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Psalm 78:69
He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he has established forever.
67Moreover he rejected the tent of Joseph, and didn’t choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which he loved.
69He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he has established forever.
70He also chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds;
71from following the ewes that have their young, he brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.
Notice
The heights and the enduring earth give the sanctuary a sense of grandeur and firmness, with God named as the one who built it.
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What do the heights and the established earth each suggest about the sanctuary?
Write on thisHow does naming God as the sanctuary’s builder shape your understanding of its strength?
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Where else Scripture says this
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Jeremiah 30:18The LORD says: “Behold, I will reverse the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have compassion on his dwelling places. The city will be built on its own hill, and …Psalm 78 credits God with building the sanctuary; Jeremiah records his promise to restore Jacob’s dwellings and rebuild the city.
Psalm 127:1A Song of Ascents. By Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, they who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman guards it …God is the builder in both passages: he built the sanctuary, and a house depends on his work for its builders’ labor to succeed.
Jeremiah 10:12God has made the earth by his power. He has established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding has he stretched out the heavens.Both name God as the one who established the earth; Jeremiah names his power and wisdom in creation.
1 Kings 6:1–38In the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in …Both concern the building of the LORD’s house: the psalm credits God, while Kings dates the start of construction under Solomon.
Isaiah 51:6Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish away like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment. Its …Both use the earth in speaking of permanence, though Isaiah contrasts its passing with God’s enduring salvation.
Ezekiel 36:2The Lord GOD says: ‘Because the enemy has said against you, “Aha!” and, “The ancient high places are ours in possession!”’Height is their limited shared image: the sanctuary resembles the heights, while the enemy claims possession of the ancient high places.
Isaiah 48:13Yes, my hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand has spread out the heavens. when I call to them, they stand up together.Both attribute the earth’s establishment to God, with Isaiah describing his hand laying its foundation.
1 Kings 9:8Though this house is so high, yet everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss; and they will say, ‘Why has the LORD done this to this land and to …Both describe the sanctuary’s height, but Kings portrays that lofty house becoming a cause of astonishment at what the LORD has done.
Psalm 119:90–91Your faithfulness is to all generations. You have established the earth, and it remains.Both say God established the earth; Psalm 119 connects its remaining with his faithfulness through all generations.
1 Chronicles 29:19and give to Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the …Both concern building the sanctuary: the psalm credits God, while David prays for Solomon to carry out the work.
1 Chronicles 29:1David the king said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great; for the palace is not for …Both identify the sanctuary with God: the psalm names him as its builder, and David names him as the one it is for.
Revelation 20:11I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the sky fled away. There was found no place for them.The earth appears in both, with a striking contrast: established forever in the psalm’s comparison, yet fleeing before the throne in Revelation.
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The sanctuary’s strength in this poem rests on its builder. The one who established the earth also built a place for Israel’s worship.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).