God had blessed David with many skills, chief of which were the ones that made him a great warrior as well as a renowned psalmist. In chapter seven of the second book of Samuel, we observe his extreme gratitude. In his gratitude, he could not imagine himself living in a majestic palace while the Ark of the Covenant was not situated in a befitting temple. He desired to build a temple for the ark. Luckily, he was not presumptuous – he sought divine counsel as to whether he should go ahead.
God’s denial of his noble request could have surprised him but he had cultivated obedience to God through thick and thin. He was to continue to utilize the gifts he had been blessed with to expand the Jewish territory among other things. As favored by God as he was; as passionate as he was about wanting to build the temple, it was not his place to do so. That would be left to his son, Solomon.
There is a lesson to be learned here. The God who has endowed us with innumerable gifts and talents does not expect us to use them in a scattered fashion. That does not bring Him glory.There is an assignment for every unique and common skill and there is an appointed time for their works. Who would have thought God would reject the idea of a much beloved man building him his temple?
May we learn to walk with God, under His wings and in His shadow, and not jump ahead of Him according to the dictates of our emotions, whether good or bad. May we be blessed with an increase in discernment and sensitivity to God’s Holy Spirit so that we may sense His will and follow His leading all the days of our lives. May His plans for us always be fulfilled to the glory of His name. Amen.
Hilltop Thoughts, Valley Strengths 