I have lived in many different types of houses. The house in which I spent most of my grade school years was built in the early 1900’s. It had 3 bedrooms, one bath and I would guess about 1200 sq.ft. of space. In Jr. high we moved into Stillwater. The house my parents owned when I moved out and married would be considered a palace in David’s time. It is average according to American standards. The first home that Laura and I owned was a 14 X 70 mobile home—980 sq.ft. After that we bought a 1200 sq.ft. home for $16,000.00. It wasn’t a palace, but it was ours (well really the bank’s), and it felt nice. The Lord called us to seminary, which meant selling the house. We did not own a home again till after seminary. This time it was about 1500 sq.ft. not a palace, but it was comfortable. Then we briefly owned a house that was about 1800 sq.ft. on 8.5 acres of land. We got it for a real bargain only $80,000.00. In addition to the house it had a separate garage with many small rooms built on to it, another concrete block horse barn with electric and water, and a large chicken shelter. We felt like land barons. But we only lived there briefly before the Lord called us to North Carolina. There we lived in a 1800 sq.ft. house on a little more than half an acre of land, no out buildings. The Lord burned us out of that house, and we moved back to Oklahoma into a 2900 sq.ft. house. The upstairs had pine paneled walls. It felt like a palace, but was in the middle of town and had little land. We now live in a 1500 sq. ft. home on the edge of town with an oversize lot. I do not think that I am attached to this house. If the Lord directed, I think that I would gladly sell it, even as I did the house on the acreage.
David had been king for at least 7.5 years. He built for himself a cedar paneled palace. He learned how to live in a cave and how to live in a palace. As he reflected upon his own house, he realized that the ark of the covenant, the visible presence of the glory of God was housed in a tent. He felt badly that he lived in a fine house while the ark was housed in a tent. He determined to build a fine house for God. On the one hand God is pleased that David should want God’s glory to be greater than David’s, on the other hand He is not pleased that glory should be confined to a physical building. He asks David a rhetorical question, “Would you build a house for Me to dwell in?” The God who created everything that is does not need to be housed by His creation! To build Him a house might cause us to think too little of Him. We might begin to think that He can be confined to something created. What a repugnant thought!
I have been to some of the great cathedrals of Europe and Mexico. There is indeed something awe inspiring in their architectures. They make you look up and feel like you are small before a great and awesome God. Yet at the same time the human heart is such that it can begin to equate God’s presence with that of a building which we make with our hands. That is idolatry. It is interesting to me that God postpones the building of a house, yet He promises to David that He will build him a house. But wait a minute! David already has a house, a palace. God promised a house that He wanted David to focus upon, a spiritual house, a relational house.
12 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.”
This covenant, often called the Davidic Covenant, promised that David would have a descendant whose throne would last forever. Is there a visible, traceable lineage to David that could fulfill this promise? With the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD, the Jewish people lost the ability to trace that lineage and claim an heir to David. However, there is one descendant of David whose both mother and father can trace their lineage back to different sons of David. Jesus is that One descendant. In Jesus, this covenant is fulfilled.
God has built a spiritual relational house and set Jesus as the King of that house. Today He is building that house with spiritual stones (1 Peter 2:4-11). You and I, who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are those stones. One day Jesus will return and fulfill the physical promises of being seated upon the throne of David. However, the people who will populate that Kingdom will be those who believe in Him. It will be a relational Kingdom first and foremost for God is love. The glory of that house/kingdom will far exceed any physical building that could ever be built. The amazing thing is that you and I have the privilege of building it with Him. Wow! It is building relationships with others that are connected with Him. It is building a house that is focused on Him and His love. That is true glory, not that which is made with human hands. It makes me willing to give up my physical family, house and land, for I am going to lose it anyway. I will exchange it for that which lasts forever, a house built out of love. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
In May 2005 Archeologist Eilat Mizar uncovered the remains of this large building known as the Large Stone Structure. She says that it was built in the early 10th century BCE during the reign of King David. In her opinion it can be identified with the royal “House of Cedar,” King David’s Palace. Other scholars debate this. If not this location, it was somewhere near here where David received the Davidic Covenant through Nathan the prophet.
Psalm 73
A lot of things happen that I do not understand. It is normal to see those who are wholly devoted to walking in the ways of the world become ‘successful.’ This is also true in the American church. Those who compromise the Word of God seem to prosper very much. Like the Psalmist, I sometimes wonder whether I am walking in the right direction. Is it really worth it? The Psalmist was about to conclude, “No, it is not worth it,” until he came into the sanctuary. In the sanctuary he was able to regain his bearings. In the sanctuary he was confronted with the glory of the Eternal God. This earth is but a moment before the Eternal God. The sanctuary was where the Glory dwelt. Outside of the sanctuary we become impressed with the beauties of this world. Outside of the sanctuary our memories of His great glory fade. Outside of the sanctuary our wills soften. Outside of the sanctuary we begin to conform to this world. Outside of the sanctuary we fail to sense that we are on slippery ground-like first time skaters on an ice rink. Outside of the sanctuary I become like an unreasoning beast. But when I come back in the sanctuary, I regain my bearings. When I step back outside after gazing upon His glory in the Sanctuary, I find that He is holding me up in the slippery ice rink of the world, and He never lets go. Consequently, it is good to regularly draw near to Him in the sanctuary to regain my view of His glory, to know that He is walking with me outside. After a life walking with Him, He will receive me into His glory. Can it get any better than this? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
P.S. This morning (9/12/12) I learned of yesterday’s attack on the U.S. Embassy in Lybia we have four confirmed dead, including our ambassador. My first response is anger. Indeed that is a righteous response. Anger over murder is not wrong; it is what I do with that anger that can be righteous or unrighteous. It is easy to fall into the mold of the world and demand retaliation for the deaths. It is easy to fall into the mold of the world and wonder how God can be just and permit this to happen. It is easy to fall into the mold of the world and want to take vengeance into my own hands. But when I come into the sanctuary of God, when I remember who He is, when I remember the end of those terrorists, then I realize that God is just, and the end of terrorists is tenuous at best. Those who are far from Him shall perish. Yes they have done horrible things, but God desires them to repent. Unless they repent, they shall perish. It is God’s glory to desire their repentance, but not force repentance, and to grant redemption or perdition dependent upon their repentance.
Ezekiel 42
These chapters of Ezekiel on the temple are an enigma that has puzzled theologians since the day they were penned. Where is the Glory of God in this? Honestly, I don’t know what to say other than what was written on September 10. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
2 Corinthians 5
What a chapter to meditate upon the glory of Christ! He is the One who will clothe us with immortality (4). He has given His Spirit as a down payment (5). He is the One who will judge us (10). He is the One who loves us unconditionally (14). He is the One who died and rose again for us (14,15). He is the One who made us a new creation (17). He is the One who reconciled us to God (18). He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (21).
All across the world corrupt judges receive bribes from people wanting the judgment to go their way. Why? The judge holds the power to make or break a person's life. We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. He will judge us. His judgment is just. Knowing only our sin, that is a terrifying thought. But our judge is also the one who knew the penalty of our sin and our sin, before we were even born. He loves us in spite of our sin! He died to reconcile us because of our sin. He rose again to deliver us from the power of our sin. He is coming again to deliver us from the presence of sin. This is the One who is judging us! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
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