Genesis 28 records a journey taken by Jacob. One night he had a wonderful dream. When he woke up he said, “Surely Jehovah is in this place” (v. 16) and “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God” (v. 17). Jacob “called the name of that place Bethel,” (v. 19) which means “house of God.”
After he had been away more than 20 years, “God said to Jacob, Rise up, go up to Bethel, and dwell there; and make an altar there to the God who appeared to you” (Gen. 35:1). When God calls us, we need to go up to the house of God and build an altar, which is to consecrate ourselves not for our individual Christian life but for God’s house.
After Jacob’s time the house of God was the people of the nation of Israel. In Numbers 12:7 God said, “He [Moses] is faithful in all My house..” This is repeated in Hebrews 3:5.
Under the leadership of Moses, Israel prepared the physical tabernacle, but that was merely an outward picture of the people as the house of God. God’s house is His household, His family, a living entity in which He is glad to dwell.
This house of God develops further in the New Testament. The ultimate and eternal house is New Jerusalem.
Republished with permission from Blogs.crossmap.com, featuring inspiring Bible verses about The House of God (1).
