David's Wise Counsel
Book of 1 Chronicles Chapter 22
At the end of our last lesson we know that after David bought the threshing floor of Ornan, turned it into an altar and he sacrificed to the Lord to stop the plague that the Lord had placed on Israel.
2Sa 24:24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
After buying the threshing floor from Ornan, King David then bought that parcel of land that is now known as the Temple Mount.
1Ch 21:15 And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
1Ch 21:18 Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
1Ch 21:25 So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.
We can see that there were two separate transactions for the place where Solomon built the Temple that was intended to be a House of Prayer for all of Israel.
We also know that the Muslim have built a false temple that is known as the Dome of the Rock built right upon the threshing floor of Ornan that belongs to the nation of Israel because it was a place given to the Lord by King David.
For all intents and purposes, the Lord has the threshing floor of Ornan safe and secure and protected by a building provided by the Muslims.
These things cannot be denied!
1Ch 22:1 Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.
The Lord would not allow David to build this House of Prayer because it would have sent the wrong message, but Solomon David's son, would build this House of God.
*****1Ch 22:6 Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the LORD God of Israel.
We should understand that as fathers we do not have the right to dictate the career path of our sons or daughters.
God in His wisdom has given us all the freedom of choice in our lives.
We can, as fathers and mothers, recommend a path we would love for our children to follow.
The best thing that we can do is to be a good example to our children and pray that they learn from the mistakes that we have made in our lives so that they will not make the same mistakes that we made.
If we have been wise fathers, then maybe we can provide the means by which our sons and our daughters may carry out our purpose and some friends to help him in it.
A wise father and mother can largely shape the influences under which our children grow up!
King David could not build a Temple for the worship of the Lord but Solomon could, and King David began assembling most all the materials that would be needed, for the Lord had provided King David with the plans to build such a Temple and the finances to do so.
*****1Ch 22:7 And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God:
1Ch 22:8 But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.
As far as meetings go, this is the most important meeting that Solomon would have in all the days of his life!
This was not David trying to tell Solomon how to live his life.
When David was made King of Israel, the nation was weak militarily, and economically and politically.
Solomon would now inherit a kingdom that had a solid foundation.
You see, we live in a land that is becoming weak militarily, and becoming weak economically, and weak politically but as the children of God, we will inherit the things of our King Jesus that is built upon a solid foundation.
Luk_6:48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
In the time of David, he did not have time to build upon the infrastructure of Israel for battling with Israel's enemies, but Solomon would inherit a kingdom that was at peace and the enemies of Israel would not be prone to attack Israel.
He could take on worthy projects and the Temple of God should be first on his lists and David would be gathering the building materials for him and would give him the plans for the building of the Temple, which came from Jehovah.
The Temple would never have been a proper place of worship if it were built by bloody hands!
We could say the same thing about the Muslims places of worship today.
The builder of any place to worship the Living God, must be a man of peace and a saver of life and not a destroyer of life!
Luk 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.
We can see that only the Lord Jesus Christ meets these requirements and it is the Lord Jesus Christ who builds all the Temples of God today!
We will see many times Solomon as a type of Jesus Christ.
Why was King David giving this request to his son Solomon?
*****1Ch 22:8 But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.
1Ch 22:9 Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.
1) David had a burning desire to personally build a Temple to worship Jehovah.
2) Jehovah would not allow David to Him such a Temple due to the way he had lived his life.
3) David shared to his son Solomon that Jehovah had chosen Him to be the next King of Israel and for Solomon to build this Temple.
Remember all of David's sons who were born before Solomon had become worthless human beings who had no cause to change their ways and two of them had died in their wickedness.
God would give him a son who would be a man of peace, a man free from enemies and warfare.
For David, Solomon was this son, but we know that it is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the true fulfillment of this promise made to David!
What had God said?
"I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his day":
*****1Ch 22:10 He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.
These words were never about Solomon!
These words were about the Lord Jesus Christ and are still in our future.
The days of Solomon were at peace until he had finished the construction of the Temple, but just as soon as Solomon began to turn his back on God those days of peace ended.
Remember Solomon had over seven hundred wives and he was pulled into false religion by them.
1Ki 11:5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
1Ki 11:6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
1Ki 11:7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
Peace began to fade away and Solomon's enemies began to show up.
1Ki 11:23 And God stirred him up another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliadah, which fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah:
1Ki 11:26 And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king.
Jehovah does not say things that are not true!
In the days of the Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, there will be true peace in this world for one thousand years, for the Lord Jesus will rule with a "rod of iron".
Moses was the first man of importance who had a rod, a wooden staff sometimes called the "rod of God".
Exo 4:20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
The brother of Moses, Aaron, was the one that bloomed. A dry stick came to life, which was a type of the nation of Israel but it could also be said to be a type of the lost come to the new life, that Born Again life by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Num 17:8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
Aaron's rod was placed inside the Ark of the Covenant to save for future generations.
Heb 9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
But it was another Son of David and not Solomon that would one day rule this world with a rod of iron.
A rod then is the symbol of power and authority!
Psa 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Psa 2:10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Psa 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Psa 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Rev_12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Rev_19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
These things are still in our own future, for the Church must first called out of this world and shortly after this there will be seven years of tribulation with the last three and a half of those years being terrible until the Lord Jesus returns to put down all rebellion.
Then the Lord Jesus will sit on the throne of His Father David and these things written here will come to be true!
And we know that wise King Solomon did not ever build a true house in the name of Jehovah, and the throne of Solomon did not last forever!
These things the Lord Jesus did!
1 Co_6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
Then the Lord will remove His Church before the Tribulation years begin.
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Then there will be those years of tribulation.
Mat_24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
The Lord will put down the rebellion upon this earth and then He will sit upon the throne of His father David, and not of the throne of Solomon.
Because David's heart was for the Lord and Solomon's heart was for his wives!
Luk_1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Solomon's job was to build a worldly Temple for the worship of Jehovah that was supposed be a House of Prayer for all the people of Israel.
So, David completes his prayer and his blessing for his son Solomon.
We know that Moses and Jacob gave dying blessings which were prophetical, and so, would be this blessing from King David.
When we have communion, it is said that we are partaking of the "Cup of the Lord's blessing".
*****1Ch 22:11 Now, my son, the LORD be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of the LORD thy God, as he hath said of thee.
1Ch 22:12 Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God.
The Almighty Living God did give these things to Solomon.
Solomon became the richest most prosperous man in the world.
Solomon became the wisest man in the world, accept for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Solomon became the most understanding man in the world in his days.
But Solomon did not keep the Law of God all his days!
One of the most important things that we can learn from the Word of God is discernment!
It is discernment that enables us to judge what is the correct and proper way to act in our everyday lives!
The Bible says we must guide every decision we make with discretion.
Psa 112:5 A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.
And our enemies cannot stand it when the Word of God is always right!
Psa 112:10 The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.
Our lives will be so much better if we are obedient to all the Word of God!
In fact, how long we will get to spend time with our families will depend on how well we keep the Word of God!
Pro 3:1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
Pro 3:2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
David told his son Solomon that it was his duty to build that first Temple as a place to worship.
David then told his son Solomon that he had already purchased the building materials for this Temple.
David had already assembled a great work force who were already working upon those great marble stones and the timber that would be needed.
Solomon's duty was to supervise the construction of the Temple by following God's plan and put this plan into action.
1Ch 22:16 Of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise therefore, and be doing, and the LORD be with thee.
The greatest thing we can give back to the Lord after the salvation gifts He has given to us, is obedience to the Word of God!
David had more children than Absalom and Amnon, and David commanded all the princes of Israel to help his son Solomon.
There were also each tribe of the sons of Jacob that had princes.
1Ch 28:1 And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that ministered to the king by course, and the captains over the thousands, and captains over the hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possession of the king, and of his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty men, and with all the valiant men, unto Jerusalem.
*****1Ch 22:17 David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying,
1Ch 22:18 Is not the LORD your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side? for he hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand; and the land is subdued before the LORD, and before his people.
Before David died, he issued a private charge to his son Solomon, but he also issued a private charge to all the leaders and the princes of the twelve tribes, to help Solomon to build the Temple we know as Solomon's Temple.
God had certainly been with all of Israel the days David was King of Israel.
God had certainly given them peace throughout all the land and had subjected their enemies under the rule of Israel.
In a way, these tribal leaders were heavily obligated because of the blessings down through the years of David's rule.
In comparison, just as David challenged the leaders of his day, we the Church are challenged today.
Of all the blessings that had come to Israel none of them had been given the gift of salvation as we have been given.
We owe far more dedication to our Savior than these who had certainly been blessed but not with eternal blessings.
Every mission that our Church is involved in and the ministry of our own church deserve our wholehearted dedication!
We must be faithful in supporting every project because the Lord is still building Temples at the same time, He is building human lives!
*****1Ch 22:19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD.
At this time David gave Solomon the plans for the construction of the Temple and in a lot of ways it followed the plans given to Moses for the Tabernacle of the Congregation.
1Ch 28:11 Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat,
1Ch 28:12 And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things:
1Ch 28:19 All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.
1Ch 28:20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
We should understand that when God plans it will be a perfect plan and our job is to "Be Strong And Of Good Courage And Do It".
When God is involved in the planning, then it is God's pledge in the accomplishment because God's plans never fail!
God has never asked but one thing from us and it is "FAITH"!
It is "faith" that gets us saved!
Once we are saved, then that same faith will carry us to the work of God which is building temples, human temples.
Rom_12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
After our salvation God is asking for the use of our bodies.
Our sacrifice is being dead to sin, but living for the work of the Lord.
God just asks for our reasonable service.
God just ask us to continue the work that the Lord Jesus Christ was doing before He gave His life for us!
Amen
