Building a House

In 1 Chronicles 17 we find King David desiring to build a house, a temple, for the Lord—a noble task—but not God’s will.

3But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, 4"Go and tell my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: It is not you who will build me a house to dwell in. 5For I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up Israel to this day, but I have gone from tent to tent and from dwelling to dwelling. 6In all places where I have moved with all Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"

Moreover, I declare to you that the LORD will build you a house. 11When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, 14but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.'" (1 Chronicles 17:3-6, 10-14)

God is astounding here. He is unlike any other gods. David wants to build the Lord a house, but God’s response? “No, no, no. Don’t build ME a house. I don’t need one. The whole world is mine. Instead, I AM going to build YOU a house!” This is astounding. This is unlike any other gods of the time, of any time. That God would be our provider is unbelievable. The most incredible part, however, of this whole verse is the bigger picture, the messianic aspect.

Concerning the immediate future God is telling David that He will build him a house and later an offspring of David will build the temple. And Solomon, David’s son, does exactly that. But the wording God uses here, the structure, in undeniably not about Solomon. See David was looking to build a physical temple, but God wanted to build something bigger for himself, and in doing so He would establish a house, a place of security and rest, for David. “…I declare to you that the Lord will build you a house.” How? “I will raise up your offspring after you…and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.” Solomon’s kingdom certainly did not last forever. What God is saying here is much bigger than Solomon. From David’s own line there will be one whose kingdom shall never perish, one that God says is a son to Him.

Jesus.

Jesus is the one who builds God’s temple, and that temple, that dwelling place of God Himself, is now our hearts. And Jesus is the one through whom God ultimately builds David’s house. And he is telling us the same thing. We are often so busy, working and serving and running around trying to figure out what to do next. And it’s not necessarily bad, for faith without works is dead. But works without faith is pointless and fruitless, for only faith will please God. But here’s the glorious thing about faith. Often faith simply means listening to God and being in His presence. And if we allow ourselves to listen we will quickly hear him saying,

“Hey, stop trying to build ME a house. That’s already taken care of. You see, I’m building YOU a house. In fact, I already have—He’s my Son, the Christ. Let Him be your house. Let him be your stronghold, your security. Let Him be your place of refuge, your habitat; where you run back to whenever you find yourself alone outside at night, where you invite people over to hang out at, where you keep all your dirty laundry laid out across the floor. Let Him be your place of rest. And know this; I’ve set you apart, to be my temple. I AM with you, and I AM building you a house.”