Building God’s House
But God said to [David], “You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.” 1 Chronicles 28:3
As King David grew old, he thought about two things that had to be done before he died: transferring power to his son Solomon and passing on to him the detailed plans given by God for building a temple.
David gathered the leaders of Israel. He told them he wanted to build “a house as a place of rest for the Ark of the Covenant of 
the Lord, for the footstool of our God” (1 Chronicles 28:2). Nathan, the prophet, agreed that this was a good idea. But then God said David wouldn’t build the temple because he had been a man of war. His son Solomon would be a man of peace; he would build the temple (2 Samuel 7:1-13).
David reminded the leaders that God had chosen him to be king of Israel. Furthermore, God had also chosen Solomon to rule after him (1 Chronicles 28:4-6).
Looking back, we may wonder how God could say “no” to David, whom he described as “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22). Instead, God chose Solomon, a man who failed to keep God’s commands, whose heart later turned away from God (Deuteronomy 17:14-17, 1 Kings 11:4, 2 Chronicles 9:25). But God gave a reason for his decision: David was a warrior and had shed blood (1 Chronicles 22:8-11) .
Neither man was perfect. David’s life was a type of Christ’s life, and so was Solomon’s. Christ was the warrior who defeated Satan once and for all (Revelation 20:10). But Christ was also the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). God would give Solomon peace with his enemies.
Although God said “no” to David’s desire to build the house of God, he promised to give David a spiritual house, a lineage that would come from one of his offspring (1 Chronicles 17:11-12).
When God says “no” to our desires, it’s because he has a greater plan for us. When God says “no” to you, will you yield and patiently wait for God’s greater plan?
DIG DEEPER
Read Nathan’s words from God about the house God would build for David in 1 Chronicles 17:4-27. What was David’s reaction to God’s promise?
Read Psalm 27:1-6. The temple wasn’t built until after David died, so how did David “dwell in the house of the Lord and seek him in his temple”? How do you and I dwell in the house of the Lord?
Read 1 Peter 2:4-6. How does Peter describe the building of God’s house? How can we be encouraged by this when we feel rejected, unimportant, or full of shame?
Nancy J. Baker