Title: Preparations and Requests for David's Temple Construction
Contents
Today we call the church the temple. But in the strict sense a church is not a temple. The temple is in the kingdom of heaven, and our hearts that have God are the temple. However, the church can be called a temple in a symbolic sense because it is a place that is separate from other houses in the world.
Today, this church should not only be a space for the saints, but also a space for the residents of the community. It should be a church that satisfies the needs, wishes, and desires of the community. In other words, it should be a church that is welcomed by the residents of the local community, and an open space that the community needs.
Even in the Old Testament temple, there was a courtyard of the Gentiles. Creating spaces for local residents is not unbiblical. If you create a cultural center in the church to satisfy your cultural needs, and provide a daycare for dual-income couples, an after-school classroom (study room), a library, a cafe with tea and music, and an exercise facility for health, even unbelievers will be welcomed will be the church. Also, if it becomes a place where everyone feels friendly, wants to visit, and wants to stay, evangelism will become much easier. Our church feels the need to build a new temple in order to become a church that seeks lost souls and a church that delivers the gospel to those who come.
David's earnest wish was to build a temple. He is unable to build the temple and asks his son Solomon to build it. The reason why he could not build the temple is found in verses 6-8. “David summoned his son Solomon and asked him to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel, 7 saying, “My son, I was willing to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, but 8 the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “You You have shed much blood and fought great wars. You will not build a house for my name because you have shed much blood on the ground before me.” David wanted to build a temple, but God did not allow it. It was said that the reason was that many people were killed and blood was shed in the war. I hope you will gain the wisdom of temple building through today's text.
I. Prepare for the building of the temple (14)
“In the midst of trouble I prepared for the house of the Lord a hundred thousand talents of gold, a million talents of silver, and of bronze and iron, too many to be counted, and lumber and stones, but you will add them. 15 And do you have many factories? you, masons and carpenters, and all those who are accustomed to all kinds of work.”
This is David's advice to Solomon to build a temple. David made preparations for the building of the temple not only in peace, but also in the midst of painful tribulation. Believe that it will be beneficial to us not only when we are at peace, but also when we are prepared even when we are struggling. When the hard work is done, the joy will surely come. Saints! Let us also think of the house of God. Realize the need for a new building in order to take on a bigger task, and let's prepare like David. Let's prepare like David, do not fall into regret that we cannot build ourselves, and glorify God by building it without fail.
Ⅱ. Get up and work, God is with you (16)
“Gold, silver, bronze, and iron are countless; rise up and work, and the Lord be with you.”
These are David's words of encouragement to his son Solomon. In other words, now that God is with you, go out and build the temple. This is a word that inspires strong motivation. If God is with us, we are desperately required to have the determination to stand up and obey God's commands, even if the circumstances are unfavorable.
Everyone! Let's encourage the workers of the Lord who are preparing to build the temple. What encourages and encourages you? It is prayer. Set aside time to pray. God has given us good land, so let's pray for the building.
Ⅲ. David assists Solomon with his princes (17:18)
"David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help his son Solomon. 18Is the LORD your God not with you? Has he not given you peace on all sides?" King David's call to Israel's prince here is not the work of Solomon's individual work to build the temple, but a message urging all the people of Israel to build the temple with the same heart and the same will. We should not regard the building of the temple as someone else's business. Please help the workers who are at the forefront.
Ⅳ. You must put your heart and soul into it (19)
“Now calm down your hearts and minds and seek the Lord your God, and arise, and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, and bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy utensils of God to the house built for the name of the Lord.” Here, “calm down” is a term derived from the word “give”. Therefore, this means to give your heart and mind to God for the building of the temple. “Spirit” can also be translated as “life”. Therefore, this can be understood as the content of giving one's heart and life to God.
God wants our whole person to be presented before the building of the temple. Even if everything is provided, it cannot be done without heart and devotion. You must be prepared to give your heart and life. “Now, calm down your hearts and minds and seek the Lord your God” in “ask” (Darash) means 'seek' or 'inquire' and particularly refers to the act of seeking God through prayer (Genesis 25:22). . In other words, it means spiritual fellowship with God. Everyone! Give your heart and mind to God, and let's seek God. When we seek God, He finds us, speaks to us, and guides us on a good path and a prosperous path.
Ⅴ. Those who participate in the construction of the temple will be blessed.
In 2 Chronicles 6:8, "The LORD said to David my father, "It is good that you have this heart, because you have a heart to build a house for my name." Although God prevented David from building the temple, He was pleased with his desire to build the temple. What God praised here was David's passion for the kingdom of God and God. In other words, God was pleased with David's plan to build the temple itself.
Everyone! God did not allow David to build the temple, but his heart was pleased. So, God allowed David's kingdom to be peaceful. The time of Solomon, when the temple was completed, became an era of peace and prosperity. This is the blessing you enjoy after completing the temple. We also want to receive this blessing. Why did they want to build the temple? This is because, no matter how great a person may be to build a great nation, he knew that the path to God's blessing was the temple. The psalmist also said that he would bring blessings through Zion. Zion symbolizes the church today. God's blessing is to come over the whole world through the construction of the temple.
Saints! We started planning for the building of the temple. We are praying that various circumstances and circumstances will be in harmony with God's will. Through the church we build, I hope that we will prosper first, local residents will be saved, and this country will be blessed. All of our members can participate. You can participate by prayer and materially.
Knowing that building a temple is the task that we must bear, let us participate by giving our hearts, bodies, and materials. I pray that the miracle of Oh Byeong-Eye will appear through our church, open the doors of heaven to all those who participate, and that God will bless individuals, their families, their children, and their livelihoods. I hope that you will enjoy a life of abundance in all aspects by completing the task of building the temple. (2005.12.4.)