David Prepares Material for Temple I Chronicles 22

I Chronicles 22:1 "Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt-offering for Israel."

David's desire was to build a temple to bring the ark and the altar back together in one place. The LORD would not allow David to build the temple but said his son would, so David gathered material for the purpose. Here is the reason David could not build the house.

v8 "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."

That is not to say that the LORD was denouncing David for fighting the wars for Israel. It was a point of separation: David prepared the way through war, for a time of peace in which Solomon could build the temple. David was a man of war. Solomon was a man of peace.

v9 "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 not Israel in his days."

You may remember from previous studies how Solomon ask of the LORD wisdom so he could judge the people and the LORD was well pleased and also gave him wealth. David in his charge to Solomon mentioned that he should seek wisdom.

v12 "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."

Solomon was a man who listened and did ask the LORD for wisdom as his father David suggested.

David could not build the house but he did a lot to prepare the way by gathering building materials and precious metals. He wanted it to be a grand place and it was.

v14 "Now behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the LORD an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto."

I can almost envision David and Solomon going for a walk, perhaps when Solomon was a boy. They walk past piles of timber and great piles of iron nails. Then David takes his young son to the storehouse where there is gold piled on one wall and silver and brass all around. I suspect Solomon asked what it was all for and David replied that it was for the LORD's house. If it had been me, I think I would have thought that the LORD must be quite great to have such a house built for him. That's just my writer's imagination talking but I have also raised two sons.

To the others of royal blood David gave a charge also.

v19 "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."

Pretty good, isn't it? One generation can have an impact on the next.

Psalm 107:7 "And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation."

Keywords: David, Solomon, temple, gold, sanctuary. David instructs Solomon on building the temple.