1 Chronicles 28:11
Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat, Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat,
David had desired to build the temple himself, but God appointed Solomon to do it, so he passed the building plan to his son for the younger man to undertake the work he himself was not to do. What he gave was minute written specifications for every portion of the house on Mount Moriah, from porch and rooms to treasuries, upper chambers, inner parlours, mercy seat and instruments of service, carefully preserved to guide the builders. Those plans had been revealed to David by divine inspiration under Christ's direction as the heavenly Architect, continuing the sanctuary pattern first shown to Moses, with the Lord instructing David through His angel standing by him as he wrote out the arrangement in the closing years of his life. The entrusted pattern required exactness and faith in God, for God is particular as to the design and accomplishment of His work and gives wisdom and special skill to consecrated helpers engaged in His service on an elevated basis. Because the temple was built to specifications from God, its beauty and splendor belonged to His honor and not to Solomon's, and He is displeased with those who do not carry out His design or who take His glory to themselves, separating them and proving others in their place.
David Gives Divine Pattern
David had long desired to build the temple himself, but God appointed his son Solomon to do the building, and the verse records the moment David handed the building plan to Solomon to carry out the work David was not permitted to do. The plan entrusted to him covered the courts and rooms of the house and the place of the mercy seat. David's own experience fitted him to advise, counsel, and encourage Solomon, yet the younger man himself was to undertake the work.
It was in the closing years of David's life, as he mourned his sins and his departure from God's precepts, that the Lord instructed him and gave him the pattern for the house Solomon should build for Him. The instruction came through His angel, and the angel stood by David while he wrote out for Solomon the important directions concerning the arrangement of the house. What David received in this way was the pattern of the temple that Solomon afterward built.
What was given was minute written specifications for every portion of the temple on Mount Moriah, carefully written down and preserved to guide the builders. They set forth the porch, the houses or rooms, the treasuries, the upper chambers, the inner parlours or rooms, the place of the mercy seat, and all the instruments of service. The divine pattern covered the sacred structure in full detail, portion by portion.
Those plans had been revealed to David by divine inspiration. The design came under Christ's direction, for Christ was its heavenly Architect and gave the specifications for the house built to honor His name. In this the sanctuary Solomon built continued the sanctuary pattern first shown to Moses and later given by the Lord to David.
Built from that pattern, the work was committed only to the most skillful men of design and art. Every stone was prepared to exactly fill its place before being brought to the site, so the temple came together without the sound of an axe or a hammer. There is no other building in the world to equal it for beauty, richness, and splendor.
Faithfulness in Building Work
The pattern entrusted to Solomon was minute written specifications for every portion of the temple on Mount Moriah, covering the sacred structure in detail and requiring exactness in the work. That entrusted pattern was a trust that required faith in God for consecrated helpers to whom God would grant special skill to do the required work with exactness. Having received it, Solomon should have looked to God in faith for such helpers, but he lost sight of this opportunity to exercise faith in God. Instead he looked to apostate craftsmen and sent to the king of Tyre for a master workman to superintend the construction.
The temple at Jerusalem was built in accordance with special directions from God, with David giving Solomon the pattern for its parts, which means God is particular as to the design and the accomplishment of His work and gives wisdom to all who are engaged in His service. The same requirement continues in this age of the world, where He has given much light and instruction for carrying His work forward on an elevated, refined, ennobling basis. He is displeased with those who do not carry out His design in their service, and He will separate such men from His cause and prove others in their place. His work is therefore to be entrusted to appointed people with genuine experience and dependable character, able to carry sacred responsibilities in service to Him.
Because the temple was built according to specifications from God, including its rooms and the place of the mercy seat given to David for Solomon, its design and splendor belonged to God's honor, not Solomon's. Even the people's ability to provide and prepare its materials depended on God's blessing. Yet Solomon wrongly accepted praise for the building and took for himself glory that belonged to God. David's experience allowed him to advise, counsel, and encourage Solomon, but the younger man himself, the son appointed to carry out the building work David himself was not to do, was to undertake the work.