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Thursday, 23 March 2023

Careful building preparations


Drawing of Solomon's Temple (First Temple in Jerusalem), as seen in the Israel Museum
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reconstruction_of_Solomon%27s_Temple.jpg (Author: Tombah)

It was a big surprise to me to read, in First Chronicles, that King David did an enormous amount of preparation towards the building of the Jerusalem temple. I knew that God had told him that he would not be the one who would oversee the actual build. I also knew that it would be his son Solomon who had that privilege and duty. But I hadn’t realised how much David was to contribute by having both the cash (lots of gold and silver), the workers, and the materials in place.

By the time the musician-warrior-king-David had achieved peace in his kingdom, he had access to huge resources and was ready to assemble them for the great new temple project.

David finally subdued the Philistines and conquered Gath and its surrounding towns. 2 He also conquered Moab and required its people to send him a large sum of money every year. (I Chron. 18: 1, 2 The Living Bible)

Moreover, he had previously made connections with those who could assist in building projects. He had overseen the construction of his palaces and a new tabernacle to house the Ark of the Covenant. And he had a strong sense both of the value of his kingship and the importance of marking significant occasions with joyful music!

1 King Hiram of Tyre sent masons and carpenters to help build David’s palace and he supplied him with much cedar lumber. 2 David now realized why the Lord had made him king and why he had made his kingdom so great; it was for a special reason—to give joy to God’s people! (I Chron. 14: 1, 2 TLB)

28 So the leaders of Israel took the Ark to Jerusalem with shouts of joy, the blowing of horns and trumpets, the crashing of cymbals, and loud playing on the harps and zithers. (I Chron. 15: 28 TLB)

As he moved forward with the building preparations, David was very attentive to God’s direction.

He organised the workers:

2 David now drafted all the resident aliens in Israel to prepare blocks of squared stone for the Temple. 3 They also manufactured iron into the great quantity of nails needed for the doors in the gates and for the clamps; and they smelted so much bronze that it was too much to weigh. 4 The men of Tyre and Sidon brought great rafts of cedar logs to David. (I Chron 22: 2-4 TLB)

He had a succession plan:

5 “Solomon my son is young and tender,” David said, “and the Temple of the Lord must be a marvelous structure, famous and glorious throughout the world; so I will begin the preparations for it now.”

So David collected the construction materials before his death. 6 He now commanded his son Solomon to build a Temple for the Lord God of Israel.

7 “I wanted to build it myself,” David told him, 8 “but the Lord said not to do it. ‘You have killed too many men in great wars,’ he told me. ‘You have reddened the ground before me with blood: so you are not to build my Temple. 9 But I will give you a son,’ he told me, ‘who will be a man of peace, for I will give him peace with his enemies in the surrounding lands. His name shall be Solomon (meaning “Peaceful”), and I will give peace and quietness to Israel during his reign. (I Chron 22:5-7 TLB)

David trusted that God’s plan was in place, so he saw to it that every item had the exact amount of financing necessary.

Then he could hand over the project:

11 Then David gave Solomon the blueprint of the Temple and its surroundings—the treasuries, the upstairs rooms, the inside rooms, and the sanctuary for the place of mercy.

19 “Every part of this blueprint,” David told Solomon, “was given to me in writing from the hand of the Lord.” 20 Then he continued, “Be strong and courageous and get to work. Don’t be frightened by the size of the task, for the Lord my God is with you; he will not forsake you. He will see to it that everything is finished correctly.  (I Chron 28: 11, 19, 20 TLB)

And God got the entire glory:

10 While still in the presence of the whole assembly, David expressed his praises to the Lord: “O Lord God of our father Israel, praise your name for ever and ever! 11 Yours is the mighty power and glory and victory and majesty. Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything. 12 Riches and honor come from you alone, and you are the ruler of all mankind; your hand controls power and might, and it is at your discretion that men are made great and given strength. 13 O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name, (I Chron 29: 10-13)

David’s historic forty-year reign was drawing to a conclusion, but his care for his country was steadfast to the end.

A quick search in Concord shows me that David is referenced many times in New Testament times. Paul acknowledges the line that connects David and Jesus:

Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;… (Romans 1:3 KJV)

Mary Baker Eddy appreciated David's poetic and musical contribution:

King David, the Hebrew bard, sang, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 273:10, quoting Psalms 37:25)

David is a pivotal figure in the Bible, and I am glad to be learning more of his important role.

 Julie Swannell

2 comments:

Marie Fox said...

What a revelation! The fact that David was architect and procurer of materials for the temple sheds new light on the significance and reach of his role as King. I love that Solomon was to have a reign of peace after so much bloodshed - both necessary stages, no doubt, in the journey of the children of Israel towards God.

David must have been a real strategist - not only as a warrior but as city planner and instigator of a scheme to have the best-trained musicians. His vision was far-reaching. Would you call him a polymath these days?

David also illustrates that we build for generations, not just ourselves, and our part is not necessarily to achieve a sense of completion. It may be just the first step along the path of a bigger plan.

Anonymous said...

thank you Julie. What a wonderful read.
Much love,
Girls

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