The Presence-Centered Kingdom, Part 3: Israel
Israel — The Presence-Centered Kingdom
“Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.” — Exodus 25:8
Every great move of God in Scripture begins with God’s desire to dwell. It’s His desire for habitation that acts as the impetus for every revival among His people. The covenant He made with Israel was never primarily about geography, politics, or even moral order, though we don’t make light of any of those components. It was about His presence abiding among a people, a people whom the living God would make His home.
When Moses stood in the glory on Mount Sinai, God gave him a blueprint for His habitation. The tabernacle was heaven’s architecture to be replicated on earth: a physical, visible dwelling that the Creator would inhabit among a people of His choice. Israel’s national identity was to be built around that reality. They would not be known by their armies or monuments, but by the Living God who dwelt in their midst.
The Tabernacle: God’s Dwelling in the Wilderness
The book of Exodus devotes more chapters to the construction of the tabernacle than Genesis does to the creation of the world. That proportion tells us a lot about what God values—dwelling in and among His people
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When the tabernacle was finally constructed, God visited in manifest wonder: “the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” (Ex. 40:34).
Israel’s camp was organized in concentric circles around that glory. Every tribe faced inward; the Presence was the axis of national life. Deuteronomy 23:14 captures the theology in one line: “For the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp… therefore your camp shall be holy.” Holiness wasn’t simply a moral code or ideal; it was literal and spatial. God was in the midst. Holiness defined the way life had to be lived and ordered because of the nearness of a pure and holy God.
The Ark and the Presence
The ark of the covenant carried this Presence wherever Israel went. When it moved, Moses would cry, “Arise, O LORD, and let Your enemies be scattered” (Num 10:35, Psalm 68:1-2). The ark was both His throne and footstool. It was the symbol of a kingdom where God ruled and reigned from the midst of His people.
When Israel honored that Presence, they prevailed. When they treated it casually—as in the days of Eli and his sons—they failed. The tragic cry of “Ichabod!” (1 Sam 4:21) in the days of Eli signaled a military defeat and a spiritual catastrophe: “The glory has departed from Israel.” Israel could exist as a nation without the ark, but she could not be the kingdom God had dreamed without the Presence.
From Tabernacle to Temple
Roughly 400 years after Moses, David restored what Israel had lost. David’s first act as king was to recover the ark (2 Sam 6:1-2). The procession to Jerusalem was a prophetic declaration: the throne of God must stand at the center of the nation once again.
David’s son Solomon ultimately built the permanent house his father had envisioned. At its dedication, “the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD” (1 Kgs 8:10-11). That moment was Israel’s high watermark: the Presence was enthroned, worship was continuous, blessing overflowed.
Peter Leithart calls this “the liturgical heartbeat of the kingdom, where heaven and earth overlap and the polity of Israel flows from the presence of Yahweh.” Solomon’s temple became the true center of government. From the inner sanctuary, God ruled His people.
Presence as Covenant Faithfulness
Every prophet understood that Israel’s faithfulness could be measured by one thing: the people’s devotion to Yahweh. When nation stewarded His presence, the glory remained. When idolatry spread and injustice polluted worship, as Ezekiel vision depicted, the glory departed (Ezek 10-11). God never abandoned His covenant; His people had turned their backs on Him, effectively driving Him out. Yet even in judgment, the prophets called Israel to restoration:
“My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God.” — Ezekiel 37:27
Presence lost was to become presence restored. This is the heartbeat of God. That He would dwell among His people. His covenant promises to Israel would be renewed for He is faithful even when His people are not.
A Kingdom of Priests
Israel’s calling as presence-centered kingdom was not meant to be exclusively for her alone. From the beginning God called them to be, “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exod 19:6).
A priestly kingdom exists to minister to God on behalf of men and to minister to men on behalf of God. Israel’s calling has always been to steward His presence and to make it known to the nations. The smoke that filled the tabernacle was a missional symbol: the God who dwelt in Israel desired to dwell in all the earth.
Psalm 67 captures this vision perfectly:
“Let Your way be known on earth, Your saving power among all nations.” Israel’s worship was meant to be attractive, even evangelistic. The radiance of God’s divine nearness in their midst was to draw every nation to worship the LORD. One day this vision will be fulfilled. (Isa 2:2, Isa 56:6-7, Isa 66:18) The vision of the Presence-Centered kingdom of priests not only refers to Israel, but ultimately God’s desire for the church (1 Pet 2:9, Rev 1:6)
Failure and Promise
Israel’s history tells us a painful story. The Presence that filled Solomon’s temple eventually departed. The people who were to host God’s glory turned to idols and exile followed. Still, God pursued them. Through prophets like Isaiah and Haggai, God promised that a greater glory would one day fill a new house in the age to come (Hag 2:9). And on the way to that fullness, the blueprint of Israel’s presence-centered kingdom pointed toward a reality when the Word Himself would “tabernacle among us” (John 1:14).
From Israel to the Church
The storyline is clear:
Moses built the sanctuary where God could dwell.
Samuel restored the culture of prophetic worship around that dwelling.
David and Solomon enthroned the Presence in the nation’s heart.
The prophets foretold the day when the glory would return in permanent form.
That trajectory finds a partial fulfillment now in Christ and His body. What Kingdom of Israel was in type, the Church now is, the community in which God’s Presence lives, moves, and manifests until the earth is filled with His glory.
This in no way replaces the ultimate promises God made to Israel. Instead, this framework helps clarify the purpose of the Church until the Lord’s coming. Just as Israel was to host the Presence and be a witness to the nations, the church is called to do the same thing. God’s vision for the community of the Kingdom on earth hasn’t changed.
Conclusion: The Heartbeat of a Nation
Israel was never meant to be defined solely by its borders or kings but by the Presence of God dwelling in its midst. Every covenant renewal, every festival, every prophetic revival pointed back to that single truth: “The LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: ‘This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.’” — Psalm 132:13-14
The Presence was Israel’s constitution, its crown, and its covenant identity.
When the glory dwelt among them, they flourished; when it departed, they lost themselves.
And now, through Christ, that same divine intention continues through the church—a people ordered around the dwelling of God called to be witnesses to the nations.
Next in the Series:
Part 4 — From Temple to Body: The Fulfillment of Habitation in Christ
How the glory that once filled Solomon’s temple took on flesh in Jesus, and how the incarnation transformed the dwelling of God forever.