Reflections on 1 Chronicles 22

 1 Chronicles 22(Contemporary English Version)

1. David said, "The temple of the LORD God must be built right here at this threshing place. And the altar for offering sacrifices will also be here."
   
2. David ordered the foreigners living in Israel to come to Jerusalem. Then he assigned some to cut blocks of stone for building the temple.
   
3. He got a large supply of iron to make into nails and hinges for the doors, and he provided so much bronze that it could not be weighed.
   
4. He also had cedar logs brought in from the cities of Sidon and Tyre.
   
5. He said, "The temple for the LORD must be great, so that everyone in the world will know about it. But since my son Solomon is young and has no experience, I will make sure that everything is ready for the temple to be built." That's why David did all these things before he died.
   
6. David sent for his son Solomon and told him to build a temple for the LORD God of Israel.
   
7. He said: My son, I wanted to build a temple where the LORD my God would be worshiped.
   
8. But some time ago, he told me, "David, you have killed too many people and have fought too many battles. That's why you are not the one to build my temple.
   
9. But when your son becomes king, I will give him peace throughout his kingdom. His name will be Solomon, because during his rule I will keep Israel safe and peaceful.
   
10. Solomon will build my temple. He will be like a son to me, and I will be like a father to him. In fact, one of his descendants will always rule in Israel."
    
11. Solomon, my son, I now pray that the LORD your God will be with you and keep his promise to help you build a temple for him.
    
12. May he give you wisdom and knowledge, so that you can rule Israel according to his Law.
    
13. If you obey the laws and teachings that the LORD gave Moses, you will be successful. Be strong and brave and don't get discouraged or be afraid of anything.
    
14. I have all the supplies you'll need to build the temple: You have four thousand tons of gold and forty thousand tons of silver. There's also plenty of wood, stone, and more bronze and iron than I could weigh. Ask for anything else you need.
    
15. I have also assigned men who will cut and lay the stone. And there are carpenters and people who are experts in working with
    
16. gold, silver, bronze, and iron. You have plenty of workers to do the job. Now get started, and I pray that the LORD will be with you in your work.
    
17. David then gave orders for the leaders of Israel to help Solomon.
    
18. David said: The LORD our God has helped me defeat all the people who lived here before us, and he has given you peace from all your enemies. Now this land belongs to the LORD and his people.
    
19. Obey the LORD your God with your heart and soul. Begin work on the temple to honor him, so that the sacred chest and the things used for worship can be kept there.

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God's ways are truly beyond us. None of us would have predicted the flow of events that took place following David's sin of conducting a census. Had we been inclined to predict what was to follow David's sin, we might have imagined things going downhill for David as a result of his sin, but we would not likely have predicted these events would prepare the way for the building of the Lord's temple.

The punishment for David's sin in conducting the census was a plague that killed 70,000 men. These were probably fighting men since that was who David was counting, and it was David's pride over the size of his military strength that prompted the census. The plague would have killed even more people had the Lord not stopped it when He did. The place where the Lord stopped the plague was Araunah's threshing floor, and the Lord instructed David to build an altar there and offer burnt offerings. This location was also on Mount Moriah where Abraham offered to sacrifice his son for the Lord.

David came to realize that this place was to become the new place of worship and no longer went to Gibeon to the tabernacle for worship. He further realized this to be the location where God's temple was to be built and began to make preparation for construction. He reasoned that his son, Solomon, who was to build the temple, was "young and inexperienced" and the task of building the temple was a big one. David felt the temple had be "exceedingly great and famous and glorious in all the lands." (22:5) So he began the task of gathering materials and workers for construction so the task would not be so huge for Solomon.

Though David did not attempt to gather all the materials for the temple, he made major headway. When he was well along in gathering materials, he summoned Solomon and gave him instructions "to build a house for the LORD God of Israel." (22:6) In giving these instructions David helped Solomon understand the significance of the task. It was a task that had been given to him from the Lord and not from David who was now instructing him. David pointed out to Solomon that he had wanted to build the temple but the Lord would not allow him to do so. The Lord told him, "You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for My name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before Me. But a son will be born to you; he will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies, for his name will be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for My name. He will be My son, and I will be his father. I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever." (22:8-10)

After instructing Solomon about the temple, David gave an inventory of materials and workers he had gathered for the task and then he "ordered the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon." (22:17) God can indeed use all things for His purposes and for our good if we will cooperate with Him.