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Psalm 90, the only psalm attributed to Moses, is titled “A Prayer of Moses, the Man of God.” The prayer opens with these words: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations” « LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place In all generations. », (Psalm 90:1). Considering the forty years (or one third of his life) Moses spent wandering in the wilderness with no fixed dwelling place, it’s no wonder he would say, “Lord, through all the generations you have been our home!” (NLT).
The word translated “dwelling place” in the original Hebrew language means “refuge, shelter from danger or hardship, habitation.” Many of the psalms describe God in similar terms: “Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place—the Most High, who is my refuge—no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent” (Psalm 91:9-10;ESV). “You are my hiding place,” says Psalm 32:7 of the Lord, “You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 71:3 declares, “Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come” (NASB95).
The concept of God as our dwelling place expresses the stability, dependability, and eternal constancy of God. Perhaps better than most, Moses understood and could accurately communicate the permanence of God in the believer’s life. Moses continued the portrayal in Psalm 90:2, “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” God is our fixed address for all of time and eternity.
Moses uttered this assurance again to the people of Israel as they were about to enter the Promised Land: “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms” «The eternal God is t
My refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms: And he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; And shall say, Destroy them. », (Deuteronomy 33:27, ESV). Moses wanted the people to understand that God Himself had always been and would always be their permanent, immovable, unshakeable, eternal home. The Lord was their place of shelter and refuge, and His everlasting, all-powerful arms would forever be under them to uphold and carry them through life.
Describing God as our dwelling place is also a picture of the unbroken, intimate fellowship God desires to have with His people. He longs to bring us home, near to Himself, so we can dwell in His courts and “be satisfied with the goodness” of His house and the holiness of His temple «Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, That he may dwell in thy courts: We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. », (Psalm 65:4, ESV). He wants our desire to match His own so that we might pray like David, “One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD” «One thing have I desired 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 enquire in his temple. », (Psalm 27:4).
David loved being in God’s presence « LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, And the place where thine honour dwelleth. », (Psalm 26:8). He often prayed, “I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings” «I will abide in thy tabePinnacle forever: I will trust in the covert of your wings. », (Psalm 61:4). Like the Lord’s “dwelling place,” “refuge,” or “house,” His “tent” is a symbol of His presence and protection. Only God’s children can express to Him, “Certainly your goodness and love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will reside in the house of the LORD forever” «Certainly goodness and mercy shall pursue me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of the LORD for eternity.», (Psalm 23:6).
Today we encounter the fullness of God’s presence through a connection with Jesus Christ (John 6:51-58;15:1-17). Jesus arrived to reside among us so that we could exist with God eternally «And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. », (John 1:14). Before we embraced Christ as Savior, we were living distant from God «that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: », (Ephesians 2:12). But once we were joined with Christ, we were “brought near by His blood” «but now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. », (Ephesians 2:13). Through His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus Christ granted “approach by one Spirit to the Father” «For through him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. », (Ephesians 2:18).
Now and forever, genuine believers can encounter God as our abode, relishing the abundance of joy in His presence «Thou wilt shew me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.», (Psalm 16:11). In the “panorama of time and eternity,” God is our dwelling place from the ancient days of Moses to the new heavens and earth when, “behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” «And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. », (Revelation 21:3, ESV).
