Yes, David vowed to build a Temple for God.  He wanted to honor God for all God had done for him.  David was determined but God had other plans for the completion of the work.  That’s the way life should be lived.  Our courage and determination must come from God and line up with His purposes and will.  His plan is always perfect.  His will is for our best and helps correct our missteps in life called sin.  Our ultimate purpose is to bring Him glory so that all His created will understand that God is God and we are not. 

David had a dream and with a plan for the Temple but it would be Solomon, his son, who would execute the plan and bring the vision to completion. The lesson we learn is that our work is to do what God says when He says it.  We need to fulfill our responsibilities given to us by God’s invitation with God’s help in His timing for the best results, leaving nothing undone with everything done well.

The completion of the temple was no assurance of God’s blessing on Israel, for the important thing was that the people fulfill their responsibilities toward the Lord.  Our present responsibilities to God, as in the days of David and Solomon, include:

Giving God His Rightful Place

The ark represented God’s throne on earth and its rightful place was in the Holy of Holies of God’s sanctuary. Unless God is on the throne of our lives, no enterprise we attempt can be really successful.

Expressing to God Our Joyful Worship

When Solomon put the ark into the Holy of Holies, the glory of God moved in, just as when Moses dedicated the tabernacle. This psalm refers to Numbers 10:33-36 and reminded the worshippers of God’s guidance and power exhibited in the days of Moses. The prayer for the priests in verse 9 is answered in verse 16. “I’ll dress my priests in salvation clothes; the holy people will sing their hearts out!”  A holy priesthood was important to the prosperity of Israel, but so was a nation dedicated to the Lord.  Our worship to God is our determination to hear Him and obey Him all because of our love and adoration of Him.

Reminding God of His Faithful Covenant 

The psalmist reminded the Lord of His covenant, because he wanted someone from the Davidic dynasty to sit on the throne of Israel. Ultimately, this promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Son of David, whose throne and kingdom are forever!  By reminding God of His Covenant, we are reminding ourselves of God’s Promises! 

If David’s successors wanted the blessing of God, they needed to obey the law of God, but many of them did not. Believers today are united with the Lord in a new covenant that Jesus made in His own blood and He will never break that covenant. The psalmist used David’s name when he prayed to the Lord, but we pray in the name of Jesus (John 14:13-14). The Father is faithful to His Son, and the Son is faithful to the covenant He made in His own blood.  Remember.

Trusting God for His Beautiful Blessings and Promises

God chose Israel to be His people.  God also chose Zion as the building site of His Temple.  David had desperately wanted to build God a house but was forbidden to do so, but he gathered the wealth needed, received the plans from the Lord, and bought the property on which the temple would stand. 

Other nations had temples, but none of those temples had the glory of the true and living God dwelling in them.  God promised to dwell with Israel, provide their food, bless their worship, and defeat their enemies. Jesus’ seven I AM statements are our promises from God’s New Covenant with all believers today and reveals our God who desires a personal relationship with us! 

It is no surprise that social psychology says that actually knowing someone requires personal and private knowledge coming from being with someone over time and building up a level of trust so that they let you in. Knowing about someone is just the first step toward actually knowing them.

It is the same way with God. Thankfully, God has gone to the extreme to make himself known to us. He does this through nature, personal spiritual interactions, and (most importantly) the revelation of himself through his Son, Jesus Christ that we get to read about in God’s Word to us.

The Seven–

1. I Am the Bread of Life: Jesus alone can sustain us, who are but starving beggars looking for food (John 6).

2. I Am the Light of the World: Jesus is the original and eternal source of light in the universe for us who are spiritually blind by birth (John 8).

3. I Am the Gate of the Sheepfold: Jesus is the only door to life for us who are lost outside God’s will (John 10).

4. I Am the Good Shepherd: Jesus knows and cares for us who are orphaned, wandering sheep without a shepherd (John 10).

5. I Am the Resurrection and the Life: Jesus is the key to escaping spiritual death for us who are hopelessly doomed to death because of our sin (John 11).

6. I Am the Way, Truth, and Life: Jesus is the accessible path, the illuminating truth, and the giver of life for us who are lost, ignorant, and dead without Him (John 14).

7. I Am the True Vine: Jesus is the source of eternal life for us who are dead and useless branches apart from him (John 15).

Robert Hampshire, Christianity.com Contributing Writer states, “Jesus was especially self-revealing in his “I Am” statements found in the gospels (specifically in the Book of John). These descriptive statements explain the character and nature of God through significant phrases that all begin with “I Am.” These are not Jesus’ only statements about himself, but they stand out in a unique way.”

“Although we cannot comprehend the complexities of what God is (as in all-powerful, always present, and all-knowing), the great thing is that we can know who he is because he has revealed Himself to us through His Son, Jesus Christ.”

“The God of the universe is not just some mysterious voice behind a curtain. He is a relational being that we can know personally. He is Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Really, Jesus’ coming was the culmination of God already revealing Himself to us in so many ways.”

Worship and Wisdom, Psalms and Proverbs

Psalm 132, The Message

^1-5 O God, remember David,
    remember all his troubles!
And remember how he promised God,
    made a vow to the Strong God of Jacob,
“I’m not going home,
    and I’m not going to bed,
I’m not going to sleep,
    not even take time to rest,
Until I find a home for God,
    a house for the Strong God of Jacob.”

^6-7 Remember how we got the news in Ephrathah,
    learned all about it at Jaar Meadows?
We shouted, “Let’s go to the shrine dedication!
    Let’s worship at God’s own footstool!”

^8-10 Up, God, enjoy your new place of quiet repose,
    you and your mighty covenant ark;
Get your priests all dressed up in justice;
    prompt your worshipers to sing this prayer:
“Honor your servant David;
    don’t disdain your anointed one.”

^11-18 God gave David his word,
    he won’t back out on this promise:
“One of your sons
    I will set on your throne;
If your sons stay true to my Covenant
    and learn to live the way I teach them,
Their sons will continue the line—
    always a son to sit on your throne.
Yes—I, God, chose Zion,
    the place I wanted for my shrine;
This will always be my home;
    this is what I want, and I’m here for good.
I’ll shower blessings on the pilgrims who come here,
    and give supper to those who arrive hungry;
I’ll dress my priests in salvation clothes;
    the holy people will sing their hearts out!
Oh, I’ll make the place radiant for David!
    I’ll fill it with light for my anointed!
I’ll dress his enemies in dirty rags,
    but I’ll make his crown sparkle with splendor.”

TRUTH:  God always wanted His people to know Him ever since sin separated humanity from Him in the Garden of Eden. God promised His people through the prophet Jeremiah: “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you…” (Jeremiah 29:13-14, ESV).

Proverb 18:10, The Message

WISDOM: “God’s name is a place of protection—good people can run there and be safe.”

Abba, Father in Heaven,

I run to you daily, seeking you and I’m never disappointed.  Thank you for desiring a relationship with me that is loving and kind.  Yes, your love never quits and never runs out on me, no matter what.  I worship you for your love and care alone.  I love you back with all that is in me.  Continue to teach me, I’m listening. 

In Jesus Name, Amen