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Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! For you, O God, have heard my vows, you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.¹

Immediately, the first sentence seems to be a contradiction—at least from my knowledge and experience with tents. Tents are collapsible shelters, temporary dwellings, transient; i.e., for camping trips. Why would anyone want to dwell forever in a temporary shelter? Thus, the importance of reading Scripture in context.

After the flood Noah lived in a tent.² The Jewish Patriarchs lived in tents. Not that they were poor. Abraham was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.³ And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent . . .⁴ By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder was God.⁵ Slightly clearer, forever is now making sense, is it?

From Proverbs, The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.⁶ The wicked may even flourish; but the permanence of their house ends at their death. Whereas, the upright consider their homes as temporary tents. Just like Abraham, the upright have an eternity in God’s presence to look forward to.

In Hebrew the word ‘Ohel means, dwelling or the sacred tent of God.⁷ If we view tents as the physical representation of God’s dwelling; i.e., the tabernacle,⁸ then we gain a deeper appreciation of what the Psalmist wants to convey. God didn’t dwell in man; he couldn’t for man was sinful. Except for a chosen few whom he handpicked to represent him before man. Jacob blessed his sons; and to Judah he said, The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.⁹ Until the fullness of time, God would redeem man and justify him through a qualified Savior. And the LORD will give salvation to the tents of Judah.¹⁰

In the OT, tents were made of goat’s skin. The etymology of the term literally meant something stretched out.¹¹ Noah said, May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, . . .¹² It was a word picture of his tent being stretched. “My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the LORD of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them like his majestic steed in battle. From him shall come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him ever ruler—all of them together. . . . they shall fight because the LORD is with them, . . .¹³ 

Jesus is the tent peg. He is the Immanuel (which means, God with us).¹⁴ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”¹⁵

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, . . . He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.¹⁶