David had the plans to build a temple fit to hold the Ark of the Covenant:
Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat, And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things: (1 Chronicles 28:11-12 KJV)
David had amassed what was necessary:
Even the weight for the candlesticks of gold, and for their lamps of gold, by weight for every candlestick, and for the lamps thereof: and for the candlesticks of silver by weight, both for the candlestick, and also for the lamps thereof, according to the use of every candlestick. (1 Chronicles 28:15 KJV)
The verses continue – listing all the items of gold, silver, all that was needed. So, why didn’t he build it?
But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood. (1 Chronicles 28:3 KJV)
David loved and served God, but he also shed not just blood but innocent blood. David prayed, asked, listened to God’s answer. Then David gives Solomon instructions:
And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD. (1 Chronicles 28:20 KJV)
David knew from experience that God would not fail nor forsake until our work for Him is done.
Do we have the faith to tell our children the same? Has our faith in God been proven? Can we point to experiences in our own lives where God provided for us? Can we admit that not all of our prayers received a positive answer – and still we retained our faith?
Can we convince ourselves, much less the next generation?
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ReplyDeleteI'm just starting the Book of 1st Chronicles. I love reading about David and his devotion to God. Recently read the part where he wanted to build a temple and God said no.
ReplyDeleteTo me it is such a sad thing and I believe it was disappointing for David. To me is reveals his own feelings that even David didn't always feel like was worth much.
Imagine gathering all that building material and being excited over drawing up plans. In fact,I suspect he had plans already because you don't buy lumber without a blueprint. But to amass all the materials to build God a house and then wake up one morning and look out and know you will never see it begun. And yet, he didn't argue, he just handed it all over to his son. Or maybe he did have some conversation with God about it but he didn't make an effort to go ahead. How disappointing it must have been.
Amazing love and dedication.