The Lord made David king over Israel because David loved the Lord greatly. Therefore, the Lord gave him rest from all of his enemies and blessed him greatly. When David considered all the things the Lord had done for him, it came into his heart to do something in return for the Lord.

Seeing that his own dwelling place was a large house made of cedar and that the ark of God resided in a tabernacle made of curtains, David determined to build a house for the Lord, and he told Nathan the prophet what he proposed to do.

That same night, the Lord spoke to Nathan and sent him back to David with a message reminding him of their respective positions: God as Almighty and David a mere man who, without God, was nothing.

Emphasizing that even the heavens cannot contain the Lord, let alone an earthly house, the Lord told David there was nothing he could do that the Lord could not do for Himself infinitely greater. Nevertheless, the Lord honored David’s desire and said to him, “Whereas it was in thine heart to build a house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.”

The Lord reciprocated David’s desire to honor Him by promising that He would build David a house, an everlasting one. And that through his seed would come the Messiah, whose kingdom would be an everlasting kingdom and his throne would endure forever; he would raise up a house for the Lord.

David was not allowed to build a house for the Lord because he had shed much blood. However, he spent the rest of his life gathering and preparing everything his son would need to build the Lord’s house.

The promise given to David was twofold: David’s son Solomon did indeed build the House of the Lord in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord, but the greater promise was fulfilled in the house that the Messiah—who was both the Son of David and the Son of God—would build. Jesus Christ spoke of the temple he would build, saying, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The temple he was speaking of was his body. (John 2:19)

Jesus declared his fleshly body the house of God. His words were proven true when he rose from the dead in the flesh by the Spirit three days after he was crucified. All those who receive Him into their hearts are also risen houses of God: “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” This is the true House of the Lord, where the Spirit of God resides: his people.

The first temple was built by Solomon and the second by Zerubbabel, both of which were built by the hands of men. They are now forever gone, but the final temple made without hands shall never be destroyed.

We are called to be laborers together with Christ in building the temple made without hands. We are to enlarge the House of the Lord through bringing others into His house—“in my Father’s house are many mansions”—houses within God’s house.

The Apostle Paul stated, “According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he builds thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Jesus Christ is the cornerstone upon which we are to build His temple. If we love God, as David did, we will also desire to build a house for the Lord. But like David, who are we to think we can build a house for God? In and of ourselves, no one is worthy or capable of building anything for God but Himself alone.

Thank God that through Jesus Christ, one has come who is worthy, and as David prepared all things for the building, so also Christ prepared all the things, giving Himself for the foundation and the chief Corner Stone.

It is enough that we are given the privilege of partaking in the building of His House. Arise and build! This is the vocation given to us in Christ, which calls us to glorify God by working in Him and Him working in us as we build the House of the Lord and enlarge His palaces for His holy everlasting habitation.