DAVID’S INTENTION TO BUILD THE TEMPLE “YOUR SON SHALL BUILD ME A HOUSE” David’s heart was preoccupied, not to dwell and settle down in the midst of the people of God; but to gather together with all the leaders and the people in the presence of God. He perceived that God is the secret of his life, his perpetual edification, joy, happiness, glory, and success in everything his hands stretch to do. He perceived that God is the source of all the blessings; He who makes him, as well, a blessing to everyone who encounter him. In the previous chapter we saw how there was joy in all Israel; and how David desired that all the earth would praise the Lord, and proclaim the good news of His salvation (22). Now, as Hiram king of Tyre did his best to build a palace for David, the later could not endure to see himself dwelling in a great palace, while the ark of the covenant, that represents the presence of God, dwells in a tent. David desired to build for God a house, as a sign of His dwelling in the midst of His people; and an invitation for the whole world to encounter with God. David and building the temple: The author confirms that setting a temple for the Lord in Jerusalem, was initially the idea of David. In the first book of the kings, building the temple was referred to king Solomon, as a realization of the prophecy of David and the divine promise to him. But the first book of the Chronicles confirmed that Solomon’ role was to execute his father David’s plan. The psalms of ascent came to confirm this view; In Psalm 132 (131 LXX), it came that David prayed, saying: “Lord, remember David and all his afflictions; how he swore to the Lord, and vowed to the Mighty God of Jacob: ‘Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, or go up to the comfort of my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes, or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty God of Jacob” (Psalm 132: 1-5). The name of Solomon was not mentioned in any of the psalms of ascent, sung by those who used to come to celebrate the feast in the temple; but they seek from God to remember David and his house; as they themselves remember David. No wonder that David desired to build a house for the Lord (1-3); and the Lord Himself intends to build a house for David (10), meaning a throne for David; for the Lord says: “I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever” (14). In this, the Christian believer sees a living portrait of the incarnation of the Word of God, who is to come as the Son of David according to the flesh.. God was so pleased with David’s desire to build a house for Him, that the divine inspiration allowed for rewriting the chronicle of events as it came in (2 Samuel 7). The reader can refer to my book on the contemplations of the early fathers in the second book of Samuel. That chapter includes two main subjects: a- God’s compassion in receiving David’s desire to build a house for Him, and the promise He gave him as reaction to it (1-15). b- David, in complete consent and pleasure, receives God’s promise that it will be his son Solomon who will build His house, and David’s prayer as a reaction. 1- A talk to the prophet Nathan 1 - 3 2- God accompanies His people wherever they go 4 - 6 3- God’s pleasure to set leaders 7 - 8 4- God’s pleasure in His peoples’ comfort 9 5- God’s pleasure to build houses for His beloved 10 - 12 6- God’s pleasure in His fatherhood of us, and in His mercy upon us 13 7- God’s pleasure to set us kings 14 - 15 8- David offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God 16 – 27 David returned to his house, with the depths of his heart, so shaken by the joy of the whole people for the ark of the covenant, that he desired to build a house for God to put the ark of the covenant in it. a- Bound in such a strong friendship with the prophet Nathan, David told Nathan about his desire to build a house for the Lord; and, because Nathan trusted in the purity of David’s heart, he instantly said to him: “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you” (2). He meant to encourage his friend to work. b- The words “David My servant” was repeated 10 times. Although it is good for the servant to seek what is for his Master’s (God) glory; but it is befitting of him to inquire from his Master about His pleasure. c- God ‘s care for His servant in the past: “I took you from the sheepfold” (7); still holds in the present: “I have been with you wherever you have gone” (8); and will endure in the future: “I will set up your seed after you, who will be of your sons, and I will establish his kingdom” (11). Yet He promised him that it will be his son Solomon who will build the house of God. d- Then the king David went in and sat before the Lord” (16). Like a little child, he sat to give his father thanks for his promises: “Do as You have said” (23). He tasted the sweetness of God’s fatherhood toward him, which reflected on his own life, that he bore a kind of fatherhood toward his household, and toward the whole people. e- Embracing his request from the Lord to realize his promises, he praised Him before and after his prayer. 1- A TALK TO THE PROPHET NATHAN: The Lord intends to confirm that the kingdom of David and that of Solomon are just contributions to the kingdom of God Himself; saying: “I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever” (14). In (2 Chronicles 9: 8), we see that the true King of Israel is God Himself. God told the prophet Nathan that David is not the one chosen for that specific task. “Now it came to pass, when David was dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet: ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under tent curtains’” (1) The book of Chronicles has often repeated Nathan’s prophecy that came in (2 Samuel 7); which, according to the author is very important, for it expresses the covenant made between God and David; and the continuity of his royal seed, up till the time for the Son of David, the eternal King to come. David’s heart, being kindled with love for God, did not endure to reside in such a magnificent palace of cedar, while the ark of the covenant is put in a tent; hence he wished to build the temple of the Lord. Feeling settled down in the palace he built for himself, he intended to build a house where he could put the ark of the covenant. But with God, everything has its proper time. Notice how David, when his wealth increased, and his greatness grew, did not think about what he should do for the sake of his children, nor how to fill up his treasury, and how to widen his authority, but he was preoccupied with how to serve and glorify God. … That is how it is befitting of us to care for what we should do to minister to the kingdom and church of God in the world, . “Then Nathan said to David: ‘Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you’” (2) Once Nathan has known David’s desire, he said to him: “Do all what is in your heart, for God is with you”; For he had no doubt that God was with David. It is the duty of God’s ministers to stir-up in their own souls, and in those of the others, the grace and the talents in them “But it happened that night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying:…” (3) According to some interpreters, like J. H. Blunt, Nathan’s advise was altered, when the word of God came to him that night; … That shows us that the prophets were not under the divine inspiration all the time; and might probably talk sometimes out of their own human mind. a. GOD ACCOMPANIES HIS PEOPLE WHEREVER THEY GO: ‘Go and tell My servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord, You shall not build Me a house to live in” (4) God’s answer to David’s demand was that he will not build the house of God, but will prepare for building it, the same way Moses brought forth the children of Israel to near the land of Canaan, then left it to Joshua to bring them into it. It is the right of the Lord Christ alone to be the Head of His work, and to consummate it. God condescends to receive good ideas from His people, even though He may not allow them to consummate them. … He sent the prophet Nathan to comfort David’s heart, saying to him: 1- David!, … Lifting you up to such a high position, was not wasted on you. … I took you from the sheephold, from following the sheep, not to build the temple, but to be a ruler over My people Israel; which is honor enough for you. … Leave the building of the temple for him who comes after you (7)…. Why should someone think that he can do everything, can consummate everything good up till the end? … Let him leave something for those who will follow him. … God gave David conquests, and made him a name (8); and through him, He made a name for His people Israel, and strengthened them against their enemies. That is why he should be content for his mission as a man of war, and leave building the churches to him who is not assigned to be a man of war. 2- David!, …. Do not think that your good intent will be wasted, or that you will lose its reward…. Although I keep you from doing it, yet you will be rewarded as though you have done it; “For the Lord will build you a house” (10), and will embrace the crown of Israel to Himself. The good will not only be well received, but will be rewarded as well. 3- David!, …. Although I keep you from doing such a great endeavor, Do not think that your intent is wasted, for I shall set out of your seed him who will build a house for Me (11-12). The temple of God will be built in its designated time, even though we may not have the honor to contribute in building it, or to rejoice to see it built. 4- David!, …. Do not confine your thoughts in the temporal prosperity of your household, but look forward to the anticipated kingdom of the Messiah; He who will come of your groin, and whose throne will endure forever (14). …. Solomon, himself, was never established in the house of God, as he should have been; and his household never did in the kingdom; But “I will set up your seed after you; and I will establish His kingdom” (11). Namely, He will become a High Priest on the house of God; Will, alone, have the authority over the works of the kingdom of God among mankind; and all the power in heaven and on earth; in the house and in the kingdom; in the church and in the world. “He will be a Priest on His throne; the counsel of peace shall be between them both; And He will build the temple of the Lord” (Zechariah 6: 12-13) God did not seek a house for the ark, but a tabernacle: “For I have not dwelt in a house since the time I brought up Israel, even to this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another” (5) It was not yet the time to set the ark in the house of the Lord. “Wherever I have moved about with all Israel, have I ever spoken a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’” (6) God does not seek the outer appearance of luxury and magnificence in his ministry; The ark of His covenant was content with the tabernacle, and He did not seek building a house for it; even after the people were established in great cities they did not build (Deuteronomy 6: 10). He commanded the judges to care for His people; but He never asked them to build Him a house (6)… I wish we would sometimes be content with humble means of living; as it was the case with the ark of God. 3- GOD’S PLEASURE TO SET LEADERS:. “Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I took you from the sheep hold, from following the sheep, that you should be ruler over My people Israel” (7) “And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a name like the name of the great men who are on the earth” (8) It is God’s pleasure to set every man a leader over his own feelings, thoughts, words, and behavior; and to walk with the spirit of confidence and not of fear. According to St. Cyril, those who do not fear God, their names are not worthy of being mentioned by the psalmist with his lips. As to the poor in spirit, God mentions his name by His tongue (Luke 16: 19, 20); he is great in the sight of God, and will make him great before the heavenly and the earthly creatures. 4- GOD’S PLEASURE IN HIS PEOPLE’S COMFORT: “Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more, nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore as previously” (9) 5- GOD’S PLEASURE IN BUILDING HOUSES FOR HIS BELOVED: “Since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. Also I will subdue all your enemies. Furthermore I tell you that the Lord will build you a house” (10) The Holy Book says about the two midwives who refused to kill the male babes of the children of Israel, according to the command of the Pharaoh of Egypt: “Because the midwives feared God, He (made houses for them)” (Exodus 1: 21). Does God make houses?... The two midwives refer to the Holy Book; which, if studied with the divine fear, and lived by the believers as they should, God will set for the Book a place everywhere; Namely, He will open up the range of ministry, and set houses for God. The world needs to see the word of God working in us with divine fear; for the gospel to find a lace in every heart… In the two midwives, the scholar Origen sees “the knowledge” which support the children of God in the birth of the males as well as well as in the females; Namely, to have the fruit of the divine mental meditation, and in the sanctification of the emotions. For the males refer to the mind; while the females refer to the emotion. … The two midwives, also refer to the Holy Book with its Old and New Testaments, through which the children of God enjoy the increasing fruit, mentally and emotionally; namely, spiritually and physically. “And it shall be when your days are fulfilled, when you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom” (11) “He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever” (12) Because David had to go through many battles to establish the security of his people, God did not allow him to build the temple, on account that his hands have shed much blood. Who is He, then, who builds a house for the Lord, and his throne will endures forever, but the Lord Christ, the Son of David; who built His church on the rocks. According to Josabius the Caesarian, verse 13, cannot apply to Solomon, but only to the Lord Christ, King of peace. + There is no doubt that Solomon was the son of David, and his successor on the throne. He indeed built the temple in Jerusalem; And the Jews may understand that he is the subject of the prophecy; Yet we have the right to ask them, if the divine inspiration could apply to Solomon, saying: “And I will establish his throne forever” (12); And, where God vowed that he is His Holy One; and that his throne will be like the sun and the days of heaven? Solomon’s days were no more than 40 years; If we add to them all the years of the reign of his descendants, they will not be more than 500 years. if we assume that their line (in the kingdom) continued up to the Roman attack on the Jewish kingdom; How could the prophecy be fulfilled, saying: His throne will be established forever, and comes to be like the sun, and the days of heaven?”; and also the words, saying: “I shall be his father, and he will be My son” (13). How could it apply to Solomon; whose history tells us much that are contrary to any possibility of being adopted by God, but a stranger from Him. Now listen to what is said against him: “King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: Women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites; from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel: ‘You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. For surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods” (1 kings 11: 1-2). If we add to this the words, saying: “Solomon’s heart was not loyal to the Lord his God as was the heart of his father David; For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lord, as did his father David” (1 Kings 11: 4-6). Again it was said: “The Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite” (1 King 11: 14 LXX). Who could dare to say that God was his father, he who has fallen under such serious accusations?... … We, therefore, have to search for someone else, said to be a descendant of David…. There is no other than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who was called in the whole world: “the Son of David” according to His birth in the body; And whose kingdom is continuous and will endure forever. . Although it was attacked by a multitude, yet it will endure by the divine authority, exalted above the human authority; to confirm that it is inspired, and unconquerable, as told us by the prophecy. (Josabius the Caesarian) 6- GOD’S PLEASURE IN HIS FATHERHOOD TO US AND HIS MERCY UPON US: “I will be his father, and he shall be My son; And I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you” (13) This expression was quoted by the apostle Paul; for he perceived that it was a divine promise, not just to Solomon, being a son of David, who will build the temple, but a proclamation about the Messiah, the Son of David, in whom we enjoy adoption to the Father. 6- GOD’S PLEASURE IN SETTING US KINGS: “And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever” (14) “According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak to David” (15) Through the prophet Nathan, God gave David two promises: !- To make his descendants kings over Israel 910). Yet this promise, was on condition of their commitment to keep His commandments, and to obey Him. 2- An unconditioned promise; which was to set after him a son whose throne God will establish forever (12-14), This Son is our Lord Jesus Christ. The incarnate Son of God; the Son of David, whose kingdom is set in our hearts. For the Messiah in the Old Testament is the eternal King, the righteous, and the anointed, to raise up the fallen tent of David; whose kingdom will extend to the end of the earth; and His law is truly the divine truth and justice. Here we shall quote some prophecies about His amazing Person, as a heavenly King, and about His exalted kingdom: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise to David a branch of righteousness. A king shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth” (Jeremiah 23: 5) “Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession” (Psalm 2: 8) “Your throne, O Lord, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, Your God has anointed You, with the oil of gladness more than Your companions…. At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir” (Psalm 45). “Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the king’s Son. He will judge Your people with righteousness, and Your people with justice; … He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river to the end of the earth” (Psalm 72). “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2: 44). “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion , which shall not pass away” (Daniel 7: 13-14) + When the Lord sat on the mount with His disciples, and saw the multitudes coming to Him; He came down from the mount and satisfied them in the low places. How could He go back there again if He had not come down from the mount before? This bears the meaning of coming down from up high to satisfy the multitudes, then to ascend again. He came now, not to reign instantly, but to reign in the meaning for which sake we pray, saying: “Thine kingdom comes”. … He perpetually reigns with the Father, being the Son of God, the Word, by whom everything was done. But the prophets tell us about His kingdom where Christ who became Man, and made His believers Christians. His kingdom extends, and is proclaimed when He proclaims the glory of His saints, after the judgment is done through Him; the judgment about which He previously said that it will be done by the Son of Man; about whom the apostle says: “When He delivers the kingdom to God the Father” (1 Corinthians 15: 24); and to which He Himself referred, saying: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25: 34) But the disciples and the multitudes who believed in Him, assuming that He came to reign right away, “intended to take Him by force to make Him king” (John 6: 15). They intended to hasten the time which He Himself has hidden, to declare in the right time. (St. Augustine) 7- DAVID OFFERS A SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING TO GOD: “Then king David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: ‘Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me this far?” (16) I have already presented an interpretation of this prayer of David in (2 Samuel 7). David received the response of God with humility (16-18), and with thanksgiving (19-20), confessing God’s blessings (21-22); and welcoming God’s judgments, promises, and commands (23-24). He was in great awe; no human language can express what went on inside him. Although God rejected his intention to build Him a house, David did not become sad, but exulted and gave thanks; for the whole talk referred to what is greater than building a house for the Lord; For the Lord of glory, the Son of David, will come to build a house by His blood shed on the cross. David did not feel rejected by God, on account of that He did not allow him to build his house; but, on the contrary, he felt that he is in the divine bosoms; and that God the Father intends to send the Son of David to proclaim the practical divine love in an awesome way. David’s prayer reveals (16-27), that, although he is a man with faults, yet he trusts in God, and leans on Him. He concentrates on the fact that the king of Israel has to reign, not by his own authority, but by the power of God; on account of that he serves a people that entered into a covenant with God, and who had a long experience with Him. David addressed God with awe and reverence, in response to the message of grace he received from Him. For by faith he got the promises, embraced them, and was satisfied with them; as the fathers Patriarch previously did (Hebrew 11: 13). David sat before the Lord like a little child talking to his father, from whom he seeks with the spirit of sonhood. … It brings pleasure to a father to listen to the demand of his child; he listens to him with greater care and pleasure than when he listens to philosophers. With such daring, the saint sought from God, as a child utters the language of love. A child may utter few words, but, with his great love for his father, he talks with daring, for love makes it easier for him to express what is inside him. + A child talks to his father with love; and his father listens to him with love Hearing his questions, he receives them as though he talks serious issues; Even if he talks too much, and his talk do not make sense, he is pleased with what he says more than his pleasure with the talk of philosophers. Such was how David talked to God; like a child talking to his father with great love. (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi) “And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O God; And You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to a state of a man of high degree, O Lord God” (17) What came in the second book of Samuel concerning the question: “Is this the manner of Man, O Lord God?” (2 Samuel 7: 19), came here in the sense of a confession: “You have regarded me according to a state of a man of high degree, O Lord God”. You made me a great man, and dealt me accordingly. Through the relationship of the covenant, by which God receives the believers, He gives them titles, grants them gifts, and prepares much for them, looking at them like at persons of high degrees, although they are no more than dust and ashes. According to some interpreters, the words saying: “You have regarded me according to a state of a man of high degree, O Lord God”, refer to the Messiah; For David, like Abraham, “has seen His day and rejoiced”; He saw it by faith; he saw Him in the form of Man -- the incarnate Word; though he saw His glory as an only begotten Son of the Father. That is what God talked about, concerning His house to a large extent. This vision in the sight of God is greater than anything. It is not strange that David talks about His Manhood and Godhead; calling Him “My God” by the Spirit (the Godhead); although he knew that He will be his Son (Psalm 110: 1); And saw Him less than the angels for a short period of time (the manhood); then saw Him after that crowned with glory and splendor (Hebrew 2: 6, 7) Having heard about the two divine promises from the prophet Nathan, David did not seek specific details, nor to know the time of their fulfillment; but, with humility he stood before the Lord, giving Him thanks, and confessing His divine blessings. “What more can David say to You for the honor of Your servant? For You know Your servant” (18) After saying: “What more can David say to You”, he added here: “for the honor of Your servant” (18). We notice the honor that God brings forth over His ministers, by entering with them into a covenant and fellowship; that they cannot, and do not wish to ask for more. The prophet often repeats the word “Your servant”; meaning the Son of David who emptied Himself and took the form of a servant, becoming like men (Philippians 2: 7) “O Lord, for Your servant’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness, in making known all these great things” (19) It is worthy of consideration that what came in the second book of Samuel as “for the sake of Your Word”; came here as “For Your servant’s sake” (19). For Jesus Christ is “The Word of God” (Revelation 19: 13); and He is “The Servant of God” (Isaiah); for the sake of whom promises are given to all believers; for His sake every compassion was given; and for His sake it became known. We are indebted to Him for all this greatness; and from Him we anticipate all these things; the unutterable riches of Christ, that if we look at it with faith, and If we look at the hand of the Lord Christ, we cannot but glorify, not only the great things, but the only thing that is greater, namely the work and riches of Christ; and talk of it with honor. “O Lord, there is none like You, nor is there any god besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears” (20) “And who is like Your people Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people – to make for Himself a name by great and awesome deeds, by driving out nations before Your people whom You redeemed from Egypt” (21) David considers the exodus that God realized on the hand of Moses, and what followed it of wonders and miracles, as a portrait of God’s perpetual work with His people along the generations. Ezra, while recording this prayer of David, probably binds, in the minds of his contemporaries, between the works of God in the exodus of their fathers from the land of Egypt, and His work with those who were returning from the Babylonian captivity. “For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; And You, Lord, have become their God” (22) How great is David’s piety, confessing his unworthiness; and how, in godliness and love he glorifies the name of God, and marvels at His grace. “And now, O Lord, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, let it be established forever, and do as You have said” (23) “So let it be established, that Your name may be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel’s God; and let the house of Your servant David be established before You” (24) In the second book of Samuel, God is mentioned as “Above Israel”; while here, he is described as “God of Israel” (24); and being God of Israel, this explains His response according to this title, confirming this relationship, and granting them all what they need, and what they expect of Him. …. There were what they called ‘Gods of the Gentiles’, like the gods of Assyria, Egypt, Hamah, and Arfad; but they were gods by name, for they never stood by their sides nor supported them. … “The God of Israel”, on the other hand, was their God; as all His features and perfections flowed to their benefit. Triply blessed is the people whose God is Jehovah. “For You, O my God, have told Your servant that You will build him a house. Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray before You” (25) “And now, Lord, You are God, and have promised this goodness to Your servant” (26) “Now You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You have blessed it, O Lord, and it shall be blessed forever” (27) The final words of the second book of Samuel (chapter 7) says: “With Your blessing, let the house of Your servant be blessed forever” (2 Samuel 7: 29), which is the language of ‘a holy wish’; Whereas here, the final words are the language of ‘holy faith’: “For You have blessed it, O Lord, and it shall be blessed forever” (27). Here we notice: 1- David was encouraged to seek the divine blessings, for God confirmed to him that He has blessings stored for him and his seed…… “For You have blessed me”, I shall come to get the blessing You promised to give me. The promises are given to us to guide us, and to stir-up in us the spirit of prayer. When God says: “I bless you”, our hearts should respond, saying: “Yes, O Lord, bless me”. 2- David was serious in seeking the blessing, for he believed that those whom God blesses, shall be truly blessed forever. “You have blessed it, O Lord, and it shall be blessed forever”. Man hopes for the blessing; but it is God who gives it; What God ordains, He executes; and what He promises, He fulfills. For God, saying and doing are not separate things; Far from it! … He blesses forever; His blessings are undisputable; and their benefits go beyond time. David ends his prayer by the word “forever”; for the way God looks at eternity, so should be our wishes and hopes. -------------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM 1 CHRONICLES 17 BLESS, O LORD, MY GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT GRANDCHILDREN + Experiencing Your amazing fatherhood for him, David desired to build a house for You; His heart did not have peace after establishing the ark of the covenant in the tabernacle; How could he have peace, residing in a palace, while Your ark is in a tent? By his pure heart, according to Yours; He built for Your Spirit a holy house in his depths; But he dreamt of building a house befitting of You; Do You, O Creator of heavens and earth dwell in houses of stones and wood?! + For the sake of Your love for mankind, and Your amazing humility; You responded to the request of David Your beloved; You promised him that his son Solomon will build the house; You counted the temple as an icon of heaven, and a sign of Your gathering together with Your people; + Come, O Lord Jesus, and dwell in my heart; Your Holy Spirit will adorn it with the spirit of holiness; Count my heart a throne for yourself, and an almost heavenly chariot; What shall I offer You to set Your dwelling place in me? I have nothing to offer You, but to bow before You; Sanctify my will, to harmonize with Yours; Guide my mind, emotions, and all my energies to the account of Your kingdom. + To You, I cry out, O Lover of all mankind; I may have no children nor grandchildren; But I count the generation to come as my children, and the following generations as my grandchildren; I pray for the sake of the children and youth of the future; I pray to You to proclaim Your love to them; to let them enter into a new covenant with You; To let them taste Your peace, joy, and divine wisdom; To let them perceive that You loved them even before they were born; Proclaim Your divine presence to them; To let them enjoy the fellowship with You.
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