David had quite an eventful life and had accomplished much, but the one thing he longed to do more than anything else was to build the house of the Lord. David petitioned the Lord to grant his request, but the answer was no.

He recalled his warrior days and the blood that he had shed. As David's mind reflected on the many victories and celebrations, he came upon a haunting memory tucked away in the cave of his mind. He recalled how, when passing through that deepest darkest valley, the Lord brought him comfort and gave him peace. While in a depressed state, the Spirit had caused David's mind to drift back to the days when he sat upon the hills watching over his flocks.

That image of himself guarding the helpless sheep gave him a picture of God that he needed at that time. David remembered when the lion, the bear, and the wolf attacked his precious lambs and how the Lord gave him strength to protect them. The Spirit used the imagery of that boyhood scene to give birth to the song,

The Lord is my shepherd;

I have all that I need.

He lets me rest in green meadows;

he leads me beside peaceful streams.

He renews my strength.

He guides me along right paths,

bringing honor to his name.

Even when I walk

through the darkest valley,

I will not be afraid,

for you are close beside me.

Your rod and your staff

protect and comfort me.

You prepare a feast for me

in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

My cup overflows with blessings.

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

Oh, how David longed to build that house. He stood before the leaders of Israel and declared: “My brothers and my people! It was my desire to build a temple. But God said to me, ‘You must not build a temple to honor my name, for you are a warrior and have shed much blood.’

"Yet the Lord, the God of Israel, has chosen me from among all my father’s family to be king over Israel forever. He said to me, ‘Your son, Solomon, will build my Temple and its courtyards, for I have chosen him as my son, and I will be his father.'"

David then turned to his son, and with the solemn voice of experience said, "Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. Take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work."

Handing over his precious plan to his son, David continues, "Every part of this plan was given to me in writing from the hand of the Lord. Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly."

Turning to the assembly David declares, "My son, Solomon, whom God has clearly chosen as the next king of Israel, is still young and inexperienced. The work ahead of him is enormous, for the temple he will build is not for mere mortals—it is for the Lord God himself!"

His next statement must have surprised Solomon, and the rest of the assembly.

"And now, because of my devotion to the Temple of my God, I am giving all of my own private treasures of gold and silver to help in the construction. This is in addition to the building materials I have already collected for his holy Temple. Now then, who will follow my example and give offerings to the Lord today?"

The response was overwhelming. David’s heart was overjoyed to see the family leaders, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the generals and captains of the army, and the king’s administrative officers all give willingly. They gave tons of gold, silver, bronze, iron, thousands of gold coins and precious stones, and it all went into the treasury of the house of the Lord. The people rejoiced over the offerings, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord.

Then David broke into spontaneous praise to the Lord.

"Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.

"O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.

"O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you!"

Then David turned to the assembly and said, "Give praise to the Lord your God!" And the entire assembly praised the Lord.

God had accomplished His purpose in giving David the desire to build His temple.

David recalled the Lord’s words to him and knew that they were true,

"The one who rules righteously,

who rules in the fear of God,

is like the light of morning at sunrise,

like a morning without clouds,

like the gleaming of the sun

on new grass after rain."

Gary Burns is the Lake Union Conference communication director.

Portions taken from 2 Chronicles 28 and 29, New Living Translation.