Today's Reading: 2 Samuel 7

 

A House For God's Name

David loved Yahweh and wanted to build Him a house. It seemed inequitable to David that he should be living in a large and lovely palace while the worship of God still took place in a tattered old tent. A noble desire for sure. But the Lord had other plans. David would not build God’s house, but the Lord says He will raise up one of David’s descendants to build a house for His name.

This prophetic statement from the Lord has a dual-fulfillment. It speaks first of the physical construction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem – a prophecy that would be later fulfilled literally by “David’s descendant” - his son Solomon. But the building of the physical temple was not of immediate importance to the Lord. God was more concerned that David’s house be firmly established - referring not to his palace but to his dynasty. David would have a line of royal descendants who would rule for generation after generation in Israel. One of these (Solomon) would build God’s earthly house. And One, who would come later, would build God’s eternal house.

This prophecy goes much deeper than just the physical Temple. It has a future spiritual fulfillment. It speaks of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, God’s Son, whose kingdom would be established forever. The Lord had chosen the dynasty of David as the means of bringing the Messiah, the Savior into the world.

The word “forever,” shows very distinctly that this prophecy looks beyond the succession of the kings of the house of David, and embraces the throne of Christ. Years later, when an angel spoke to Mary (Luke 1:31-33), he told her that she would give birth to a Son. She was told to name her Son, Jesus.  “He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” By these words, the angel declared that Jesus is the ultimate spiritual fulfillment of the Lord’s prophetic statement to David.

Jesus would not use wood and stone to build His Father’s house. The “building blocks” of the permanent temple are the souls and spirits of people. People who would come to a saving faith in Jesus and who would be placed within God’s eternal family by the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 3:16, Paul asked, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” He goes on in verse 17 to say “For God’s temple is holy, and YOU are that temple.” The Apostle Peter said the same thing, “You yourselves are being built like living stones into a spiritual temple.” (1 Peter 2:5)

What an amazing thought – that we are the building blocks of God’s Holy Temple. Think about that! Each of us has been ingeniously placed within the Body of Christ where we make up the holy “house” of Yahweh. We are the “dwelling place” where God’s presence resides for all of eternity.