In our last study we were looking at the sad story of David and Bathsheba. We saw that David was far from perfect and that he was capable of falling into great sin. But we ought to note that God can bring good out of the greatest evil. One of the results of David's sin with Bathsheba was, eventually, to be Solomon. God brings good out of evil, though this in no way excuses or diminishes the seriousness and evil of David's sin.
David had wanted to build a Temple for the Lord. We read of his desire to do this in 2 Samuel 7:1-2. David felt that it was wrong for him to live in a splendid palace while the symbolic place of God's dwelling with his people remained the Tabernacle, a tent. It was not fitting for David to have a better house for himself than the house of God.
But God told David that he was not to build the Temple. We are given two reasons for this. Firstly, God wanted David to learn an important lesson; God wanted David to have his eyes and heart fixed on what God had done for him and not on what he could do for God. So it was that God said that David would not build a house for him, rather, he would build up the house of David: " The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father and he will be my son." (2 Samuel 7:11b,-14a).
Now I want to pause here to make two points of application. Firstly, we need to realise that this promise is ultimately a promise concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus is David's greater Son. He is the King whose kingdom will never end. He is the one who is building a better Temple than Solomon, a glorious dwelling place for God. He is the Son. Secondly, we also need to have our eyes and our hearts fixed not upon what we can do for God but upon what he has done for us. We need to have our minds and hearts filled with a sense of all that God has done for us in Christ. Is that true of you?
The second reason why David was not allowed to build the Temple is given in 1 Chronicles 28:3. It was this, that David had been a warrior and had shed blood. God would have the Temple built by a man of peace, Solomon. In this also, we are pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace and one greater than Solomon.
So David was not allowed to build the Temple. But this did not stop him making plans and provisions for the time when it would be built. We read in 1 Chronicles 28 of the detailed plans which he drew up, plans not of his own invention but which "the Spirit had put in his mind" (verse 12, see also verse 19). The building of such a Temple was going to be a large and costly project. David had therefore stored up various materials for the building work, wood and stone and precious stones as well as silver and gold.
Now, as David approaches the end of his life he wants to share with all the people his plans for the Temple. He assembles all of the officials of Israel, the officers over all the tribes and families, and tells them the plans. But more than that, David demonstrates his own devotion to the project by giving much of his personal treasure to the work (29:3). He then asked, "Now who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?"
We read that all of the people gave willingly to the work (verses 7 and 8). We need to understand what is going on here: The heads of the families were giving treasure which was not just their personal possessions but were giving from the wealth of their families. All the families in Israel gave to the work of the Lord. And how did the people react to the way in which their leaders were giving their treasure to the Temple project? We read their reaction in verse 9: "The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord." All of this thrilled also the heart of David and we read, "David the king also rejoiced greatly."
This is the background to David's prayer, a prayer of praise which he spoke in the presence of all the people.
I want you to notice first of all that David's prayer is a prayer of praise to God. One can only imagine what that great pile of treasure must have looked like – though perhaps some of it was only in the form of pledges on that day. It would have been understandable for David to say much in praise of the people, but he does not. David knows that praise belongs to God: "Praise be to you, O Lord."
Note some of the themes of David's prayer. David acknowledges the greatness and the glory of God: "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendour, for everything in heaven and earth are yours." David is not dazzled by the splendour of the gold and silver. His eyes are turned from those things to the Living God whose glory surpasses everything else. He is God over all the earth and is the creator and owner of all. As David thinks of the greatness and glory of God he heaps up one adjective upon another, for the greatness and majesty of God defy description.
David glories in the fact that this God is his God, the God of this people. David addresses him as "God of our father Israel." These are words rich in meaning. David is addressing God as God of the covenant: the God who chose Abraham and Isaac and Jacob to be his people; the God of grace who had remembered his promises and had saved Israel from Egypt and had created this nation. As David is surrounded by the representatives of this now great and prosperous nation, he gives praise and thanks to God.
David recognises that God is the Great King over all the earth and over this people: "Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all." David recognises that his own splendour as king over Israel pales into insignificance in the presence of the Great King. Note his words later, "But who am I?" (verse 14). These echo his words in 2 Samuel 7:18, "Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me thus far?" David's own position as king does not make him proud, it humbles him. He recognises that the kingdom belongs to the Lord and that it is an amazing act of grace on God's part that David should have been chosen to reign with him.
David acknowledges that God is the provider of all that he and the people possess: "Wealth and honour come from you; you are the ruler of all things ... Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand." (verses 12 and 14). God is the one who has given riches and talents to his people. He is the one who is Lord of his people – he rules over all. All that he has given is therefore to be used for his glory, given back to him.
David knows that God is the source of all strength: "In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all." (v.12). No doubt David was thinking of the great task ahead, the task of building this great Temple. It would require much hard work, much strength. David recognises that God is the one who alone can give Solomon and the people the strength for the task.
Lastly, we see that David acknowledges that the Lord is the keeper of his people. David has rejoiced in what he has seen of the devotion of the people to the work, "I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you." (verse 17). But David knows that there will be years of hard work ahead. He fears lest the devotion to the idea of the Temple should dissolve in face of the hard work of building. So he prays for his son and for the people – see verses 18 and 19. He prays that God would keep his people devoted to him, that he would continue the work which he has begun in their hearts and bring it to completion.
Here, then, in David's prayer we see his great longing that all that God had graciously given to his people might be devoted back to him and be used for his glory. He looks forward to the building of the Temple and wants it to be the glory of Israel, a place fit for the Great King.
I want to apply these truths to ourselves. Our attention needs to be turned from David to the Lord Jesus Christ, David's greater Son and a king greater than Solomon. He too is building a Temple for the Lord, he is building his church. We are the new Temple – see Ephesians 2:19-22, 1 Peter 2:4,5 etc. And this is a work in which we ourselves are to be involved. Look at Ephesians 4:11-16. This is the work of pastor/teachers and of evangelists, but it is also the work of every Christian.
We have the plans, they have been drawn up and exhibited by our King. Our lives individually are to be conformed more and more to the life of Christ. Our life together as a church should reflect more of the glory of Christ as we grow up into him.
We have the resources. God has given us a rich supply of gifts and of graces. We have our homes and our possessions, material gifts. We have various spiritual gifts by which we are able to minister to our own heart and one to another. God has provided us with an abundance of provisions for the building of this Temple (compare 1 Chronicles 29:16).
This is a work which calls now for our devotion. Like David, our Saviour has demonstrated his devotion to the work of building this final Temple in giving his all – he gave himself for us. Now he calls upon us joyfully and willingly to devote all that we have to this great work.
This is a work which we must pursue in a spirit of prayerful praise like that of David. We also need to acknowledge something of the greatness, majesty and splendour of our God. He is the Living God, God over all the earth; a God whose majesty and greatness defies description. On the one hand, this should cause us, like David, to stand amazed at the grace of God that he should choose to dwell in us and among us. We need often to echo David's words, "Who am I". It should cause us to stand amazed that the Living God should choose to use us and our gifts in the building of his Temple. We need constantly to acknowledge that all of our gifts and abilities come from him (see 1 Chronicles 29:16 and compare 1 Corinthians 4:7 noting the context of the latter in 3:10-17).
On the other hand, the glory and majesty of this God demands that the Temple which is being built for him be glorious and splendid. It demands of us, individually and corporately, lives which reflect his glory. This should cause us to stop and to think.
We need also, like David, prayerfully to acknowledge that God is the author of our strength for this task. We need to remember the words of our Saviour that without him we can do nothing. We cannot afford to forget that our strength is in the Lord and in the strength of his might. We need a prayerful dependence upon him as we seek to build ourselves and one another up in likeness to Christ.
Moreover, we need also to recognise that the Lord alone has power to keep us devoted to him. How quickly our devotion falters and fails. We need constantly to pray for ourselves and for one another in the words of David, "O Lord, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you."
But lastly, we need to recognise that Jesus prays for us. In 1 Chronicles 29 we see how David took delight in the devotion of his people and prayed that the Lord might keep them devoted to himself. Jesus takes delight in us and in the devotion he sees in us. But he also prays for us at the Father's right hand, praying that we might be kept devoted to him. This surely is our greatest encouragement, to know that we are kept by his power.
Peter Misselbrook