who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob. Acts 7:46

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The previous verse mentioned that the fathers who entered Canaan had received the tabernacle. This continued until the days of David. With that, Stephen now says, “who found favor before God.”

This is referring to David. Saul had dropped out of favor with the Lord and was told that his dynasty would not continue. Instead, David was chosen. Because of his faithful heart, he was promised an everlasting dynasty. It was at this same time that he “asked to find a dwelling.”

The word used is the same as that of the tabernacle. It is a tent for the ark to be brought into. The intention of David was to bring the ark to Jerusalem and to eventually build a permanent house for it. The passage of bringing it to Jerusalem is found in 2 Samuel 6. Eventually, it was his intent to have it taken from the temporary tent to a permanent house.

The tabernacle built at the time of Moses was the central point of worship from Moses until David, but David determined to eventually build a temple for a permanent edifice in which the ark could be housed for the “God of Jacob.”

This is referenced in the words of Psalm 132 –

“Lord, remember David
And all his afflictions;
2 How he swore to the Lord,
And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 ‘Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house,
Or go up to the comfort of my bed;
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes
Or slumber to my eyelids,
5 Until I find a place for the Lord,
A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.’” Psalm 132:1-5

Life application: Take time to read 1 Samuel 6 and 7 today. With Jerusalem subdued and under David’s control, he intended to bring the ark there. When it came, it was placed in another temporary tent while David determined to build a temple. This will not come about in David’s time, but the promise of an everlasting dynasty was made. Also, he was told that a temple for the Lord would come about through his seed.

Stephen’s words are dealing with the matter of blasphemy that he has been accused of. What is the proper means and mode of worship for God’s people? Did it come through the tabernacle constructed in the wilderness? Did it come about through the tabernacle of David? Will it come about through the temple built by Solomon as will be noted in the next verse?

These are edifices produced by the work of man’s hands. What type of worship is God ultimately expecting from His people? Each step of the process, the people thought that what they had was the final piece of the puzzle, or that (as in David’s case) it was leading to the erection of a final temple.

We can get so caught up in our own type and style of worship that we put God into a box and secret Him away, just as the ark was secreted away in a tent or house. But we are being taught through Stephen the same truth that Jesus told to the woman at the well –

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23, 24

God is not to be limited to our own preconceived notions about Him. Our attention and devotion are to be on Jesus, and our hearts are to be conformed to that. Everything else is simply a temporary form of expression that we have developed in order to, hopefully, help others express that attention and devotion properly. Jesus is the true and final expression of what these Old Testament types and pictures only anticipate. Keep yourself from the legalism that so easily entraps us when we gather together to worship Jesus.

Glorious God Almighty, You have given us the final expression of who You are to us in the Person of Jesus. It is through Him that we will forever worship You. Help us to remember this and to not get caught up in legalistic expressions that take our eyes off of this fact. Help us to remain focused on You, through Jesus, all our days. Amen.