Plans for Building the Temple

v1: David called all his leaders into Jerusalem for the announcement of building the temple.

v2: It is interested that David called the leaders his brothers and his people. By calling the leaders who serve under him brothers, he put himself on the same level as them, even though he is the king. This is a reminder to the leaders in today’s church, God may have called you to be pastor or elder, but you are still at the same level at the rest of the church, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and there is only one head in the church, the Lord Jesus.

v3: The tabernacle was the resting place of God on earth, now David had a strong desire in his heart to build a magnificent temple as the resting place of God. Today’s, God’s resting place is the Church of Jesus Christ. It is not a cathedral, but is the people who profess Jesus as Lord.

v3: David did not hide the fact that God did not built him to actually build the temple, because he was a warrior and have shed blood.

v4-8: David is preparing the people to support his son Soloman as his successor, as the 3rd King of Israel, who will carry out the responsibility to build the temple.

v7-8: David reminded his son Soloman and his people that they need to follow all the commands of God, so that God will establish the Kingdom of Israel and the Land of Israel forever. However history told us that at the later stage of King Soloman life, he married married gentiles wife and worship their idols. The Jews also followed their king to worship idols. As a result, the kingdom of Israel fell apart and the land of Israel fell into the hands of the foreign kingdoms.

v7-8: As the Church of Christ, we are called to follow our Lord Jesus and worship no idols.

v9: [serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.] God knows our heart and the motives behind our thoughts and actions. Are you serving the Lord will the right motive? Are we serving the Lord for our own glory, or for the glory of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords?

v11-19: Just like how God gave details instructions of the tabernacle, all the articles in the tabernacle, and service of the priests and levies in the court and the tabernacle, God had done it the second time with King David through His Spirit (v12). God has revealed to King David regarding the plans of the temple buildings (v12), the service of the priests and the Levites (v13), and the instructions of the articles within and around the temple (v14-18).

v19: David had wrote down these revelations from God so that his son Soloman would know exactly how the temple would look like. Just like God had asked Moses to [make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you] (Ex 25:9), God is asking King Soloman to build the temple exactly like the pattern He had revealed to King David.

v19: The building of the church of Christ is the same as the building of the tabernacle and the temple. We ought not to build His church based on our own understanding and worldly methods, but with the revelations from God, according to the patterns which He has revealed to us in the scriptures.

v20-21: The father was encouraging the son on the building of this magnificent temple for God. King David encouraged Soloman [be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you]. The encouragement was almost the same as the encouragement from Moses to Joshua (Deut 31:7-8). Today’s many fathers spent too many time criticizing their children, instead, fathers need to encouragement their children to be strong and courageous. We need to encourage our children to be strong and courageous, do not afraid or get discourage when faced with challenges in life, because the Lord Jesus will never forsake them.