“For I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy—a place where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.”

2 Chronicles 7:16

“Praise the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel, just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises he gave through his servant Moses.”
1 Kings 8:56

This does not mean everything always went as the Israelites had hoped, but that God’s promises were unfailing no matter the circumstances.

• Similarities between Israel and other ancient Near Eastern temple ideologies:
  
  • God/gods will abandon their temple(s) because of offenses, namely ritual neglect.
  • Temples were considered to be a picture of something larger, “a palace that paralleled the palace where the deity dwelt either in heavenly places or on the heavenly mountain.” IVP Bible Background Commentary
  • In worshipping idols, the actually idol was not worshipped or considered the deity, but the deity was believed to be in the statue–the deity’s representation in the temple (Remember: The golden calf and idols in Israel’s temple was not a sin of worshipping a statue, but of Israel’s misunderstanding that their God, YHWH, would not reside in a statue but among His people. Israel thought they needed a golden calf in order for God to be present; to have a representation of Him. But YHWH was clear that He would be represented by His dwelling with His people.)
• Differences between Israel and other ancient Near Eastern temple ideologies:
  
  • YHWH dwelt among His people; His people, not statues, represented Him. He desires relationship and community, not just ritual and sacrifice.
  • God’s “Name” represents an extension of Himself. His eyes, ears, and heart were “present” too. Heart in the Hebrew language is an in-depth, multi-faceted idea that encompasses emotions, logic, reason, and more. 
  • Though God inhabited the Temple, He also promised, “I will hear from heaven.”

Our earthly temple–our bodies individually and collectively–should be a representation of God’s love.