
- Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week’s Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
- Read in context
- Explore a topic
- Make observations
- Slow down
- Share with a friend
- Follow the cross-references
- The 30 Day Music Challenge
- Phil Wickham’s thoughts in the story behind the song – YouTube Video
- David’s own joy at the thought of going to the house of the Lord – Psalm 122:1
- Expressing curiosity at the thought that David implies going to the temple, but it wasn’t built in his lifetime
- The story of David’s desire to build a house for the Lord and God’s response – 2 Samuel 7:1-7
- A wonderful resource to explore the tabernacle and what all the pieces represent – “Made According to Pattern” by CW Slemming
- Learning about the first dwelling place of God among His people…a tent – Exodus 25
- The presence of God filling the tent of meeting and some observations – Exodus 35:34-38
- God declaring that David’s son would build him a temple – 2 Samuel 7:11-16
- Solomon beginning the building process in 2 Chronicles 3
- The angel declaring Jesus as the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant – Luke 1:31-33
- The temple as a house of prayer for all peoples – Isaiah 56:7
- Comparing Jesus and His new covenant to the copy and shadow of the old covenant – Hebrews 8:1-6
- Understanding that individually as believers in Christ we are the temple of the Holy Spirit – 1 Corinthians 6:19, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
- Learning that collectively, as believers, we are the dwelling place of God as well – 1 Peter 2:4-5, Ephesians 2:19-22
Enjoy the official music video below.
More Than a Song Playlist
Additional Resources
- Lyrics and chords – Essential Worship
- Behind The Song With Kevin Davis – New Release Today Article
- “Why didn’t God allow David to build the temple?” – GotQuestions.org Article
This Week’s Challenge
You have a lot of reading and observing to do this week! Head over to Exodus to read all about the tabernacle — its design and purpose. Then read God’s response to David’s desire to build Him a “house” in 2 Samuel 7. You can read all about the building process of the temple beginning in 2 Chronicles 3. Explore the fulfillment of God’s covenant in Christ in Hebrews 8. Finally, meditate on the truth sprinkled throughout the New Testament that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit — both individually and collectively. We are the house of the Lord, and there’s joy in the house of the Lord.
