EU•AN•GE•LION (YOO-AN-GEL-EE-ON) · εὐαγγέλιον — Good News
EU•AN•GE•LION (YOO-AN-GEL-EE-ON) · εὐαγγέλιον — Good News
John 1:14
DAY 3 OF 6
Understanding that God has permanently relocated to dwell with us
Abiding in His Presence · 6 Days
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 (NIV)
καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ
“Obj Clay Bowl Bread Water” — Generated, 2026
HEBREW
H7931שָׁכַן
/shakan/(shah-KAHN)
to dwell, tabernacle, settle permanently
When God’s presence filled the tabernacle in Exodus 40:34-35, it was His shakan – His dwelling, His settling down to stay. Jesus’ incarnation is God’s ultimate shakan – His permanent move into human experience.
The Greek word eskēnōsen in John 1:14 comes from skēnē (tent, tabernacle) and is directly connected to the Hebrew shakan.
RELATED
God didn’t just visit our problems – He moved into them. He didn’t just observe our struggles – He took up permanent residence in them.
When John wrote that ‘the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us,’ he used language that would have shocked his Jewish readers. The Greek word for ‘dwelling’ (skenoo) is directly related to the Hebrew shakan – the same word used to describe God’s presence in the tabernacle.
But here’s what’s revolutionary: God didn’t just visit humanity temporarily like He did in the Old Testament. Through Jesus, God made a permanent relocation. He didn’t come as a tourist or even as a long-term guest – He came to stay.
This changes everything about how we understand God’s presence in our lives. We’re not trying to visit God in some distant heaven – He has moved into our neighborhood, our circumstances, our ordinary Tuesday afternoons. The question isn’t ‘How do I get to God?’ but ‘How do I recognize that God has already moved in with me?’
The Military Spouse's Revelation
Jennifer was a military spouse who had moved seventeen times in twenty years. She had become an expert at making temporary spaces feel like home – hanging familiar pictures, arranging furniture just right, creating cozy corners. But she always knew these were temporary arrangements.
When Jennifer’s husband retired and they finally bought their ‘forever home,’ something unexpected happened. For the first time in decades, she could plant perennial flowers, paint walls bold colors, and invest in quality furniture. The permanence changed everything about how she approached her living space.
One morning, while unpacking boxes she’d carried from base to base, Jennifer had a spiritual breakthrough: ‘I’ve been treating God’s presence like military housing – a temporary arrangement I visit between deployments to “real life.” But what if His presence is meant to be my permanent address?’
Jennifer’s experience of finally settling into a permanent home mirrors the spiritual shift from temporary visits to permanent dwelling with God.
The Tabernacle to Temple Progression
The Old Testament shows a clear progression in how God dwells with His people: Tabernacle Era: God’s presence was mobile, traveling with Israel through the wilderness. The tabernacle could be assembled, disassembled, and moved as needed. Temple Era: God’s presence became stationary, permanently located in Jerusalem. The temple represented God’s commitment to dwell permanently with His people in a specific place. New Testament Era: Through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, God’s presence becomes personal and portable again – but this time, permanently resident within believers themselves. We are now God’s temple (1 Corinthians 6:19), which means His presence isn’t just with us – it’s in us, permanently.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
In ancient Near Eastern culture, when someone ‘made their dwelling’ with a family or community, it implied legal and social obligations. It wasn’t just about physical presence but about commitment, protection, and shared life.
The Hebrew word shakan is the root of the word ‘Shekinah’ – the visible manifestation of God’s presence. When we learn to recognize God’s permanent dwelling in our lives, we begin to see His Shekinah glory in ordinary moments and everyday circumstances.
BRIDGE TO CHRIST
ANCIENT TRUTH
God chose to shakan (dwell permanently) with His people, first in the tabernacle, then in the temple, and finally through Jesus.
The same God who ‘tabernacled’ with Israel has now made His permanent dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit.
MODERN APPLICATION
We often act as if God is far away and we must travel to find Him, when in reality He has already moved into our everyday lives.
NEW TESTAMENT ECHO
1 Corinthians 6:19 declares: ‘Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you?’
HONEST-EXAMINATION
What would change if God’s presence became your permanent address instead of a place you visit?
“Sym Pitcher Clay Linocut” — Generated, 2026
PRAYER
(personal)Posture: petition
Lord, You didn’t just visit humanity – You chose to shakan, to dwell permanently with us. Help me stop treating Your presence like a temporary arrangement and start living like it’s my permanent address. Teach me to settle into Your presence for the long haul. Amen.
TAKEAWAY
I will practice ‘permanent presence awareness’ today – reminding myself throughout ordinary activities that God hasn’t just visited this moment, He has made His dwelling here. I will look for signs of His permanent residence in my daily life.
LEAVING AT THE CROSS
RECEIVING FROM THE CROSS
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
FOR REFLECTION
FOR ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNERS
FURTHER READING
RELATED SCRIPTURES
Exodus 40:34-35
Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
1 Corinthians 6:19
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?
FOR DEEPER STUDY
Read the prologue to understand the full significance of the Word becoming flesh
God Who Tabernacled Among Us
John identifies Jesus as the eternal Word (Logos) who existed with God from the beginning and through whom all things were made. This Word became flesh and ‘pitched His tent’ among humanity, making God’s presence accessible and permanent.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
LESSON FOR US
God didn’t remain distant and inaccessible. He entered our world, our struggles, and our everyday lives – and He never left.
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