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Shortly before his death , David delegated the task of building the temple to his son Solomon. Taking a look at David Final words of encouragement to Solomon allows us to gain a deeper understanding of the answers to these questions:
''As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind;for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary;be strong , and do it .''( 1 Chr 28:9-10,emphasis added)
A loyal heart and willing mind--let's try to think about what these words mean concretely . We may have a general and abstract idea of what the heart and mind are, but what are they exactly?
In the Bible , the Hebrew word for the ''heart'' (leb) means not just our inner man or feelings, but also resolution, determination and inclination. The Hebrew word for ''mind''(nephesh) refers to our own self, our soul , desire, and passion. Today the word ''heart'' is often used to encompass all of these attributes.
Now let's look at ''loyal'' and ''willing.'' ''Loyal'' is translated from the Hebrew word for '' perfect''(shalem) , meaning complete, whole, full , and in some cases peaceful.
''Willing'' is particularly interesting because 1 Chronicles 28:9 is the only verse in Bible where the Hebrew word (chaphets) is translated that way. The word itself actually means , and in other verses is translated as , desiring, delighting in , or having pleasure in.
Now let's put those words together again. Loyal heart -a complete resolution. Willing mind-a desiring soul .Take a few moments to let the definitions and concepts sink in.
David encouraged Solomon to serve God with a perfect, complete , and peaceful resolution, with every inclination of his heart . He counseled Solomon not to be willing in the sense of the word today, but to desire and delights in serving God . Why?
Because before God, the heart and mind are transparent .God can see every distinct purpose in the mind and distinguish between every inclination of the heart . Finally , David exhorted Solomon simply to '' be strong'' in building the temple of God , to carry out the task with urgency and firm resolve.
So what does David's encouragement to Solomon have to do with what David was giving to God? Looking in 1 Chronicles chapter 29, we see that after David and the people of Israel dedicated their gold and silver, they were joyful bcos they had offered willingly and with a loyal heart (1 Chr 29:9). As a result, David offered a prayer of praise ,acknowledging God's greatness , providence , and glory .
And then David made the following plea :
O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own.I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me , in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things ; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You. O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel , our fathers, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people , and fix their heart toward You.And give my son Solomon a loyal heart to keep Your commandments and Your testimonies and Your statutes, to do all these things , and to build the temple for which I have made provision.''(1 Chr 29:16-19 , emphasis added).
On the surface , we see that David passed his wealth of material resources to Solomon for him to use to build the temple ( an extensive list in in 1 Chronicles 28 :11-19).What we often fail to see is that David really tried to pass something else to his son and to the rest of Israel. something David know was of much greater importance -his own heart.
David had a perfect and willing heart. Building the temple of God would have been glorifying to God and for David himself, but every inclination in his mind and heart was for God alone.Because of that, he could accept God's refusal with a peaceful resolution to make preparations rather than with confused discouragement.
He knew that the complete and delightful heart behind the construction of the temple was what precious in God's eyes, because everything he and the people could physically offer came from and already belonged to God.
He knew that when the temple was complete, God wasn't going to make an inspection of it to see that all the right measurements were made, all the correct materials were used , and all the rooms were properly furnished . He was going to make an investigation of the heart.
That's why David prayed that Solomon and the Israelites would forever keep that perfect and willing heart fixed on God- it was the only thing they could really give and what God ultimately looked at.
to be continue
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