“For David said, ‘Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands. I will therefore make preparation for it.’ So David provided materials in great quantity before his death.”
– 1 Chronicles 22:5 [ESV]
It’s a blessing to desire to do things for God. Christendom is full of Christians content with sitting back and waiting for God to do great things for them or, at length, make them great. However, instead of trying to be great ourselves, we should endeavor and seek to make God’s name great. Too often, the Kingdom of God lacks advancement because people don’t attempt to achieve great things for God. The Lord is still needing men who will strive to do exploits. However, what we consider significant and what God considers significant are two different things. What we have to come to grips with is to accept even the “little” that we do won’t be overlooked in eternity. “For God is not unrighteous to forget your labor of love.” This is a humbling realization and a lesson David had to learn.
I imagine it to have been a blow to David’s ego to be rejected from building the temple or house for the Lord. Though he refused, he didn’t receive reprimand because his heart was in the right place. This desire further proved him to be a man after God’s heart. Nevertheless, it must have been disappointing being turned down from what he felt was a decent act of reverence for the Lord. We must recall this was a man accustomed to doing great things for God. However, he would not be the one designated to do this deed, but rather his son. So the man who defeated Goliath and restored dignity to Israel would be denied this honor. The man whose feats inspired the chorus of having “slayed ten thousand” would be refrained from this accomplishment. David, a man of great stature, who performed incredible deeds for God, displayed a good character trait in this situation – humility.
Scripture doesn’t show David throwing a royal tantrum. His response wasn’t as, perhaps, some of us. Some of us would’ve been offended and upset not getting our way. But David didn’t “take his ball and go home” but stayed, saying, “Though I can’t build the house, I will help gather the materials.” God is still needing men and women like that. People that contribute without credit or labor without public fanfare. David understood it wasn’t about always being the man out front doing the job but rather about getting the job done. Scripture informs us that before David’s death, he made lavish preparations and gathered all the necessary materials for the building of the temple. This included raw materials such as gold, silver, and cedar and workers such as stone cutters, masons, and carpenters. These were more than enough for the completion of God’s house.
Dear child of God, you may have amazing ideas for building the Kingdom of God at your local church or some other ministry. Notwithstanding, remember it’s what we do in secret that gets publicly rewarded by God. The desire is well and good, but someone other than you may be the one to bring it to pass. The humility to help and support others is a beautiful Christian trait that most of us can learn to embrace. It can be easy to forget that we are helpers to one another amidst our passion and ambition. David’s example teaches us not to allow our reputation to rob us of the opportunity to assist in other ways. Solomon completed the temple and all its furnishings because David provided more than what was needed. God blessed David’s desire by giving him wisdom and good fortune to gather what was required. May the Lord grant you good fortune in spirit to do what needs doing, even if that means stepping out of the way into the background.
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