Building God’s Temple

I was reading in God’s Word which touched me deeply and I hope to be able to bring across what it meant to me – Building the Temple of the Lord.

David is my example. At the end of his life he had gathered together everything that was needed to build a house for the Lord. It was his desire that God’s presence, which was symbolised at that time by the Ark of the Covenant, should not  be in a tent any more, as Moses had built it in the wilderness, but that a magnificent house for God’s Presence should be built.

Now we have all heard about David’s sin, we know it and all the details so well, I want to remind us all of the grace that covered and forgave that transgression.

Has your sin been covered with the blood of Jesus Christ, that you remember it no more? Or do you constantly remember your sin, are possibly still enticed by it, or wallow in sorrow and depression because you cannot forget or forgive yourself although the Lord has forgiven you according to His Word?  People, we come to church to hear the Word of God so that we are saved from our sin, because we repent and then live victoriously. My sin has been covered. I am not guilty any more because Christ took my guilt upon Himself when He hung upon the Cross. Now it’s time to move forward.

David’s sin was severely dealt with. And he had to pay a high price for it. It was like a scar that remains when a wound has healed. Sin leaves a mark, sin is so terrible that it cost our heavenly Father to send His Son to this evil, wicked world, to suffer at the hands of godless, sinful man, so that redemption could be attained. Through all eternity we can praise the Lamb that was slain.

If you have sinned don’t gripe over it for months, you are weak because of your failure, but now it’s time to get up! The promise is there - he who confesses and forsakes his sin will receive mercy. Now, through Christ, you can be strong and there is something far more precious and exalted to live for, it’s time to build the temple.

Excuse me if I didn’t start off with a verse, I would have loved to have read the whole two chapters, to see the wonder of how the people gave joyfully to the Lord for the building, and how happy king David was.

Let us read as an introduction: 1 Chronicles 28: 1-3; 6  Now David assembled at Jerusalem all the leaders of Israel: the officers of the tribes and the captains of the divisions who served the king, the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons, with the officials, the valiant men, and all the mighty men of valour. 2 Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Hear me, my brethren and my people: I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God, and had made preparations to build it. 3 But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.’ 6 Now He said to me, ‘It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father.

Do you see the glorious inheritance God wants to give us, He has promised He will be our Father and we will be His sons and daughters. He has chosen kings and leaders for His Gospel’s sake. And can you imagine that through Jesus Christ, He has chosen our sons and daughters to be bearers of the Gospel.

Here was David who gathered all the leaders of Israel, all the officers and captains of various ranks. The stewards over all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons.

We have all been assembled and the heavenly David is calling to us, and He is imparting the glorious Gospel to us. And all the possessions and the gold and the silver that David gave, He said, Lord, I give it, but it is actually Yours, it is not mine, I cannot hold onto it, it is Yours because You gave it to me.

The German Bible gives exact figures – 3000 talents of gold, and 7000 of silver. Then he asked these leaders, do you also want to give to the building of the Temple of our God? They gave a bit more, so the whole nation gave maybe 50% more than what David in his personal capacity was giving to the house of the Lord to be built.

And everyone gave joyfully. This made king David exceedingly joyful, when he saw with what joy they, his brethren (he didn’t call them his subjects), gave.

Another key verse, I would like to read from 1 Chronicles 29:16 – 17  “O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own. 17 I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You.   

Today, excuse me, I’m not implying that you should offer money. But I urge you to offer your heart and your soul, offer your body as a living sacrifice. Is your offering pleasing to our heavenly David? Or do you sacrifice with a grumbling heart? Is it a joyful offering or a grudging, accusing heart that God sees? That is not useful in God’s Kingdom.

In Timothy we read of the glorious Gospel of the blessed Lord. The Gospel is tidings of great joy, the good news. And Paul describes it as a glorious Gospel, it is glorious to you or is it a drag, is it an obligation?

In the letter to Timothy, Paul speaks about the eternal glory of the Gospel with everlasting life.

Revelations describes an angel proclaiming an eternal Gospel to the inhabitants of the earth. Are you busy building or are you breaking down? Are your opinions which you are vocal about, breaking others down, or being quiet in your mind and heart, and you’re destroying the Temple of God in yourself; you build as you wish, for yourself and your own glory, with your own plans. So you say, at least I am busy with something, but if God evaluates it, God, who tests the heart, does it align with this glorious Gospel? Are you building the house of the Lord, or are you busy building a shack or building a house next to the House of the Lord; for whatever reasons, and then justifying yourself?

Does the heavenly David count you amongst His brethren. Children, you can be 4, 5, 6 years old, but you can be busy building the temple of the Lord.

We know, I’m just clarifying what you should know – God does not build something you know. We must be the living stones, in our service to the Lord, dedicated to Him. Jesus said we must let our light shine so that men see our good works and praise the Father in Heaven. That is part of the Temple, the light that shines in this dark world.

The New Testament speaks of a new temple:

1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

Just look how sexual immorality rules this world. Listen to conversations, in the business world we are hounded by immoral suggestions and implications. Look at the advertisements that encourage loose living. Social media is defiling conversations. What do you involve yourself with? When you buy clothes, what is driving you to make the choices that you make?

So let us be different and praise God that we have a Gospel that warns us about committing immorality, sinning against our own body.

1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 

Doesn’t this go together with what David had on his heart to build a temple? That God might have a place to live in your heart! Then you will feel like David and you will say: David you were on the right track, I rejoice with you.

1 Corinthians 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.  How wonderful if our body and spirit can exist in thankfulness, in glorifying God. Isn’t this satisfying! So build that temple, adorn it – bring whatever is necessary for you to glorify God while building the temple of the Lord.

When I read about David and his preparation for the Temple, I contemplated how he had won battles, overcome his enemies, and then he was busy gathering, at the end of his life he said, I am ready, I have conquered the enemies of my life, the enemies of the Lord, for this land in which we are living, now we are going to establish God’s dwelling place.

But God said; You are a man of war, you have shed too much blood so you can’t do it, but your son, I have chosen him to do it, I will be his Father and he will build My Temple.

You want to be beautiful, however, let the temple of God be adorned with gold, silver, precious stones. Cover the walls and articles with pure gold, the walls, the mercy seat, everything.

We read in the Bible how our lives are compared with building, but it depends on whether we are building with gold, silver, precious stones, or with sticks, hay and stubble. As we are bought with Jesus’ precious blood we do not belong to ourselves, but to Him.

Oh child, as you grow up, know that you have a Father who cares for you, who wants to make your life beautiful with things which last eternally, and you can be with the angels praising God for that eternal Gospel.

Just before David passed away, he  called his son and said, son, this is what the Lord told me and showed me, how we should build His dwelling place, now be faithful in building it. You have been chosen and blessed to do it.

We read that even in the Old Testament, if you have lived a life of sin and at the end you repent of your sin, God will forgive, mercy is available for you. If you have lived a righteous life, but at the end, you turn from your righteousness and you do wrong, God forgets all your righteousness and you will die because of the wickedness you did at the end. People say God is not fair, He should remember all your labour, however if you turn from it you won’t be rewarded.

David instructed Solomon his son and said, The Lord has chosen you, now do the work, as the Lord commanded me. And the Lord will be with you as long as you do not become unfaithful to God. He said, Solomon, abide by the Lord’s ways, if you don’t, the Lord has not guaranteed to be with you. God tests the heart and has pleasure in righteousness. Solomon heard these words, oh he should have tied them around his right hand, on his forehead, to not forget any of the words of instruction that he received from his father David. It would have been well for him, even though he was a man of wisdom unlike any other that ever lived.

I wanted to inspire you, to get you on an elevated position, just see what the Lord can do for you, as your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, you belong to Christ. Things can go wrong in the heart. Let your heart be built for His purpose, for His plans, don’t lose out on that.

The closing thought: glorious things were revealed to the founder of this mission in his walk with God, establishing this place through God’s power and kindness. Oh let our hearts rejoice in what you present before the Living God. May this word be life to you. May it uplift you and take you to a next level in your devotion, in your service to the Lord.

I said there is no higher service you can be called to, don’t despise it or look down on it, your own opinion, insults and gripes are of no value, there is something far exceeding that, and that is God’s plan for His temple.

Michael Ngubane

I trust that he who has an ear to hear has heard. The story of David is very deep. David had laboured so much, and he longed for this to be done, but the Lord said, no – not you, not now. As God is holy, we also need to be holy. If God’s way is a righteous way we need to walk on that way as He has ordained, not bringing in our own ways.

I have been touched deeply by the desire that King David had to build the temple, he had everything ready for the construction, but the Lord said, Wonderful, but not you.

Do we have this desire to build His Temple? What are we gathering, the material we are bringing, the precious stones – will the Lord say; Not you, because the quality and standard of what you are bringing Me is not up to standard. God judges in truth, and what we bring He will judge in truth. We might see it as sufficient, but God may say “no”. God is not impressed by the material you bring, He said to David, no, you are a man of blood, you are not the one to do this, but it will be your son.

May God have mercy on us that in our iniquity and sin, we realise how we need to be humbled before Him, that we will say; Lord come, speak to me. May we have a heart that wants to build, a heart that wants to do something for God. Forgetting ourselves, all we do is to think of God.  Does He find that in our hearts?

My friend, if the Lord has spoken to you and shown you where you are not right before Him, don’t ignore it, make it right. God is looking at us, what does He see in our lives? May He find us obedient.