Exodus 25:8

Make me a sanctuary. Though the Hebrews knew, as we know, that the great God could not possibly “dwell” in any building made by men (1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 2:6; Isaiah 66:1; Jeremiah 23:23, 24), it did not seem appropriate that there should be worship without a temple. Furthermore, the sanctuary provided a visible center for the worship of the one true God, and was thus a bulwark against the worship of the many gods of the heathen. It brought God near to His people and made His presence among them real. This too was a protection against idolatry (Exodus 29:43, 45; Numbers 35:34). Inasmuch as at that time the Israelites were a nomadic, a wandering people, the sanctuary was to be a tent that could easily be dismantled and moved from place to place. It is significant that the Hebrew word for “sanctuary” is never applied to a heathen temple.

That I may dwell. In a spiritual sense, God has ever sought an abode with men and cannot “rest” until this has been accorded Him (Psalm 132:13-16), first in the hearts of His people individually (1 Corinthians 3:16, 17; 6:19) and then in the midst of any company who meet to worship Him (Matthew 18:20). The system centering in the earthly tabernacle pointed forward to Christ, who later “dwelt,” literally “tabernacled,” among men (John 1:14).

The Hebrew word shakan, “dwell,” means to be a permanent resident in a community. It is closely related to the word Shekinah, used of the manifestation of divine glory that took its abode above the mercy seat (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 349). The Shekinah was the symbol of the divine presence, in which God promised to “dwell among them” (see Exodus 25:22).