The meaning of the most high dwelleth not in temples made with hands?

Answer 1

Put simply it means that the one and only true God is so great He cannot be confined to anything created by mortal man. Solomon, at the dedication of the first magnificent temple, one of the wonders of the ancient world, described it thus:

27But 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 built? _________________________________________________ The word "dwelleth" means to live or take up residence. Indeed it is impossible to build a Temple for God to fully dwell in because as stated in 1Kings 8:27 even the heaven of heavens cannot contain him. However, God did visit and his presence was visible behind the Holy of Holies above the angels. And indeed, this holy place was the habitation of God's Spirit and presence in as much glory as was needed to reveal himself and to bless the nation. There has been a false teaching now for many years, that if a Church is called a Temple, that this means the Pastor or Minister makes a claim he has captured God and he must dwell in the edifice as a residence. This accusation is made and then the claim is made that God dwelleth not in Temples. The Temple in Jerusalem was a shrine in which worship to the God of the name was made. A Temple can be a shrine with no intention whatsoever to make a claim God lives there or has taken up his earthly residence there. As a Temple-Shrine, all that is needed is worship to God, the divine name of Jesus placed there, and God said he would come and visit with his presence. Those who have a Church-Temple need not be rebuked or ashamed to call their worship center a Temple. We know there is no claim to capture God and make him a prisoner of man in such places. We know these are Shrines in which the name of Jesus is glorified and worship is offered to God. For those who deny God can make his habitation in a Temple, please run reference on the word "habitation" and see if God did come and his glory filled the Temple. In the analogy that our body is "now" the Temple of God, for this to make any sense and the analogy true: then God had to dwell in the old Temple in the Old Testament. The scripture also says: "neither is worshipped with men's hands" (Acts 17:25). Yet those who rant the most against a Church being called a Temple, claim they worship God with their hands. A Church can be called a Tabernacle, a House of prayer for all nations, or the House of God. There is no scripture that says God does not dwell in Tabernacles, or a House of prayer, or a house of God. And when it says he dwelleth not in Temples made with hands, it must be understood what this means. For it surely does not mean God refused to make the Temple his habitation. Dr. Gary Reckart

Apostolic Theological Bible College

Tampa, Florida

Answer 2

This statement emphasizes that the divine presence is not limited to physical structures like temples, as it transcends these man-made boundaries. It conveys that the true essence of the divine cannot be confined or fully contained within any human-built edifice. Instead, the emphasis is often on the spiritual connection and inner devotion that goes beyond external constructs.