INSPIRE BELIEVE GROW WRITER CONTRIBUTION
Where Does God Live?
Where people think their god(s) ‘live’ says a lot about the sort of god they believe in.
Prehistory
In prehistoric times, people often looked to places or events in nature as the place where their god(s) lived or even saw the object itself as their god, such as mountains, volcanoes, earthquakes etc. Talismans and idols allowed people to keep their god with them.
Temples with priests or oracles centralized worship in communities. Multiple gods were conceived for various purposes — fruitful harvests, fertility of family, protector/healer of illness, protector from and power over their enemies.
“I AM” The God of Abraham, Moses and David
The ancient Israelites’ God was personal and revealed Himself to Moses as “I AM”, singular and personal. He communicated, giving the “Ten Commandments” on tablets of stone, and guided for 40 years travel from Egypt through the desert to the “Promised Land” with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night.
Further, God provided food daily. While wandering in the desert, Moses had a portable temple constructed for worship (“Mishkan“ in Hebrew meaning ‘dwelling‘) — see Exodus Chaps. 36–39.
