"And let them make Me a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them.".

Ex. 25:8 MKJV

Where does the Eternal dwell?

The people of Israel were invited to bring an offering to the Eternal from the most valuable goods they had, all from gold to precious stones. The purpose of the offering was to make a sanctuary in which the Eternal could dwell. So it can be said that the Eternal wanted to dwell in the offerings of His people.

However, the Hebrew text doesn't say that the Eternal wanted to dwell among them, but inside of them – in Hebrew betocham, בתוכם. This teaches us that the place in which the Eternal really wanted to dwell was the heart of each one of the sons and daughters of Israel.

Now, only those who had joyous hearts with real intentions of giving got permission to contribute with materials for the tabernacle. Therefore, the offerings came from hearts that loved the Eternal's presence. Their love for the Eternal was expressed through the delivery of their most valued possessions.

In this way, there is a very intimate relation between the heart of the people and the sanctuary. The Eternal wanted to dwell in the sanctuary of the sons and daughters of Israel, but that sanctuary was built with material that was given from the heart. In this way, the Eternal didn't dwell only in the materials of the sanctuary but also in the hearts of His people, and the words He said about dwelling inside of them were fulfilled.

Our offerings from the heart are the path to intimacy with the Eternal.

If you give offerings to the Eternal with all your heart He comes to dwell inside of you.