Verse 8-9: God tells David, “Look. I appointed you to be a king and a warrior. I’ve gifted you and chosen you to lead My people, not to build a temple. You are a man of war, a fighter. You are a man for the trenches – a front line warrior.” (That was David’s function.) God is telling David, this is not for you. Have you ever experienced that?
Verse 12-13: But God isn’t finished there. He says something great to David. You will know the delight of having a son by whom the temple will be built. It won’t be through your efforts, but through your son the dream will be fulfilled.
Notice here that this is not a question of sin. This is not a punishment. It’s not a consequence of some wrong David has done. It’s a matter of function. Building a temple is not in God’s plan for David’s life. God is merely redirecting David’s plan. “I say no to you but yes to your son.”
We expect God to package His plan for us just like we would. We want our logic to be His. Think about it. David certainly had the means to build the temple. He was the king. He definitely had the resources and the vision. He even had the plan. But it was not God’s plan for his life. And if you skip down to verse 18, you will see that David humbly accepted God’s will.
But many people wouldn’t have reacted so graciously. Many times, when things don’t work out the way we think they should, we think something is wrong. We think God is punishing us or that He has abandoned us. We get angry and blame God. We get jealous of others when they pursue their goals. We lose faith. We question if we know God’s voice at all. But that’s not the case. This wasn’t punishment or the result of sin. It was a matter of function. It’s important to know your function so that you are operating fully in your gifts. We simply need to seek His plan for our lives; His will and His way for us to carry it out.
In your study time, read 2 Chron. 6:7-9. David’s son, Solomon, says it was in my father’s heart to build a house for God. God told him I would do it.
The Manna Chef 