Introduction:
A. Let’s begin with some statements from some great visionaries.
1. In 1859, Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist some drillers to help with his proposal to drill for oil. They said to him, “Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You’re crazy.”
2. In 1899, Charles Duell, Commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office said, “Everything that can be invented has been invented.”
3. In 1927, H.M. Warner, of Warner Brothers, said this about adding sound to movies, “Who wants to hear actors talk?”
4. In 1929, Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics at Yale University said, “Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.”
5. Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, said this in 1943: “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.”
6. In 1957, the editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall said, “I have travelled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won’t last out the year.”
7. In 1962, a representative at Decca Recording Company rejected the Beatles saying, “We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.”
8. In 1977, Ken Olson, President, Chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., said “There is no real need for sales people. Customers will be attracted to good products without assistance.”
9. Finally, in 1981, Bill Gates had this to say about the amount of memory needed in computers, “640K ought to be enough for anybody.”
10. My new laptop has a 300 G hard drive that is about 300 million K!
B. Predicting the future is almost impossible, but preparing for the future is indispensable.
1. I like what Michigan governor, Jennifer Granholm said, “Sometimes leadership is planting trees under whose shade you’ll never sit.”
2. As we turn our attention back to the story of David, we witness him doing just that – planting a tree under whose shade he will never sit.
3. What I’m referring to is the preparations he made for the temple that he was not allowed to build.
4. Our story for today comes from 1 Chronicles 22.
I. The Story
A. The Bible says: Then David said, “The house of the LORD God is to be here, and also the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”
So David gave orders to assemble the aliens living in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God. He provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed. He also provided more cedar logs than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought large numbers of them to David.
David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.
Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God. But this word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’ ” (1 Chron. 22:1-10)
1. As we have seen, David had a great heart for God, and it was his desire to build a temple for the Lord that would bring glory and honor to God.
2. But as we saw in a previous sermon, and as we see here in this text, God said “no, you are not the one to build a temple for Me.”
3. It is a great tribute to the character of David that he did not take offense to this arrangement.
4. David did not sulk around or make an angry tirade against God for not granting him this great honor at the end of his life.
5. Nor does it appear that he was the least bit jealous of his son Solomon who would have the honor of building the temple.
6. Rather, David accepted the Lord’s decision and threw his enormous energy and expertise into preparations for the temple.
7. This generous attitude and gracious spirit of wholehearted support stand as a great and noble monument to the legacy of this man of God.
B. As we see from this text, it was God who in His sovereignty selected Solomon to be David’s successor to the throne.
1. When this second child was born to Bathsheba, he was called Solomon – The Peaceable One.
a. Solomon sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for peace.
2. At the time of Solomon’s birth, God sent word through Nathan the prophet that Solomon should also be called Jedidiah – beloved of the Lord.
3. Scholars estimate that Solomon is about 17 years old at this time when David summoned him.
4. Isn’t that amazing, at this age when many teenagers are exercising their youth and are bucking against parental authority, David was laying upon his son one of the weightiest responsibilities ever given to a youth of his years.
C. This certainly was not an easy assignment.
1. Altogether it would take roughly 14 years to accomplish.
2. The first 7 years would be taken up with meticulous gathering of materials and preparation.
3. The second 7 years would be consumed in the actual construction of the temple.
4. The exact blueprints and plans were given directly to David from God – and just like the instructions given to Moses, they were not to be altered or modified.
5. Another interesting aspect to the projects difficulty was that the temple was to be constructed in complete silence without the sound of any hammer or metal tool at the site.
6. That was no small feat – one which no contractor in the world today would likely undertake at any price.
D. The story continues, and the Bible says: “Now, my son, the LORD be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the LORD your God, as he said you would. May the LORD give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the LORD your God. Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
“I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the LORD a hundred thousand talents of gold, a million talents of silver, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone. And you may add to them. You have many workmen: stonecutters, masons and carpenters, as well as men skilled in every kind of work in gold and silver, bronze and iron—craftsmen beyond number. Now begin the work, and the LORD be with you.”
Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. He said to them, “Is not the LORD your God with you? And has he not granted you rest on every side? For he has handed the inhabitants of the land over to me, and the land is subject to the LORD and to his people. Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the LORD.” (1 Chron. 22:11-19)
1. David gave Solomon such a wonderful blessing and reminder. David told him…
a. The Lord will be with you.
b. The Lord will give you discretion and understanding.
c. But you must follow all the Lord’s commandments.
d. You must be strong and courageous, and must not be afraid or discouraged.
e. What an encouraging and challenging speech!
2. But beyond the words, David had been at work making great preparations.
a. He opened huge quarries under the city of Jerusalem where magnificent white limestone could be precut in huge blocks to fit exactly in place at the temple.
b. David assembled colossal quantities of iron, brass, bronze, silver and gold.
c. David had cedar wood brought from the high mountains of Lebanon. The trees had to be cut in the high country, hauled down to the sea, floated along the coast, and then cut into suitable lumber closer to the building site.
d. It is estimated that at one stage no fewer than 80 thousand men were engaged in securing timber for the temple.
3. It is very hard to estimate the value of all the raw materials that were put into the temple in today’s currency values.
4. A conservative guess and most modest appraisal would put a minimum value of at least 100 billion dollars.
5. David accumulated all this and had it on hand, ready for Solomon to take over.
6. But in addition to these physical supplies, David also used his influence to pave the way for Solomon’s leadership.
a. David ordered all the leaders of Israel – which I assume included some of Solomon’s older siblings – to give Solomon their loyal support.
7. In 1 Chronicles 23-27, we see David organizing and assigning key people to work as priests, singers and soldiers.
8. From all of this we see that David literally did everything he could to make preparations for Solomon and for the temple.
9. And on top of all that, David tried to instill in Solomon the same enthusiasm and ambition that David had for the Lord and for the temple.
10. David used every possible means open to him to inspire the young prince to catch the vision of what he could do to exalt the Lord his God.
E. We know that David had not been a perfect king, husband or father – he had made more than his share of mistakes and trespasses, but in spite of all that, he never turned completely away from the Lord.
1. He always repented and turned back to the Lord, and attempted to do better.
2. That’s one of the reasons he was called a man after God’s own heart.
3. David’s attempts to inspire and direct Solomon made an initial impact on Solomon.
4. When God made an incredible offer to give Solomon whatever he wanted, Solomon made a good and spiritual choice – he asked God for wisdom.
5. God was so pleased, He granted Solomon wisdom and a whole lot more.
6. Solomon did follow through with building the temple, and it truly brought glory to God.
7. So David’s hopes were realized, and at least initially, David’s zeal for the Lord was passed on to Solomon.
8. Unfortunately, later Solomon was not as faithful to the Lord as he had been in his early reign as king.
II. The Application
A. The question I want to challenge us with today is – what kind of legacy are we leaving our children and grandchildren?
1. What kind of example are we leaving them to follow?
2. What kind of vision for serving the Lord are we instilling in them?
3. Are we passing on to them a love for the Lord and for the things of the Lord?
4. Are we inspiring them to serve the Lord whole-heartedly?
B. Are we helping them understand that serving the Lord involves a whole lot more than warming a pew on Sunday mornings?
1. Are we helping them embrace the notion that each of us is an ambassador for Christ? That each of us are called into the ministry?
2. Are we encouraging them to consider a life of full-time ministry as ministry couples and missionaries?
3. Are we instilling in them the hope of someday becoming a bible class teacher, or an elder or deacon or wife of an elder or deacon?
4. Are we helping them understand that if they will devote themselves completely to the Lord, then God will lead and bless their lives?
C. King David was all about passing on his zeal for the Lord to Solomon.
1. He was all about inspiring Solomon to build a sanctuary for the Lord.
2. We are called not to build a sanctuary for God, but to be a sanctuary for God.
3. We sing a great little chorus that speaks about this: “Oh, Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary. Pure and holy; tried and true. With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living sanctuary for you.”
D. We live in such a secular culture and our kids are inundated with worldly things.
1. But the reality is that everything around us is temporary – all the sports, the business, the entertainment, the popularity, the social gatherings, every bit of it will one day be gone.
2. But what will remain are the things of God.
3. God, his kingdom and his people are what will last for all eternity.
4. It is so sad when we as parents put too much emphasis on the earthly and not on the eternal.
5. We might want our kids to have better homes, cars, education and jobs than we had, because we think that will lead to a better life, but how wrong we can be.
6. What about wanting them to know God even better than we have known Him?
7. What about wanting them to walk with God even more faithfully than we have?
E. So how do we do that? How can we inspire our kids to have a zeal for the Lord?
1. We must start with our own selves – our lives must first be dedicated to God.
2. We must allow the blood of Jesus to wash away our sins and to purify us from all that keeps us from having godly desires and involvement.
3. We must become a sanctuary for God and allow everything in our lives to bring glory to God.
4. We must let our kids see God’s love, grace and holiness come shining through us.
5. We must let them see us walking with God in Bible study and prayer.
6. They need to see us walking with God as we face our victories and defeats, triumphs and tragedies.
6. They need to see us dedicating our time, effort and finances to spiritual things.
7. As we do these things, then we are setting an example for our children and for the generations to follow.
F. In 1961, John F. Kennedy said these words in his inaugural address: “Let the word go forth from this time and place…to friend and foe alike…that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans...born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage...and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today...at home and around the world. Let every nation know...whether it wishes us well or ill...that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty. This much we pledge...and more.”
1. I like the spirit that he captured in those words.
2. It is a spirit of commitment and a spirit of self-sacrifice.
3. I’m hoping that all of us will have that kind of zeal for the things of God, and I’m hoping that we can instill that kind of zeal in our kids.
4. Let me reword his statement to embrace our spiritual commitment. I want us to be able to declare…“Let the word go forth from this time and place…to friend and foe alike…that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Christians living in our secular society…Let it be known that we are proud of our Lord Jesus and His Word and His body, the church…let every person know that we will pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of the church. This much we pledge and more!”
5. Is that the commitment we are willing to embrace and embody so that our kids might do the same?
G. There’s a powerful story from many years ago of a brave 14 year-old boy who stood in a corner watching someone being burned at the stake for their religious beliefs in Smithfield, England.
1. As the fire was about to be lit, a man who knew the boy’s family and their strong religious convictions said to the boy, “What are you doing here?”
2. The boy replied, “I’m learning the way!”
3. What kind of religious “ways” are our kids learning from us?
H. Harry Emerson Fosdick, well-known preacher in the 20th century, said: “Every preacher has his dream and this is mine: that not only will many of us ordinary men and woman have the spirit of the cross in our common days. But that there may be here some special young man or young woman, a youth of distinguished possibility for whom God is especially looking. When out into this generation such a young person moves ready to do what nobody has any right to expect, the whole world is changed. Oh young person like that, remember: the greatest things haven’t yet been done; the greatest music hasn’t been composed; the greatest books haven’t been written; the greatest discoveries in science haven’t been made; the greatest advances in social and spiritual life have not been achieved; the greatest triumphs of the spirit have not been yet won. They wait the coming of the right men and women, distinguished by a common characteristic: They yield obedience to the unenforceable laws.”
1. Oh that we can inspire that kind of zeal and hope and commitment in the next generation.
2. That’s what David did with Solomon and that’s what we must do with our children.
3. May we all yield obedience to the unenforceable law of Christ – the law of love.
4. May Christ’s love compel every one of us to give up our lives that He might live through us.
5. That’s the right way to glorify God. That’s the right way to build for the future.
Resources:
David: The Shepherd King (II), by W. Phillip Keller, Word Books, 1986
“Building the Sanctuary” Sermon by James May, SermonCentral.com
