6. Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the Lord God of Israel.
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;
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.
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.
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 forever.
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.
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.
13. Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments which the Lord charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.
14. 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.
15. Moreover, there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all manner of cunning workmen for every manner of work.
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.
Golden Text: “Blessed are they that dwell in thy house; they will be still praising thee.” Ps. 84:4.
NOTE.—In regard to the building of the temple and further instructions concerning it see 1 Chron. 22:17–19 and 1 Chron. 28 and 29. In Psalm 84 will also be seen something of David’s anxiety to see completed that work in which the Lord had forbidden him to participate on account of his many bloody wars. For the building and maintenance of the spiritual temple, see Eph. 2:20–22; 2 Cor. 6:16; Rev. 3:12; 1 Cor. 3:16, 17. For the existence of a temple in heaven and the contents thereof, see Rev. 7:15; 11:9; Heb. 8:1–5, which plainly show the model (Ex. 25:40) after which the tabernacle of the wilderness and the temple of Solomon were fashioned. “The ark of his testament” (Rev. 11:19) is the ark containing God’s unchangeable law, which the “angels that excel in strength” are careful to keep (Ps. 103:20), and men who are aspiring to their exalted position should not seek to avoid.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) What charge did David give to his son Solomon? Verse 6. Note 1. (2) What had he sworn concerning Solomon? Note 1. (3) What had it been David’s intention to do? Verse 7. Note 2. (4) Why could not David build the house? Verse 8. Note 3. (5) What would be the characteristic of the man who was to succeed David? First clause verse 9. (6) What promise did the Lord give concerning his reign? Verse 9. (7) What is the meaning of the name “Solomon”? Note 4. (8) What work was he to perform? First clause verse 10. (9) Into what close relationship would the Lord take him? Second clause verse 10. (10) What other promise did the Lord make concerning the throne? Last clause verse 10. (11) What admonition did David give Solomon? Verse 11. (12) What blessing did David desire for Solomon? First clause verse 12. (13) What solemn duty did he enjoin? Last clause verse 12. Note 5. (14) What blessing did David say would attend the faithful discharge of this duty? First part verse 13. (15) With what encouraging admonition did he close his charge to the young king? Last part verse 13. (16) What preparation of material had David made for the house of the Lord? Verse 14. Note 6. (17) What other provisions had been made, that delay might be avoided? Verses 15, 16. (18) How did David show his earnestness in the speedy performance of the work? Last part verse 16.
NOTES.
1. Called for Solomon.—David’s work on earth was drawing to a close. Tho only seventy years old when death overtook him, his exposures, wars, and the multitude of his cares, with the afflictions that had come to him, had made him an “old, worn-out man.” In the last few years of his life he had made extensive preparations for building the Lord’s house. But in the midst of his preparations the Lord speaks to him, telling him why he was unfitted for so sacred a work. David, therefore, summons his son Solomon, who he had sworn (1 Kings 1:17) should be the successor to the throne, and lays upon him the responsibility of the work.
2. It was in my mind.—It is not to be supposed that God did not accept the purpose, and the heart which proposed it, even tho the carrying out of the purpose was acceptable only at the hands of another.
3. Thou shalt not build.—Here is a great lesson. Armed expeditions, military display, and the shedding of man’s blood, must not be associated with the erection of the great symbol of the spiritual house of God, the gathering out of Christ’s body, the church. The destruction of men is not reconcilable with that which symbolizes man’s salvation. David is not blamed for the wars. They were necessary to preserve the nation which God had intrusted with his work and his law; but the man of many wars was unfitted for the building of a temple to be occupied by the Prince of Peace.
4. His name shall be Solomon.—The name was in itself a prophecy of the character of his reign. Solomon means Peaceful. He was a fitting type of Christ, the “King of Peace,” “our peace” (see Heb. 7:2; Eph. 2:14), who should build the house of the Lord while ruling upon his Father’s throne (Zech. 6:12, 13).
5. Keep the law.—This admonition to Solomon is in keeping with the special burden of the Psalms of David. It was eminently fitting that he through whose seed Christ should come should hold in highest reverence the law which Christ had given on Mount Sinai. Note the following: “His delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” Ps. 1:2. “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” Ps. 19:7. “Thy law is within my heart.” Ps. 40:8. “I shall keep thy law.” Ps. 119:34. “Thy law is my delight.” Ps. 119:77. “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.” Ps. 119:97. “Thy law is the truth.” Ps. 119:142. “Every one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever.” Ps. 119:160. Here is solid foundation for the belief in the perpetuity and unchangeableness of God’s holy law. Only those of carnal heart hate God’s law. Rom. 8:7.
6. I have prepared for the house of the Lord, etc.—The preparations which David had made for the temple are almost beyond conception. The gold and silver alone, according to conservative reckoning, is placed at $2,112,000,000; and if the reckoning of some is accepted, it would be more than twice that amount. However, when we remember David’s statement, that it was to be “exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries,” we may expect preparations of an exhaustive character.
