1 Chronicles 28 Commentary
“He chose Judah as leader, and from the tribe of Judah he chose my family, and from my father’s sons he was pleased to make me king over all Israel.” David reflects on the history-long blessing that ran from Abraham to Isaac. And from Isaac to Jacob. It is Jacob who blessed Judah with the blessing of the scepter. The mention of the scepter is a shadow reference to the LORD’s promise to restore man’s lost dominion.
But what has the kingship to do with God’s house? Shouldn’t politicians leave it to the priests?
The kingship has everything to do with governance – order, security, freedoms, representation, and leadership. But we know that disorder, insecurity, oppression, misrepresentation, and lack of direction result when men turn away from the true worship of the Creator God. Shouldn’t the true worship of the Creator God be of first importance to the kingship?
David is, therefore, performing a very foundational function of the kingship. It is the core business at every palace. Governance starts here, at the temple of the LORD!
It all started when, under the power of the Spirit of God, David killed Goliath. Previously, under the same anointing, he had killed both the lion and the bear. It was clear that David’s career would involve protecting God’s sheep from aggression and oppression, all under the power of the Spirit.
And it’s actually the same Spirit that gives David the blueprint for the works at the temple.
“Let’s acknowledge the presence of the LORD by building a permanent dwelling,” David seems to be saying. You easily understand why David thought of God’s house so highly. He wanted the Creator God, who had blessed Israel so abundantly, to be a national treasure.
But this very important task is not for him. It is for his son. Ultimately, for his Son.
In the immediate context, Solomon would hold on to the scepter temporarily.
“Be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God.” Even now, the blessing is packaged in some very strict conditions: obedience. That is exactly the reason why the scripture talks of Jesus as the only son of David who obeyed the LORD fully, thereby earning the right to hold the scepter permanently.
And importantly, the man Jesus earned the right to build the house for the Creator God. That house is actually you and me. We have been drawn to him to be the LORD’s dwelling place. Then the Spirit can dwell in man as it was from the beginning!
This chapter brings together all these thoughts that relate to the LORD’s plan for man’s restoration. And it is so beautiful! Yet the thought that one is the dwelling place of the Creator God is hardly believable!
“If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” Could this be the key to unlocking the inner dwelling of the Spirit within an individual?
In the Book of Kings, we have the picture that David’s ambition for God’s house motivated everything about the construction of the temple. We have more details in this chapter. The LORD God gives architectural drawings to David for the temple. It’s another start, and another phase in Israel’s history!
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