The Sanctuary: God’s House of Prayer

“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.”
— Exodus 25:8

We have already established that God’s first purpose for man was fellowship. In Eden, God created man and placed him in the garden where He came to him. The relationship between God and man was sustained by communication. Man depended upon God, and that dependence was maintained through continual fellowship. Although sin drove man out of the garden, it did not change God’s purpose. God still desired to dwell among men.

This desire is revealed in the first mention of the sanctuary. After delivering Israel from Egypt, God instructed Moses, “Let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” The reason for building the sanctuary is stated plainly. God desired to dwell among His people. The sanctuary was therefore established for His presence. The sanctuary was not built because God needed a place to live. Scripture declares that the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him. Rather, the sanctuary was built because man needed a place where God would reveal Himself according to His own prescriptions. God’s presence among Israel was to be regulated according to His holiness, yet His desire remained the same as it had been in Eden—to dwell with man.

This becomes clearer when we examine the Ark of the Covenant. God instructed Moses to place the mercy seat upon the ark and then declared, “There I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims” (Exodus 25:22). The first purpose of the ark was therefore communion. God did not first say, “There I will receive sacrifices,” or, “There I will judge Israel.” He said, “There I will meet with thee,” and, “I will commune with thee.” The mercy seat became the appointed place where God spoke to man.

This establishes an important principle. Wherever God chooses to dwell, He also chooses to speak. His dwelling and His voice are inseparable. The sanctuary was therefore a place where divine instruction proceeded to His people. Moses received commandments there. The priests ministered before His presence there. Israel sought His direction there. The entire life of the nation depended upon what God spoke from His dwelling place.

This also explains the purpose of the altar and the sacrifices. Every offering prescribed under the Law restored access to God’s presence according to His covenant. Whether the offering was for sin, thanksgiving, consecration, or cleansing, every sacrifice pointed toward communion. They all anticipated Christ, the perfect sacrifice through whom access to the Father would finally be secured. For this reason, the sanctuary was fundamentally a house of prayer. Prayer is communion between God and man according to God’s own order. Everything within the tabernacle served this purpose.

The prophets later confirmed the same truth. Isaiah declared, “Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer… for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people” (Isaiah 56:7). God Himself called His house a house of prayer. He did not call it a house of sacrifice, although sacrifices were offered there. He did not call it a house of priesthood, although priests ministered there. He called it a house of prayer because prayer expresses the purpose for which God dwells among men. Wherever God establishes His presence, He establishes communion.

Jesus affirmed this principle when He entered the temple and drove out those who bought and sold. He declared, “My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). The Lord was restoring the purpose of God’s house. The issue was not commerce itself but that communion had been replaced by merchandise. The place where God intended to meet with men had become occupied with other pursuits.

From Eden to the tabernacle, from the tabernacle to the temple, the purpose never changed. God desired to dwell among men. Wherever He dwells, He speaks. Wherever He speaks, man is called to respond. This is why God’s house has always been called a house of prayer. Prayer is the continual fellowship between God and those among whom He dwells.

Further Reading: Exodus 25:8–22, 29:42–46, Deut 8:3, Psalm 27:4, Isaiah 56:7, Matthew 21:12–13