But will God indeed
dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain
thee; how much less this house that I have builded? (1 Kgs 8:27)
Thus saith the Lord,
The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool where is the house that
ye build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? (Isa 66:1)
I have discussed 1 Kgs 8:27, a common “proof-text”
against Latter-day Saint theology before (see: Answering
the Anti-Mormon Abuse of 1 Kings 8:27 against Latter-day Saint Theology of
Divine Embodiment). Reading a book based on a ThD dissertation, I read the
following:
Isaiah 66:1, as
generally noted, resonates with 1 Kings 8:27, where Solomon answers his own
rhetorical question: “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and
the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built!”
Here even heaven proves to be insufficient to contain God and yet temple
worship is affirmed. Solomon has built a temple and yet asks whether God will
dwell on earth. Of course, God is not confined to the temple; the temple is completely
inadequate before God’s majesty if heaven itself is inadequate. Yet even so,
the prayer calls heaven God’s dwelling place (vv. 30, 39, 43, 49) and affirms
the prominence of the temple in the human relationship with God, asking for God’s
response to those who call upon him here. The prayer requests God cast his eyes
upon the temple to be the place upon which God has caused his name to dwell (v.
29). The temple is emphasized as the place of prayer for the common person, but
the prayer is framed with priestly imagery and duties. 1 Kings 8:12-13 asserts
the temple as God’s dwelling place, associating it with the cloud of darkness
(cf. Exod 13:21; 19:16). Solomon completes the temple dedication by offering
sacrifice (vv. 62ff.). (Valerie A. Stein, Anti-Cultic Theology in Christian
Biblical Interpretation: A Study of Isaiah 66:1-4 and Its Reception
[Studies in Biblical Literature 97; New York: Peter Lang, 2007], 12)
While reading the above, it struck me that
1 Kgs 8:27, especially in light of Isa 66:1 and like-texts, would mean if absolutized
as many critics are wont to do, would mean that God does not dwell in heaven,
not just temples! In reality, 1 Kgs 8:27, Isa 66:1, and other texts are not
stating God can not be localised in a temple or in heaven or anywhere else; instead,
it is talking about the inadequacy of any structure or place to localise a
being as holy and powerful as God.
Further Reading
Lynn
Wilder vs. Latter-day Saint (and Biblical) Theology on Divine Embodiment