1 Chronicles 22:2

DAVID GATHERS MATERIAL FOR THE TEMPLE'S CONSTRUCTION

"And David commanded to gather together the sojourners that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God. And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the couplings; and brass in abundance without weight; and cedar trees without number: for the Sidonians and they of Tyre brought cedar trees in abundance to David. And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded by Jehovah must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and of glory throughout all countries; I will therefore make preparations for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death."

"David commanded to gather together the sojourners" (1 Chronicles 22:2). These were the aliens, the original Canaanites, whom Israel enslaved, contrary to God's commandments. The complete record of this is found in the first chapter of Judges. (See our Vol. 2, of the Historical Books, Judges and Ruth, pp. 9-22.) "2 Samuel 20:24 indicates that David used forced labor."[2]

These verses indicate that David proceeded to gather vast quantities of materials with which the temple would be constructed.

GOD DID NOT COMMAND DAVID TO DO THIS

There can be no doubt whatever that David missed the significant point in the words of God to him through the prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 7), in which it was certainly clear enough that God did not desire the erection of any earthly temple whatever. David understood, of course, that he was commanded not to build it, which by any fair interpretation of the prohibition laid upon David would also have included the extensive preparations which David made to have it done, even commanding it most emphatically to be done by Solomon. And upon the principle that any man does, what he commands others to do, David must be charged with violation of God's commandment in this particular.

The Chronicler, King David, Solomon, all the princes of Israel, and the entire nation nevertheless looked upon this temple as the most wonderful thing that ever happened to Israel. That God indeed allowed it, accommodated to it, used the temple in many ways to further the achievement of God's purpose, even sending a special manifestation of his Eternal Presence to dwell within the Holy of Holies upon the occasion of its dedication --none of this can be denied; but God's destruction of Solomon's temple, and also his destroying the one constructed by Israel upon their return from captivity, cannot be harmonized with the proposition that the Jewish temple was, in any sense, the complete will of God.

Allowed, tolerated, used by God Himself, yes; but it still stands as a thing David conceived, promoted, commanded, planned, prepared for and projected in its entirety. From its conception in the mind of David, and throughout its entire history, the temple, in a sense, similar to pagan temples all over the world, was the conception and project of a mortal human being, not of God.

Furthermore, David was grossly mistaken about that temple's being the "house" that God promised to build for David; and he was also totally in error in his conception that Solomon was the mighty one of his posterity whose throne God would establish forever.

In this light, the following paragraph must be read as the Chronicler's true and accurate statement of the things David did and said, but not as proof that David was totally correct either in his words or deeds.