Bulletin Articles
Temple Preparations
David had wanted to build a temple for the Lord. However, because of David’s situation and the fact that he was involved in so much war, God told him that his son would build it instead. When the time came, David told Solomon:
“My son, I had intended to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars; you shall not build a house to My name, because you have shed so much blood on the earth before Me. Behold, a son will be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’ Now, my son, the Lord be with you that you may be successful, and build the house of the Lord your God just as He has spoken concerning you. Only the Lord give you discretion and understanding, and give you charge over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. Then you will prosper, if you are careful to observe the statutes and the ordinances which the Lord commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed.” (1 Chron. 22:7-13, NASU).
David then told Solomon that “with great pains” he had made preparations for the temple to be built. There is much in these verses that remind us of God’s promises, David’s commitment, and the importance of following God’s will.
As part of the preparations made for the temple, David gathered materials, but he also set in order the work of the priests, established their respective responsibilities, and appointed singers and musicians. This would become the pattern for later restorations of the temple. He also told the leaders, “Is not the Lord your God with you? And has He not given you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord and before His people. Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; arise, therefore, and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord” (1 Chron. 22:18-19).
David further addressed the people by calling on them to serve God faithfully. They were to support the great work of the temple, “for the temple is not for man, but for the Lord God” (1 Chron. 29:1). David had provided for this with all his ability, and he asked for the people to consecrate themselves willingly in order to provide for and work on the temple. The people responded and “offered willingly” to the work. This, in turn, had a great effect on their own attitudes: “Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the Lord with a whole heart, and King David also rejoiced greatly” (1 Chron. 29:9).
David also responded by praising God in front of the entire assembly of people, then praying for the people and the work of the temple. They recognized that what they had given for the temple was God’s all along: “But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You” (1 Chron. 29:14).
When David was finished, he told the assembly, “‘Now bless the Lord your God.’ And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed low and did homage to the Lord and to the king” (vs. 20). They offered up appropriate sacrifices, then once again recognized that Solomon would be the king in the place of David. “The Lord highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed on him royal majesty which had not been on any king before him in Israel” (vs. 25). When David died, he was “full of days, riches and honor; and his Solomon reigned in his place” (vs. 28).
At this point in their history, Israel was poised to truly be a great nation. Solomon would begin well, seeking the Lord and doing what is right. If he and the nation had stayed on that path, they could have been blessed beyond measure. All was in place. The temple would soon be built, and the nation would know the fulfillment of God’s promises. Justice could have rolled “down like waters” and righteousness “like an ever-flowing stream” throughout the land (cf. Amos 5:24). What began so well, however, would soon take some terrible turns.
