“I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men of the earth.”
– 1 Chronicles 17:8
Hi James and Ellen,
If there was only enough building material available to build one shelter, would you use the available building material to build a shelter for yourself or would you use the available building material to build a shelter for God’s presence to reside in on planet Earth? If there were two shelters side by side with one shelter having been built using cedar and the other shelter being a tent, which shelter would you take and which shelter would you leave for God’s presence to reside in on planet Earth? If you were already living in a shelter that had been built using cedar while God’s presence on planet Earth was residing in a tent, how would you feel about that? After David using cedar built a palace for himself, David decided that God’s presence on planet Earth – which was in the ark of the covenant, be moved from a tent to a temple. The Chronicler recounts in his Chronicles Book – in 1 Chronicles 17, the dialogues between first David and Nathan – then between Nathan and God – as God the Father, – then again between Nathan and David and then finally between David and God – as God the Father. The first conversation that David has with Nathan – who God – as God the Father, assigned as a prophet to hold David accountable, has the historian – who chronicled David’s tenure as a king and the early rule of Solomon while he and David ruled as kings over the guys and gals who lived in the land area of Israel, has David frankly telling Nathan that he is uncomfortable living in a palace of cedar while God’s presence on planet Earth is living under a tent. Nathan’s response to David is to tell David to listen for the voice of God – as God the Father, to guide him as to what to do. Nathan gets a direct word from God – as God the Father, that night telling him that he was going to have to go back to David to tell David that he was not going to be the guy who would build something significant for Him. God – as God the Father, explained to Nathan that because of He having to live itinerantly on planet Earth ever since He brought His specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people guys and gals, out of the country of Egypt – which was over 400 years earlier that . . . God – as God the Father, then told Nathan in verse 8 to tell David that He was Who had taken him from being a sheepherder to being king over the Israelite people groups guys and gals, “I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men of the earth.” God – as God the Father, then – through Nathan, promised David that He will always continually plant His specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group guys and gals, in the land that He gave them to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . .
If God – as God the Father, told Nathan – when He instructed Nathan what to tell David, why He was not going to permit David to build a permanent shelter for Him, Nathan decided to omit those words as he chronicled what God – as God the Father, told him and what he told David – which Nathan summarized in a single verse the entire revelation that he received from God – as God the Father. God – as God the Father, also had Nathan explain to David that there will be a day – because of him, that wicked aliens will no longer oppress His specially chosen guys and gals and that one of David’s offspring – who would be like a son to Him who He would always love, will have the blessed opportunity to build for Him a permanent construction where He will be always worshipped. What is your reaction when you are told that you will not be allowed to do what you have set your heart in doing? After Nathan relayed to David the projected plans that God – as God the Father, had for building a permanent structure for His earthbound presence, the conversation that David then had before the presence of God – as God the Father, portrays David as being humbled by what God – as God the Father, told Nathan to tell him – that he just cannot get his arms around his perception of God – as God the Father, looking at him being the most exalted of men. David tells God that he knows that there is no one like Him. David senses that what God said would really happen about his family being established as servant leaders forever over His specially chosen guys and gals. All that David asked God to do was that He keep His promises. This was really a rhetorical request by David as David already knew from his own life experience portfolio that God will always do what He has said that He will do but . . .
How would you describe David in three words? David’s tombstone will have ‘man of God’ chiseled into it. David’s reputation when he lived on planet Earth was being a ‘man of war’. How would you describe yourselves in three words? How would you describe your dad in three words starting with man? Three words that might describe Solomon are ‘man of peace’, ‘man of rest’ and ‘man of knowledge’. Your grandmaa and grandpaa hope that when they are no longer planet Earth bound that they will be remembered for having an intimate relationship with God versus what they did during their planet Earth assignment. Even though David wanted to have a literal shelter built for God’s presence, David at some point in his life unconditionally gave his heart to God for a dwelling place for God to live. Even though David’s life focus had to always be on waging war, David maintained a heart focus that always revered God. The only home that God wants to reside in is your heart, so . . . always listen for God’s voice.
1 Chronicles 17 (1090)