Temples Made with Hands

“But Solomon built him an house. Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things?” Acts 7:47-50

The landscapes of the inhabited parts of the earth are dotted with a wide variety of houses of worship; a seemingly endless assortment of basilicas, cathedrals, chapels, churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples. In scripture, only one was directed to be built and rebuilt by God. It began as the tabernacle that Moses constructed in the wilderness, and it was utilized for hundreds of years until Solomon built the temple at Jerusalem. As Stephen was speaking to the council, he referred to Isaiah 66:1, where God makes it clear that man cannot build Him a house to contain Him. Stephen was pointing out that we have a tendency to focus on the form of worship and the place of worship while neglecting the object of worship, God Himself. The religious leaders were wrapped up in the importance of the temple and the ritualistic worship, but they were rejecting the Messiah who was the embodiment of all of those symbols. Church buildings are convenient and functional, and they certainly serve a purpose; but they are never to become the focal point of worship. Jesus said to the woman at the well, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth,” (John 4:24).