1 Chronicles 28:1

This and the following chapter conclude First Chronicles and are devoted to the final words and instructions of king David, especially as they related to Solomon and the construction of the temple. David freely confessed here that God had told him, "Thou shalt not build a house for my name" (1 Chronicles 28:3); but David nevertheless proceeded to build it, making all the necessary preparations for doing so, accumulating the necessary supplies, and vigorously commanding Solomon and all Israel to build it. Throughout human history, every man has been credited with doing what he commanded others to do, a principle illustrated a hundred times in the Bible; and we must therefore accept the truth that David's actions with reference to Solomon's temple were sinful. He violated the prohibition that God laid upon him.

The inspired Chronicler has given us in these chapters a faithful and accurate record of what was said and done; but many of the things David said and did in these two chapters were not based upon what God had commanded but upon David's sincere and honest misunderstanding of the prophecy of the Lord through Nathan the prophet.

Once the die was cast and all Israel had enthusiastically accepted the idea of building a temple, God indeed accommodated to it, continuing to bless Israel, and even overruling their sins and mistakes, bending them to contribute toward the Eternal Purpose of Redemption for all mankind.

Yes, God even commanded the temple to be rebuilt under Ezra and Nehemiah; but at that stage in Israel's long and rebellious history of sin and apostasy, the heavenly command to build again the temple must be viewed as exactly the equivalent of Jesus' command for Judas Iscariot to betray him (John 13:27), or the command of God's angel to Balaam, "Go with the men" (Numbers 22:35).

Solomon's temple, in every real sense, was the project conceived and achieved by David. It was in the same category as the monarchy, used and overruled by God toward the achievement of his eternal purpose; but neither of them, in the ultimate sense, was actually the will of God, except in the sense that he permitted them.

This background review of the Jewish temple should be kept continually in mind in our study of these two chapters.

DAVID'S PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT THAT SOLOMON WOULD BUILD THE TEMPLE

"And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that served the king by course, and the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, and the rulers over all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons, with the officers, and the mighty men, even all the mighty men of valor, unto Jerusalem. Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: as for me, it was in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and for the footstool of our God; and I made ready for the building. But God said unto me, "Thou shalt not build a house for my name, because thou art a man of war, and hast shed much blood. Howbeit Jehovah, the God of Israel, chose me out of all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever: for he hath chosen Judah to be prince; and in the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel; and of all my sons (for Jehovah hath given me many sons) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of Jehovah over Israel. And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts; for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish his kingdom forever, if he be constant to do my commandments and mine ordinances, as at this day. Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of Jehovah, and in the audience of our God; observe and seek out all the commandments of Jehovah your God; that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you forever."

"I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father" (1 Chronicles 28:6). This and the following verse positively indicate that David was here basing what he said upon his understanding of the prophecy in 2S:7; however, that prophecy said nothing at all resembling what David here declared. Solomon, in no sense whatever, was God's son, nor did God establish Solomon's throne for ... ever. All that was happening in this chapter was taking place during David's lifetime, absolutely contrary to the specific declaration in 2 Samuel 7:12 that the promised Great One who would build that house for the name of God would do so, "When thou (David) shalt sleep with thy fathers, and that the Promised One would be SET UP AFTER THEE" (2 Samuel 7:12). Solomon was not set up after David but during David's reign; and God did not do it, as the prophecy indicated, but David did it! (See our extensive comment on this in 2Samuel.)