The House Of God

by G.K. KENNEDY, Sydney. | Category: General | Nov 1958

There is no higher service that a believer can render to God, on earth, than the exercise of worship in His House. In a day long past, the garden of Eden was the nearest heavenly thing on earth, but in this our day the closest thing on earth to heaven is the House of God. It is the " gate of heaven" (Genesis 28.17). I propose to look at many scriptures to find the attitude that God desires His saints to have towards His House, to stir up our affections for it, to deepen our love for those in it, to increase our longing for it, and to render acceptable service in it. God's House is not a nebulous thing, or something mystical to be relegated to the realms of fantasy. The House of God is composed 'of living stones, built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through 'Jesus Christ. Certain specified conditions are given in Hebrews 3.6, regarding God's House to which He expects His saints to be subject.

In Psalm 65.4, there is a promise of rich blessings that cannot be found anywhere outside of God's House; that cannot be duplicated among meetings of believers by whom Christ is not owned as Lord. "We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy House." Here is a wholesome experience that can only be enjoyed by those whom God has chosen, and caused to approach unto Him that they may dwell in His courts. We should not seek to be satisfied outside of God's House.

Many children of God, alas, know nothing of the satisfying goodness of His House, the holy place of His temple, where everything saith, "Glory" (Psalm 29.9). Beloved young brother, young sister, and older ones too, do we appreciate God's choice of us to approach unto Him in His House? What is our attitude toward it? Have we a zeal for it? or, is it just so many meetings to be endured, so much ministry to be " sat out." Are we content just to come along to the gatherings at the appointed times to fill in time and leave it to others to worship and to exercise the various labours of love? Is it a case of" Behold, what a weariness is it? " (Malachi 1.18). Are we absent from the prayer meetings when with just a little more effort we could be present? "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together," is an exhortation addressed to believers' in God's House that, perhaps, should not be necessary, but is put there for any whose affections for the place of the Name have waned.

"My House shall be a house of prayer" (Luke 19.46). Some children of God, alas, have forsaken Him, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, that can hold no water. "We will not forsake the House of our God" (Nehemiah 10.89).

Only three chapters later in the same book, we find Nehemiah contending with the rulers saying: "Why is the House of God forsaken?" (Nehemiah 13.11). In the House of God was the house of a man Tobiah, an Ammonite. Israel's words were lightly spoken, and their hearts hasty to utter words before God! but Nehemiah appointed faithful men (verse 18). May our desire ever be to dwell in the House of the LORD for length of days (Psalm 23.6).

David as a young man had fame and honour. He also had kingship, but, for him, these were not enough. It was more important for him to have a right attitude toward the House of the LORD. Let us read His inmost thoughts and intents in Psalm 27.4. "One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the House of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in His temple."

There is a within and a without in relation to God's House on earth. None can see the beauty of the LORD if he is not in it. What the saints within God's House see, depends to a very great extent upon their attitude toward it. The tabernacle of Moses in the wilderness, viewed from the outside, was not attractive, but inside it there was great beauty; the glory of the reflected light on the gold-covered furniture; on the gold-covered boards standing together upright in sockets of silver; the glory of the veil, the overhanging curtains, the glory of the golden lampstand of highly skilled beaten work; these were seen only within the tabernacle.

In Psalm 90 17, we read these words in Moses' prayer: "And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish Thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish Thou it." The House of God today is unattractive to tens of thousands of believers. In fact they that are in God's House have become a reproach of them without, as it is written: " The reproaches of them that reproach thee are fallen upon Me" (Psalm 69.9). Let us bear that reproach concerning God's House valiantly. "To inquire in His temple " : God's House is the place of inquiry; all enquiries are answered within. If the word should be "consider" instead of "inquire" (R.V.M.), we are reminded of Psalm 48, of mount Zion, the city of the great King, verse 2. "Moreover also, ... I have set my affection to (or" have taken pleasure in ") the House of my God." David when he spake these words was dying, and dying men are not given to lying (1 Chronicles 29.8).

He gave his own personal treasure of gold and silver, over and above that he had prepared for God's House. Where is our treasure? There is ample scope given to all whose affections are set towards the House of God. We come now to a stronger word than affection - love. "LORD, I love the habitation of Thy House, and the place where Thy glory dwelleth" (Psalm 26.8). If we truly love the habitation and the place, we shall desire to be there. We shall be looking forward to the next Remembrance, the next Bible reading, the next ministry, prayers, etc. " The place where Thy glory dwelleth" : what is that glory ? It is God Himself, visible to the eye of faith. The God of the House of God dwells in the place of His Name.

An important attitude towards God's House is to be glad concerning it. "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go unto the House of the LORD " (Psalm 122.1). This attitude requires patient cultivation, but yields rich rewards. Remember Jehoiada the priest. His appreciation of God's House was unexcelled, and while he lived, Israel flourished. "But Jehoiada waxed old and was full of days, and he died... and they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and His House." (2 Chronicles 24.15, 16). This godly priest was honoured in death with burial among the kings in the city of David.

"Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth " (Psalm 12. 1).

Them that honour Me, I will honour" (1 Samuel 2.80).

Are we glad when we awake on Lord's day morning, that in a few hours we shall remember Him ? Does the thought of the Bible class, prayer meeting, etc., gladden our hearts ? Let our attitude be one of gladness when we are with the church of God and we shall be abundantly blessed.

In Psalm 84.2, we have the expression: "The living God." The same expression is found in 1 Timothy 3.15. "The church of the living God." Both Scriptures refer to the House of God, the place of the Name to which the Psalmist longed, yea, even fainted for, the courts of the Lord. "My heart and my flesh sing for joy unto the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young" (Psalm 84.2, 3, R.V.M.). Both scriptures refer to the House of God. In another Psalm, his soul thirsted for God, for the living God. His soul was bowed down when they said, "Where is thy God?" He desired an answer to his question: "When shall I come and appear before God?" (Psalm 42.2).

If we really appreciate being in God's House, we shall seek to offer acceptable praise unto Him, and the outcome of blessing is as certain as night follows day. In our praise, in worship, the value is not in how much we say, but it lies in the attitude of the heart. Young sisters, and older ones too, though divinely restrained from audible exercises, can no less behold the beauty, or pleasantness, of the Lord and be satisfied with the goodness of His House. God does not get His portion on the Lordly morning if we come empty. Let us store up in meditation, and so be able, as a' holy priesthood, to place in the hands of our Great Priest (Hebrews 10.21), the Lord Jesus Christ, those offerings that please God, "better than an ox, or a bullock that hath horns and hoofs" (Psalm 69.81). "I will come into Thy House with burnt offerings, I will pay my vows" (Psalm 66.18).

Blessed are they that dwell in Thy House ! therefore let our attitude to God's House be such that we shall

1.-Be satisfied with its goodness (Psalm 65.4).

2.-Not forsake it (Hebrews 10.25).

3.-Make it our one object (Psalm 27.4).

4.-Have our affection upon it (1 Chronicles 29.8).

5.-Love it (Psalm 26.8).

6.-Be glad concerning it (Psalm 122.1).

7.-Do good towards, and for the sake of it (2 Chronicles 24.16).

8.-Long for, yea, even faint for it (Psalm 84.2).

9.-Engage willingly in joyful praise and worship (Psalm 84.4).

G.K. KENNEDY, Sydney. | Nov 1958
General