1 Chronicles chapter 22 verse 1 reads, Then David said, This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel. And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel, and he sent masons to hew rod stones to build the house of God. Amen. Thus far we read the Word of God. Our theme is gifts in the body but one Lord. Gifts in the body but one Lord. The Apostle Paul in Romans 12 and verse 4 says all members have not the same office and this is clear in the Church of God in all generations and it's clear in this chapter also. In chapter 21 the matter of David's sinful unauthorized census is introduced in order to inform us of the manner in which the Lord pinpointed the place where the temple was to be built. And you remember we looked last week at how or why chapter 21 including the sin of David in numbering the people is included in 1 Chronicles whereas his sin with Bathsheba is not included and the answer is that this is included because it fits in with the purpose of the book which is to concentrate on the faithfulness, the blessing of God on faithfulness in the appointed worship and especially in the building of the house of the Lord, the temple of the Lord. So the concern of 1 Chronicles is not to give, we've said this before, but it's not to give a straight history and repeat what is done in Samuel and Kings. It is specifically to show those events which bear upon the establishment of the divinely appointed worship in Jerusalem and the setting up of the temple for the housing of the Ark and so on. And particularly how God blessed Israel when they were faithful in these things. So, this first verse, then David said, this is the house of the Lord God and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel. In other words, this is the place how exactly David knew from the offering and the threshing floor of Onan, how he knew that that was to be the place where the temple was to be built. We're not directly told but evidently the Lord made clear, the Lord revealed through this means that this was the place where the altar was to be built. And we read in 2nd Chronicles chapter 3 and verse 1, that this was indeed Mount Moriah. 2nd Chronicles 3 verse 1, Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in Mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father in the place that David had prepared in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. So it's the same place as where Abraham had been ready to offer his beloved Isaac in Genesis 22 and where the Lord Jehovah Jireh had provided a sacrifice pointing forward to God's ultimate provision of a sacrifice in his own Son who was delivered up outside Jerusalem as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. So that's the point of chapter 1, the pinpointing of the specific place. You see how the worship of God developed, the offerings and sacrifices were offered in various places in the times of the patriarchs and then it was narrowed down the Ark of the Covenant, the Tabernacle, but it was movable, but they were to be offered by the priesthood, the Sons of Aaron. And then the Lord now narrows down the very place where the sacrifices are to be offered. Because these things are the figures of the truth. And so there's a gradual development narrowing down and also a separation between those elements of worship which was ceremonial and temporary and those elements of worship which are permanent. So in the time of the patriarchs no distinction was made between prayer and sacrifice and so on. But then the ceremonial elements are gradually narrowed down and pinpointed in a particular place in the temple worship, whereas the permanent ordinances are engaged in elsewhere. So from now on and throughout the rest of the book, there is anticipation, there is a build-up to the actual building of the Temple of the Lord. And that's the purpose of the book, to home in on that particular development. First of all then, zeal for God in the face of death. Zeal for God in the face of death. The first five verses. You'll see there, after he mentions some of the preparations, David, verse 5, said, Solomon, my son, is young and tender, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceeding magnificent, of fame and of glory throughout all countries. I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death. David knew that he would die. and he knew that he would die before the building of the temple. That Solomon, his son, was appointed by God to build the temple. But the greatest saints of God have cared about the kingdom of God on earth after their death and after their own passing into the presence of Christ. The greatest saints, although they look forward to the blessedness of being with Christ themselves, they care about the Kingdom of God on earth as it lies in their power to seek the advance of the Kingdom by what they do when they live and its bearing upon events when they die. So, for example, 2 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 1. I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. Preach the word. Be instant in season, out of season. reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. Verse 6, for I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand. So there the Apostle Paul is exhorting Timothy to be faithful. Paul himself knew that he was near death, that his life was coming to an end. but he exhorts Timothy to be faithful when he himself is no more in this world. So that the greatest saints of God do not say, well, I'm going to heaven so that's all there is to it. They seek to do what they can while they're still here to to seek the good of the church on earth. 2 Peter chapter 1, 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 14. Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me, moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able, after my decease, to have these things always in remembrance. So the Apostle Peter looked forward to glory with Christ but he is using what time remains for the good of the church on earth. And the Apostle Paul said to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. which I would choose, I would not. I'm a straight betwixt two. Having a desire to be with Christ, which is far better, but to remain is more needful for you. And the great men of the past, men like Calvin and Knox and so on, they charged those whom they left behind to keep the way of the Lord and to be faithful in their generation. And so David, although he faces death, he seeks to do what is still in his hand, to advance the work, to assist Solomon his son after his departure. So the strangers, in verse 2, those outside of Israel who were there, the workmen, are brought to to work as masons. The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew, translates the strangers as proselytes. But at any rate, they are brought to do work with the stone, and then there's a huge quantity of iron and brass. And then in verse 4, also cedar trees in abundance for the Zydonians, And they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David. The Zidonians are mentioned in this regard in 1 Kings chapter 5. And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father for Hiram was ever a lover of David, and Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, and then moving on to verse 6, Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon, and my servants shall be with thy servants, and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint. For thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians. So these were all the preparations that David engaged in toward the end of his life. In verse 5 he refers to Solomon as young and tender, that is, inexperienced and therefore in need of all the help that he could be given. David loved his son Solomon but, and perhaps he'd learned from the case of Absalom, He was not naive and he knew that he would need as much help as possible as David exerted himself in the Lord's cause before his death. And this also shows, contrary to the opinion of some, that Old Testament believers did have confidence concerning the world to come. Not as much was revealed about heaven and hell, but enough was revealed for them to face death with confidence. And it's difficult to explain this earthly usefulness of David in his declining years without such heavenly mindedness. David must have been heavenly minded to be engaged in such earthly usefulness towards the end of his life. He didn't believe that death was the end. Why would it matter what happened after his life in this world if death was all there was and that there was nothing beyond? The presupposition is that David did have hope beyond this life and that the Kingdom of God was eternal and therefore it did matter what Solomon did after David had died. This building, this house of the Lord was to be magnificent. It was to be magnificently built not because not to glorify David or Solomon or Israel, but as becomes that which was the earthly representation of the presence of God with His people. It wasn't to be shoddy and sloppy. There's nothing spiritual about sloppiness in the work of the Kingdom of God. Secondly, submission to the Lord. Submission to the Lord. Verse 6 down to verse 10. Verse 6, Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house unto the name of the LORD my God. But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars. Thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about, for his name shall be Solomon and you see from the margin that that means peaceable and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days he shall build a house for my name and he shall be my son and I will be his father and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever submission to the Lord David here recounts what God's word was to him in chapter 17. David's role was as a man of war and he was a type of Christ even as a man of war because the Lord himself calls himself a man of war and he will be a man of war to his and our enemies at the judgment day. And there was nothing amiss with David being a man of war. He fought the Lord's battles and at his command and his victories were given by the blessing of God. So when the Lord says he had shed much blood, it's not a criticism, it's simply pointing out what his role had been. and how it was therefore unfitting that he should build the house of the Lord. We might wonder why is that? Why was it unsuitable that David should build the house of the Lord? Yes, he was getting older and it could be argued he needed a younger man, but that's not the full explanation at all. We have noticed that the types of the Lord Jesus Christ are usually more especially confined to one aspect in a particular case. That is to say that in the Old Testament those types of Christ generally don't exhibit everything that is true to Christ, true of Christ. That you have to take all the types together And David shows Christ the conqueror, whereas Solomon shows Christ as the Prince of Peace. That's not absolutely true, but there is a tendency that one particular aspect is shown by one particular type. That's especially true with the priest and the king. They were kept separate in the Old Testament and there was judgment for the king who took upon himself the role of the priest. But Psalm 110 speaks of Christ as the Lord at the Father's right hand and as the priest forever after the order of Melchizedek because they both combine in the Lord Jesus. And to a certain extent that's true of other aspects of the typology of Christ. They all meet in Christ but the various types exhibit different factors, different aspects of Christ and his mediatorial work. And that's true of David and Solomon, that they both represent Christ the King, but different aspects of that kingship. And Solomon, whose name means peaceable, was to represent the Prince of Peace, Christ himself building his church by the Holy Spirit. And therefore it was through Solomon, peaceable, that the temple, the physical temple setting forth the building of the Church of God was to be built. But we should notice, first of all, the absence of all sourness in the Lord's work. as far as David is concerned, the absence of all sourness. The Lord did not allow him to build the temple and he wasn't even going to see it built. But that did not cause his zeal to abate nor prevent him from doing what he lawfully could while he was alive. The absence of sourness, when you think about it, that's quite something. That David was ready to build the temple and he was told, no, you're not going to do it. You're not even going to see it in your lifetime. Solomon will build it. And that even though Solomon was entering into David's labors. The peace and quietness mentioned at the end of verse 9. How did it come about? It came about through David's exertions. Behold a son shall be born to thee who shall be a man of rest and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about for his name shall be Solomon and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days. So David had done all the fighting as it were and Solomon came behind and the Lord says You're not building the temple, Solomon is. Solomon hadn't gone on to the field of battle, David had. And Solomon was entering into David's labors, that peace and quietness. But that peace and quietness and the victories of David are ascribed to the Lord. He's the author of it all. And so David willingly does what he can, while he's living, so that Solomon, who never fought a battle, could build the house of the Lord. Thirdly, a spiritual charge. A spiritual charge. Verse 11 to verse 16. Verse 11, Now, my son, the LORD be with thee, and prosper thou, and build the house of the LORD thy God, as he hath said to thee. He reminds Solomon of his dependence upon the LORD. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it, and that applied to this house in particular. David did not dote on his son as if he didn't need the Lord or as if he wasn't dependent upon the grace of God as if because he was David's son then mechanically, automatically and without need of grace he would be alright. He reminds Solomon of his need of the LORD, and he enjoins believing holiness. Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God. This he sees as essential, more even essential than the building preparations that David himself was engaging in. He desires that his son will be wise and understanding, that is wise and understanding in the law of the Lord. 1 Kings chapter 3 verse 9 gives us Solomon's request for wisdom on Kings 3 verse 9. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people that I may discern between good and bad for who is able to judge this thy so great a people. The wisdom that Solomon asks for is no different wisdom from that which David seeks upon his son. The wisdom that Solomon prays for is not some wisdom separate from the Word of God. The wisdom that Solomon is given is the ability to follow and to shrewdly and precisely apply the Word of God. In other words, it's not a wisdom divorced from the Bible. It was a wisdom to understand and apply, as accurately as possible, the Word of God and to discern where the truth of the matter lay. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. So when Solomon asked for wisdom, it wasn't a Bible-free wisdom, it was a Biblical wisdom. Yes, to discern people, but to apply the Word of God to the situation. Then look at the need of faith in verse 13. Then shalt thou prosper if thou takest heed to fulfill the statutes and judgments which the Lord charged Moses with concerning Israel. Be strong and of good courage, dread not, nor be dismayed." Why should he be dismayed? Well he should be dismayed if he looked at the size of the task in front of him and if he didn't believe that the Lord would bring this great work to pass according to His Word. If he didn't exercise faith in the Word of God, he would be dismayed, he would dread, he would be filled with apprehension because the task was huge and the number of things that could go wrong were a multitude but his trust was to be in the Lord and in his word. And then we have a head start. David gives him a head start in verse 14 to 16. Now behold in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the Lord a hundred thousand talents of gold and a thousand thousand talents of silver and of brass and iron without weight for it is in abundance. Timber also and stone have I prepared and thou mayst add there too. And then in verse 15 the workers are there and he reiterates in verse 16 the materials prepared. Parents generally want to give their children a head start, a good start but Above all, we should be seeking to give them a good start in the work of the Lord. Not that we can work in their hearts, only God can do that. But we should desire, above all else, that they will serve the Lord. And here, even in this particular work of the Lord, assigned to Solomon, David seeks to help him and to give him a good start. Well, fourthly, an exhortation to fellowship. An exhortation to fellowship. Verse 17 to the end. The Lord has been mindful of us and He will bless us still. That's the message of verse 18. Is not the Lord your God with you? And hath he not given you rest on every side? For he hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord and before his people. He's exhorting the princes to trust the Lord. The Lord has given them rest from their enemies, and the Lord will surely bless them in the building of this temple. He's saying that his God's former mercies should encourage them to trust him in the present and for the future. And he wants a fellowship of heart in the Lord, not mere outward activity. Verse 19, Arise therefore and build ye the sanctuary of the Lord God to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built to the name of the Lord. He says set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. Arise therefore and build. He doesn't say heart religion and don't bother doing anything. If their hearts were right, they would want to get on with the work appointed by the Lord. But he doesn't just want outward activity with no heart for it, but that they should trust the Lord and that they should be a body of leaders striving together for the faith of the Gospel. The lesson then is simple. All must be of one heart in the Lord and accepting of our various rules, but the same cause of the Lord and His truth should unite the people of God in the use of all their varying abilities and gifts. They must seek together the glory of the Lord. Amen.