1 Chronicles 22:1 – 19 “Preparations for the Temple
“Then David said, “Here shall be the house of the LORD God, as well as the altar of burnt offering for Israel.” So David gave orders to gather the foreigners in the land of Israel, from whom he appointed stonecutters to prepare finished stones for building the house of God.
David provided a large quantity of iron to make the nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, together with more bronze than could be weighed and more cedar logs than could be counted; for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large quantity of cedar logs to David.
And David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent—of fame and glory throughout all lands. Therefore I must make preparations for it.” So David made lavish preparations before his death.
Solomon Anointed to Build the Temple
Then David called for his son Solomon and instructed him to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel.
“My son,” said David to Solomon, “it was in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God, 8but this word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for My Name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before Me. But a son will be born to you who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon, and I will grant to Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for My Name. He will be My son, and I will be his Father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’
Now, my son, may the LORD be with you, and may you succeed in building the house of the LORD your God, as He said you would. Above all, may the LORD give you insight and understanding when He puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the Law of the LORD your God. Then you will succeed, if you carefully follow the statutes and ordinances that the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.
Now behold, I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the LORD—100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bronze and iron too great to be weighed. I have also provided timber and stone, and you may add to them.
You also have many workers: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and men skilled in every kind of work— in gold and silver, bronze and iron—craftsmen beyond number. Now begin the work, and may the LORD be with you.”
Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon: “Is not the LORD your God with you, and has He not granted you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land has been subdued before the LORD and His people. Now set your heart and soul to seek the LORD your God. Get started building the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy articles of God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the LORD.” (Solomon sounds like and is probably derived from the Hebrew word for peace. 100,000 talents is approximately 3,770 tons or 3,420 metric tons of gold. 1,000,000 talents is approximately 37,700 tons or 34,200 metric tons of silver.)
When we think of the magnificent temple King Solomon built in Jerusalem, we often assume that Solomon was responsible for gathering all the building materials as well as the silver, gold, iron, bronze, etc. WRONG!!! Actually, it was David who gathered most of the material and even made arrangements for timber and stone.
It was David who really wanted to build the temple; however, God stopped him because David had been a warrior and God wanted a man of peace to build the temple. But just look at the extensive list of the materials David prepared so that all Solomon had to do was to organize workmen and get going. “David provided a large quantity of iron to make the nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, together with more bronze than could be weighed and more cedar logs than could be counted; for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large quantity of cedar logs to David.” “Now behold, I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the LORD—100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bronze and iron too great to be weighed. I have also provided timber and stone, and you may add to them.”
WHEW! Obviously, God blessed David during David’s warfare. But more than material blessings, God was also establishing David’s throne. “But a son will be born to you who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon, and I will grant to Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for My Name. He will be My son, and I will be his Father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’
APPLICATION: God did establish the throne of David and Solomon in the person of Jesus Christ the Messiah. Jesus’ earthly father Joseph came from the Davidic line. David wanted desperately to build the temple of the Lord and did everything he could to help Solomon. But look at David’s hopes for Solomon. “Now, my son, may the LORD be with you, and may you succeed in building the house of the LORD your God, as He said you would. Above all, may the LORD give you insight and understanding when He puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the Law of the LORD your God. Then you will succeed, if you carefully follow the statutes and ordinances that the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
David did not merely hope that Solomon would be a man of peace but that Solomon would also be a man of God and would follow all God’s statutes and ordinances. Sadly, Solomon failed. Despite Solomon’s vaunted wisdom, he never followed the dictates of Deuteronomy 17, where God ordered kings to make copies of the books of the Law for themselves. Solomon not only multiplied horses for himself, but also wound up as a major trader in horses, chariots, and all kinds of other war items throughout the Middle East. Kings were not supposed to multiply wives; however, Solomon had hundreds of wives and concubines, marrying indiscriminately for the sake of political alliances. The spiritual results were disastrous. To satisfy all these women, Solomon built shrines to every demonic deity going, including Molech, a demon that demanded people offer children as live burnt offerings.
How closely did David attend to Solomon’s early training? It’s likely that David left Solomon’s spiritual training to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, while he went off to wage wars. Proverbs 22:6 tells us, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Early childhood years are critically important. If our children and grandchildren see us praying, studying our Bibles, and attending church because of the strength and encouragement it gives us, they will remember. We must share our faith with our children while they are young, before social media grabs their attention. Childhood has always suffered satanic assault, but these days, things are far worse. Even when we try to control the influence of social media at home, children still go to school and spend time with friends whose families may have far lower standards.
Those who worshiped the demon Molech handed over their children to be burned alive. But when we refuse to train our children and to share our faith with them, we are doing something just as horrible. May God help us to share our faith while there is still time, so that our children will live Godly and peaceful lives!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to remember all those around us who are watching and to listen for You voice when You order us to share our faith. Help us to particularly share with our children and grandchildren. May Your promises for the salvation of our families come true in every particular! In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment