King David gave an offer to God that seemed like it would be too good for God to pass up. He wanted to build a temple for God (2 Samuel 7:1-5 NKJV). What a great thought. So commendable for anyone to take such an important step. 

But the problem is that the motivation that drove David to do this was that of guilt. David had already built a mansion for himself, and building a temple for God was only an afterthought. In his statement he reveals the comparison that he lived in a “house of cedar” while God’s ark was in a tent. 

Although Nathan the prophet initially told David to go ahead and begin the building project, God spoke to Nathan and declared that he doesn’t want David to build a temple. God said to David, “Would YOU build a house for me to dwell in?” (v.5) He also said: “For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle” (v. 6)

Later, God says “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What house will you build for me? says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest?” (Acts 7:44-50) From God’s response, it is clear that no one can build a dwelling for God to rest. It is impossible. God never wanted that. He wanted to dwell with the people. He wanted to dwell in their hearts, not a building, no matter how magnificent. 

In Ezra 3:12, when the older men saw the new temple’s foundation, they wept aloud as they had seen the former temple. After 70 years of exile in Babylon, when the temple was rebuilt, the elders cried for the glory of the former temple. It seems they never cried about the people leaving the covenant God made with them. But it is clear that the focus had already shifted from God to the temple. 

In Mark 13:1,2, when the disciples saw the temple, they were awed by its magnificence. But Jesus clearly alerted them that before long, not one stone would be left on another. This magnificent structure will be destroyed by Israel’s enemies. The glory of their nation was based on the great structures of the land instead on the God who made them a nation in the first place. Let’s be careful to keep God in the center of our faith, and every aspect of our lives. 
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