The Burden Not Meant To Be

“But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou [hast been] a man of war, and hast shed blood.” (1Ch 28:3 AV)

I had always thought the reason God did not allow David to build Him a house was because of something he did wrong.  I thought perhaps the shedding of blood was in reference to Uriah the Hittite.  However, cross referencing to 1Chron 22:8, the shedding of blood had to do with all the wars David campaigned.  It wasn’t something David did wrong that disqualified him from building the temple.  It simply was not the calling God had for David.

It makes perfect sense.  If David, a king of war, erected the temple, it would have had a completely different meaning.  As the conquering King, this temple would have been seen as a temple erected in honor of a God who gives victory on the battle field.  It would have been a memorial (at least in the eyes of the heathen) to all the losses which they had suffered.  Not the right optics for a nation that wishes to be the nation which was supposed to bring the world unto the one true God.  In short, it was not David’s calling.  He was not disqualified from building the temple because he did something wrong.  He was disallowed because he was doing something right.  The two callings simply do not mix.

In the mind of David, he saw no contradiction.  That is because he knew and walked with the God of grace but also warred for Him.  He could understand the balance.  But those around him could not.  Specially those who did not know the LORD as well as he did. Sometimes, no matter how deep something might be in our heart, it is not the will of the LORD because He has given us a different calling.  Although there might be disappointment on David’s part, he understood that his place in life was not conducive to what he desired in his heart.