365 Reflections

David cannot build God's temple. Perhaps that reality is a struggle for many Bible readers because of how faithful and courageous David was for the Lord. Well, in 1 Chronicles 22 we get a LOT more clarity on that matter. Look with me: 1 Chronicles 22:7-10 (ESV) David said to Solomon, “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. 8 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 before me on the earth. 9 Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. 10 He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.’   There are some key ideas communicated here by David. First, the reason for ...

1 Chronicles 21:1–4 (ESV) Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.” 3 But Joab said, “May the LORD add to his people a hundred times as many as they are! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord’s servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should it be a cause of guilt for Israel?” 4 But the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came back to Jerusalem. This chapter picks up on a particular sin of David recorded also in 2 Samuel 24. David takes a census of the nation. The account in 2 Samuel 24 says God was the instigator of the moment. Here, it is Satan. Why the difference? It's the Bible's way of saying the same thing in two ways. Yes, Satan incited David but the Lord was ultimately in charge of the entire moment.  The narrative of...

There's a familiar refrain in 1 Chronicles to anyone who has read through the Bible from cover to cover. See if you can pick it up.  1 Chronicles 20:1–3 (ESV)  In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, Joab led out the army and ravaged the country of the Ammonites and came and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. And Joab struck down Rabbah and overthrew it. 2 And David took the crown of their king from his head. He found that it weighed a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone. And it was placed on David’s head. And he brought out the spoil of the city, a very great amount. 3 And he brought out the people who were in it and set them to labor with saws and iron picks and axes. And thus David did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem. A learned Bible reader will recall the phrases that begin this chapter. Springtime is wartime and David sends the generals but remains in Jerusalem. What...

Christian, do not be ignorant. This world is not your friend.  1 Chronicles 19:1–2 (ESV) Now after this Nahash the king of the Ammonites died, and his son reigned in his place. 2 And David said, “I will deal kindly with Hanun the son of Nahash, for his father dealt kindly with me.” So David sent messengers to console him concerning his father. And David’s servants came to the land of the Ammonites to Hanun to console him. David seeks to be kind to Hanun - a foreign king of Israel's enemies. Why? Because we know from this passage is that his father had been kind to David. But what we know from other passages is that Nahash's threat against them originally instigated Israel's demand for a king which gave them Saul: 1 Samuel 12:12 (ESV) And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘ No, but a king shall reign over us ,’ when the LORD your God was your king. In 1 Samuel 11, it was Nahash's antagonism against Israel that instiga...

1 Chronicles 18:1 (ESV)  After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its villages out of the hand of the Philistines. The 18th chapter of 1 Chronicles is filled with victories for David. He first takes the stronghold of Gath where Goliath was from and then proceeds to decimate his enemies on every side. It's really an incredible account of a man zealous to cleanse the house of Israel from the foreign nations around them.  It is not without intention the Chronicler mentions David's great victories right after chronicling David's submissive attitude toward God concerning the building of the Temple. We remember that 1 Chronicles 17 started with his mind on building a temple. He is rejected for this task and given a promise that God would bless his house forever, bringing the world an everlasting kingdom. David submits to God's authority and receives the negative answer to his desires with humility. I believe it was that humility that em...

When David prepares to build God's Temple the Lord sends word quickly through Nathan that he is not going to do it. This had to be hard to take for a man who was so used by the Lord to defeat the giant threatening Israel's existence. Yet the response David expresses is incredible. He received the Lord's "no" with grace and he focused on what God was going to do through him rather than what he had planned to do for God.  1 Chronicles 17:16–18 (ESV) Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, “Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 17 And this was a small thing in your eyes, O God. You have also spoken of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations, O LORD God! 18 And what more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant. God told David he would not build a house for him but instead, the Lord would build a house through David that would outla...

When David's kingdom is established and he has set in place the proper offerings of Israel before the Temple you would think anything this man wanted would be his. Here David has subdued Israel's enemies. He has learned his lesson concerning the Ark of the Covenant and brought in right sacrifices and leaders. Now David, the great king, and hero has it in his heart to do something noble in 1 Chronicles 17. He's going to set out to build a glorious Temple for the Lord.  At first Nathan the prophet is with him. He encourages him to do whatever is in his heart for the great history of his life is proof positive that God is with him (see verse 2). But the very next verse presents Nathan, the prophet with a complete turnabout.  1 Chronicles 17:3–4 (ESV)  But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, 4 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: It is not you who will build me a house to dwell in. Could you imagine being Nathan in this moment? You have just sp...