Topical Bible: Church: House of the Lord

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Topical Encyclopedia

The term "House of the Lord" is a significant biblical concept that refers to a sacred space dedicated to the worship and service of God. In the Old Testament, this term primarily referred to the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem, which were central places of worship for the Israelites. In the New Testament, the concept evolves to encompass the Christian Church, both as a physical gathering place and as the spiritual body of believers.

Old Testament Context

The "House of the Lord" first appears in the context of the Tabernacle, a portable sanctuary used by the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings. God instructed Moses to build the Tabernacle as a dwelling place for His presence among His people (Exodus 25:8-9). The Tabernacle was considered holy, and it was where the Israelites offered sacrifices and worshiped God.

With the establishment of the monarchy, King Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, which became the permanent "House of the Lord." In 1 Kings 8:10-11 , it is recorded that "when the priests came out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand there to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD." This Temple was the focal point of Jewish worship and the site of major religious festivals.

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, the concept of the "House of the Lord" transitions from a physical building to a spiritual reality. Jesus Christ, in His ministry, redefined the understanding of worship and the presence of God. In John 4:21-24 , Jesus tells the Samaritan woman, "Believe Me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem... God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

The early Christian Church, as described in the Acts of the Apostles, gathered in homes and other locations, emphasizing the community of believers as the new "House of the Lord." The Apostle Paul further develops this idea in his epistles. In 1 Corinthians 3:16 , he writes, "Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?" Here, the Church is understood as the collective body of believers, each indwelt by the Holy Spirit, forming a spiritual temple.

Theological Significance

The "House of the Lord" signifies God's desire to dwell among His people and to be worshiped in holiness and truth. In the Old Testament, the physical structures of the Tabernacle and Temple symbolized God's presence and covenant with Israel. In the New Testament, the Church as the "House of the Lord" represents the fulfillment of God's promise to be with His people through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

The Church, as the "House of the Lord," is called to be a place of worship, teaching, fellowship, and service. It is where believers gather to glorify God, edify one another, and proclaim the Gospel to the world. The Church is both a local assembly and a universal body, united by faith in Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Practical Implications

For Christians, the concept of the "House of the Lord" encourages reverence and commitment to the local church community. It underscores the importance of regular worship, participation in the sacraments, and engagement in the life of the Church. Believers are reminded that they are part of a spiritual family, called to live in unity and love, reflecting the character of Christ to the world.

In summary, the "House of the Lord" is a profound biblical theme that encompasses both the historical places of worship in Israel and the spiritual reality of the Church today. It highlights God's ongoing relationship with His people and His desire for them to be a holy and worshipful community.

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Exodus 23:19
The first of the first fruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. You shall not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
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Exodus 34:26
The first of the first fruits of your land you shall bring to the house of the LORD your God. You shall not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
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Deuteronomy 23:18
You shall not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD your God for any vow: for even both these are abomination to the LORD your God.
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Joshua 6:24
And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.
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Judges 19:18
And he said to him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from there am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receives me to house.
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1 Samuel 1:7,24
And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.
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2 Samuel 12:20
Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.
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1 Kings 3:1
And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.
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1 Kings 6:37
In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif:
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1 Kings 7:40
And Hiram made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he made king Solomon for the house of the LORD:
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1 Kings 8:10,63
And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
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1 Kings 10:5
And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up to the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.
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2 Kings 11:3,4,15,18,19
And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.
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2 Kings 12:4,9,10,13,16
And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the dedicated things that is brought into the house of the LORD, even the money of every one that passes the account, the money that every man is set at, and all the money that comes into any man's heart to bring into the house of the LORD,
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2 Kings 16:18
And the covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's entry without, turned he from the house of the LORD for the king of Assyria.
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2 Kings 20:8
And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day?
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2 Kings 23:2,7,11
And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD.
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2 Kings 25:9
And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire.
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1 Chronicles 6:31
And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after that the ark had rest.
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1 Chronicles 22:1,11,14
Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.
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1 Chronicles 23:4
Of which, twenty and four thousand were to set forward the work of the house of the LORD; and six thousand were officers and judges:
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1 Chronicles 26:12
Among these were the divisions of the porters, even among the chief men, having wards one against another, to minister in the house of the LORD.
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2 Chronicles 8:16
Now all the work of Solomon was prepared to the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD, and until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was perfected.
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2 Chronicles 26:21
And Uzziah the king was a leper to the day of his death, and dwelled in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.
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2 Chronicles 29:5,15
And said to them, Hear me, you Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.
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2 Chronicles 33:15
And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.
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2 Chronicles 34:15
And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.
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2 Chronicles 36:14
Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.
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Ezra 7:27
Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which has put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:
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Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
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Psalm 27:4
One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
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Psalm 92:13
Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
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Psalm 116:19
In the courts of the LORD's house, in the middle of you, O Jerusalem. Praise you the LORD.
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Psalm 118:26
Blessed be he that comes in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.
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Psalm 122:1,9
I was glad when they said to me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
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Psalm 134:1
Behold, bless you the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD.
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Isaiah 2:2
And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it.
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Isaiah 37:14
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.
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Jeremiah 17:26
And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, to the house of the LORD.
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Jeremiah 20:1,2
Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the LORD, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things.
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Jeremiah 26:2,7
Thus said the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD's house, and speak to all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD's house, all the words that I command you to speak to them; diminish not a word:
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Jeremiah 28:1,5
And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,
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Jeremiah 29:26
The LORD has made you priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that you should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that is mad, and makes himself a prophet, that you should put him in prison, and in the stocks.
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Jeremiah 35:2
Go to the house of the Rechabites, and speak to them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.
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Jeremiah 36:5,6
And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the LORD:
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Jeremiah 38:14
Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet to him into the third entry that is in the house of the LORD: and the king said to Jeremiah, I will ask you a thing; hide nothing from me.
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Jeremiah 41:5
That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD.
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Jeremiah 51:51
We are confounded, because we have heard reproach: shame has covered our faces: for strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the LORD's house.
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Lamentations 2:7
The LORD has cast off his altar, he has abhorred his sanctuary, he has given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they have made a noise in the house of the LORD, as in the day of a solemn feast.
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Ezekiel 44:4
Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the house: and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD: and I fell on my face.
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Haggai 1:2
Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built.
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Zechariah 8:9
Thus said the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, you that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.
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Library

The Church, the Place of Worship
... The word "church," by which we designate the place of divine worship, being derived
from the Greek kuriakon, the Lord's house, embodies the idea of its sacred ...
/.../regester/the worship of the church/the church the place of.htm

The Abiding of the Spirit the Glory of the Church
... feared that they could not build His house, because of their poverty; but, saith
the Lord of hosts, "The silver and the gold are mine." When the church of God ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 32 1886/the abiding of the spirit.htm

Book ix. On Jerusalem and Her Enemies
... [Is.5:2((unknown variant)]. The house is the soul in which Christ lives or the church;
in the psalm: let us go to the house of the Lord. [Ps.121(122):1]. ...
/.../eucherius/the formulae of st eucherius of lyons/book ix on jerusalem and.htm

Psalm XXIII.
... 1. The Church speaks to Christ: "The Lord feedeth me, and I shall lack nothing"
(ver.1). The Lord Jesus ... "That I may dwell in the house of the Lord [619] for ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm xxiii.htm

Tau.
... it was time should begin at the house of the Lord. [5389] But "they will help me,"
he saith. And who cannot see how much the blood of the Church hath aided the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/tau.htm

Of the Church
... house of Philemon, and that in the house of Nymphas ... A particular Church may, therefore,
consist of any number of ... body, and have one Spirit, one Lord, one hope ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 74 of the church.htm

Psalm LXI.
... therefore sojourners we are; there the Lord shall give ... He saith, "the mansions in
My Father's house." [2345] Those ... because for no small time the Church was to ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm lxi.htm

Psalm CXXII.
... and so should I not have them, because I should not seek them for thee; but, "Because
of the house of the Lord my God," because of the Church, because of the ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm cxxii.htm

Psalm CXVIII.
... him point out to us, why the body of Christ, the holy Church, the people ... of the
righteous, whereby they are blessed who dwell in the Lord's house, praising Him ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm cxviii.htm

Psalm CXXXV.
... let us walk in the light of the Lord." [5659] This ... Israel." The house of Jacob is
the house of Israel ... most distant and lofty mountains, to the Church; and many ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm cxxxv.htm