The Life of David and His Legacy

WELCOME
PRAYER
WORD SET TO MUSIC
PRAYER

Key Scripture: Acts 7.46-50

Stephan's Speech on David

May 22nd 2016
Milk

Okay, we’re going to push forward now to verse 50. Thus far Stephan has mentioned Abraham, Moses, and Joseph, and last week we left off last week with him mentioning . . . David. King David. And speaking of David this is what Stephan said –

46 Who found favor before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
47 But Solomon built him a house.
48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,
49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
50 Hath not my hand made all these things?

David's Early Life and Anointing

Okay, back to verse 46 where Stephan says, speaking of David: 46 Who found favor before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

Let’s talk about David a minute before we push toward the end of this chapter and Stephan’s short-lived (but meaningful) Christian life. David (pronounced Dawveed in Hebrew) and means, beloved – taken from the root word love, and is mentioned 969 times in scripture. Moses? 784. Abraham? 230. Joseph? Around 200. The only name mentioned more than David is Jesus. So he and his life are obviously vital to the nation of Israel and the establishment of God’s salvation to the world.

Quickly, he was the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, born in, and a citizen of, Bethlehem. We don’t know his mom's name but some think she was the Nahash mentioned in 2nd Samuel 17:25. We do know he was red-haired, with beautiful eyes and a handsome face. His early occupation was that of tending his father's sheep on the uplands of Judah. There he learned a number of lessons from nature including fending off wild beasts to defend his flock – including a bear and a lion.

While David was out tending his flocks, Samuel the prophet, led by the Holy Spirit, paid a visit to his father Jesse. There in Bethlehem, he called all the Elders of Israel together (including all of Jesse’s family), offered sacrifice to God, and sought for the One God had chosen to lead Israel as a King in place of Saul, who was the people’s choice. None of those who Samuel saw pleased him and so they called for David from the fields and Samuel immediately recognized him as the chosen of God to replace Saul who was departing from the truth.

In anticipation of the time when David would take the throne, Samuel poured oil on the boy's head (anointing him King) and then David went back again to his shepherd life but scripture says that "the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward," and that "the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul."

David's Rise to Fame

In this we have a number of applications to us and how God works for we see that long before David took the throne he was anointed and called by God. We also see that God called David knowing that he would not be perfect, but that he was a man after God’s own heart (which I interpret as David being a man that pursues God and not as a man created with the heart of God). You may differ.

Not long after being anointed David was sent to soothe the troubled spirit of Saul by playing his harp. Saul suffered from a strange melancholy and David played so well that Saul was cheered up and began to appreciate David who returned home to Bethlehem but in short order rose to fame among the Nation.

How? He came in and slew a giant that everyone else feared. His victory caused a jealousy in Saul which, once conceived, he began to seek for ways to take David’s life. Nothing worked but David had to go on the lamb to escape Saul’s efforts. To make a very long but engaging story short, Saul pursued David over a long time, but David would not retaliate and take Saul’s life – though he had a couple of opportunities. In the end, David did overcome and took the throne as Israel’s King. He was about thirty when this occurred.

David's Reign and Legacy

Once king over all of Israel, David sought to move the seat of power from Hebron to a Jebusite fortress that ultimately became Jerusalem, known as “the City of Peace” and/or “The City of David.” At this point, David sought to bring the Ark that Moses created to his new capital of Jerusalem and David.

The Tabernacle and David's Desire

This is what Stephan was referring to in verse 46 of Acts 7 when he says, speaking of David:

46 Who found favor before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

Once he set the ark in the newly created tabernacle, David (according to 1 Chronicles 16:1-43) carefully set in order all the ritual of divine worship at Jerusalem calling Abiathar as the high priest and a new religious era began for the Nation of Israel. Here it seems that the service of “praise” was first introduced into public worship. With David being a musician this makes sense. And the temple mount (and/or Zion) became, "God's holy hill."

David's Human Nature and Desires

We could go into the wars David had to fight. We could talk about his failures as a man with Bathsheba or counting the armies of Israel. We could talk about the really heart-wrenching internal warfare he experienced with his own wives and children – his dark days. But in the end, David was truly a human being – a man – who was after God’s own heart. He tried to do well. He sought to glorify God. And he repented quickly and with tears over his failures.

In the end, and not as a type for the Savior who would come through him, David was what scripture describes as a “man of blood.” Because of this and it standing in such opposition to the man God would send to save us, David was not allowed to build God a permanent house – something he really desired to do.

This is why Stephan here first says in verse 46:

“David found favor before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. (verse 47) but Solomon built him an house.”

Again we recall, from the last passages of chapter six that these Jewish leaders had “set up false witnesses against Stephan (which said), “This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: for we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.”

The Building of God's House

And so Stephan here brings us to how the house of God – the temple – came into being by first mentioning David, who desired to make God a house, but then Stephan adds:

47 But Solomon built him an house.

Before we move on with Solomon and the temple (house) he built, let me touch on just some of the types or pictures the life of David offers of the Messiah.

1 Sam 17.12 Born in Bethlehem Matt 2.1 Both Shepherds
2 Sam 24.17 Called his people "sheep" John 10.14 Both Slew Giants
2 Sam 2.4 Anointed Acts 4.27
2 Sam 6.69 Afraid of Jehovah Luke 12.5
2 Sam 12.23 Fasted Matt 4.2
2 Sam 3.36 Both called Good Mark 10.17
2 Sam 19.9 Deliverer Luke 2.11
2 Sam 19.22 Called his follower Satan Matt 16.23
2 Sam 3.39 King Rev 17.14
2 Sam 7.16 Throne forever Heb 1.8
2 Sam 7.19 Servant of Jehovah Isa 42.1
Ps 69.9 Zealous for true worship John 2.17
2 Sam 7.9 Jehovah cut off enemies Ps 110.2
2 Sam 16.8 Mocked Luke 22.63
2 Sam 19.1 Wept John 11.35
2 Sam 19.27 As an angel Gal 4.14
2 Sam 22.39 Will break enemies Ps 2.9
2 Sam 23.2 Spoke by Holy Spirit Luke 4.1
2 Sam 23.5 Had a covenant with God Luke 22.29

As a man of war and blood – things Jesus was opposite of in the flesh but embodied in the Spirit, David was not allowed to build God a house. Nevertheless, David helped to gather and prepare the principal materials that would be used to build this house for God, which unlike the tabernacle before it, was a permanent and single structure and would be built by David’s son Solomon.

47 But Solomon built him an house.

Concepts of Temples and Creation

Now, I want to point out a progression (or a digression, depending on how you look at it) some things about temples. When God created the earth and placed man upon it He made man in His image. There are a lot of ideas about what this actually means – some say God has a body and man was made to reflect this anthropomorphic image of God. But scripture says God is spirit so we can set that idea aside. Others say that man was made

The Image of God in Human Beings

In the image of God meaning only human beings possess His “communicable attributes” like justice, mercy, selfless love, ability to compute, forgive, etc. This may be true in part. Then some say that human beings are made in the image of the Trinitarian God of three in one. That God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit and human beings are body, soul and spirit. I strongly relate to this position not from the strict Trinitarian sense but God has revealed His singular self to us at Father, Son and Spirit just as we reveal ourselves to others through our body, souls and spirits, so to me I see our being made in His image the most in this respect.

Once man fell and died spiritually God established connection to the human race through a specifically designed tabernacle. It was built as one tabernacle (that was portable) and consisted of three parts – an outer court, an inner court, and the Holy of Holies. In my estimation these three rooms correlate to the outer body of man, the soul of man and the spirit of man (or the Holy of Holies) where God would come once a year and receive the offering of blood presented by the singular high priest.

The Temporary and Permanent Houses of God

What Stephan is saying here is that David wanted to build God a house – a permanent house, instead of a portable tabernacle. Now God designed both. The first with extreme efficiency and a minimalist amount of materials but with ornate materials none the less). These things – like the prophets and people who attended to them – are all material types of a future spiritual reality. If we lose sight of this we are missing the import of all Jesus said and did. In other words what we are witnessing is first a deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God. of the Spiritual (in Adam and Eve), a temporary appeal to the material (in the tabernacle) and growing emphasis in the material (in terms of the cost and grandeur of Solomon’s temple (which represented the height of the Nation of Israel) then to its utter material destruction (as foretold by Jesus when He walked the earth) to the heavenly fulfillment that all these things represented in true believers today. So here Stephan, having brought us up to David and his desires, now introduces Solomon – and the temple he was allowed to create.

The Instructions for Building Sacred Spaces

The first temple built by Solomon was constructed from plans given by God to David and David gave them to Solomon. We know that when it came to Moses and the tabernacle that he was given instructions for the tent that God wanted him to construct. When Moses was up in Mount Sinai God showed him the exact “pattern” of the Tabernacle including all the instruments that were to be used within it. This is what we read:

“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that gives it willingly with his heart you shall take my offering. …

And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, after the pattern [tabneeth] of the tabernacle, and the pattern [tabneeth] of all the instruments thereof, even so shall you make it.’”

The Hebrew word tabneeth (for “pattern”) is translated elsewhere translated with the words likeness, form, similitude and figure. Listen – without doubt the meaning of the word indicates something that has “a likeness or a similarity to the final product or to an original.”

The author of Hebrews clearly states that while Moses was on Mt. Sinai he saw a representation of the heavenly tabernacle and wrote, speaking of the high priest that worked in the tabernacle:

“Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, ‘See,’ says he, ‘that you make all things according to the pattern showed to you in the mount.’”
Hebrews 8:5

After describing all the instruments Moses should make for the Tabernacle, God concludes by saying,

“And look that you make them after their pattern [tabniyth], which was showed you in the mount.”
Exodus 25:40

So we know that these things Moses was actually shown by God on Mt. Sinai were specifically mandated by God to be made THAT way. When David was near death he had Solomon, prince and heir to the throne (and chosen by God according to 1 Chronicles 28:5) to be brought before him with all the people of Israel.

The Temple of God: A Divine Blueprint

Attending. There all were told some important information concerning the construction of the Temple that God would allow Solomon to build.

“And you, Solomon my son, … Take heed now; for the Lord hath chosen you to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.”
1 Chronicles 28:9–10

Then David gave Solomon “the pattern” of the Temple. This pattern was the design that David himself intended to use to build the Temple and David made it clear that Solomon was to use the same pattern that David wished to use. So while Solomon would actually construct the Temple, it would be the design that David intended. We read in 1st Chronicles 28: “Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern [tabniyth] of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlors thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat, And the pattern [tabneeth] of all that he had “by the spirit,” of the courts of the house of the Lord, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things: Also [David gave to Solomon the pattern] “for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and for all the vessels of service in the house of the Lord.”
1 Chronicles 28:11–13

God even specified the weight in gold and silver for the various implements and tools used for the future Temple service! Do we think this stuff was all arbitrary and meaningless. If it was God would have just told David to make this or that and they would have done it. But no – exact Tabneeth. All were part of “the pattern” including “the courses of the priests and the Levites.” That is a great amount of detail.
1 Chronicles 28:11–18

Detailed Instructions from God

Now listen to this. David spoke this not only to Solomon but to all Israel assembled before him. This is what David said:

“‘All [this,’ said David], ‘the Lord made me understand in writing by his [God’s] hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern [tabniyth].’”
1 Chronicles 28:19

This is really amazing! David states precisely that God gave this information to him “by the spirit” (verse 12) and “in writing by His hand upon me… the works of this pattern” (verse 19). In other words, the information that David received is apparently as detailed as the instructions were that were given to Moses for the Tabernacle made centuries before!

Again, how did David say he got the instructions? “by the spirit” (verse 12) and “in writing by His hand upon me… the works of this pattern” And remember that Moses also received the tablets of stone on Sinai that were “written with the finger of God.” In Moses case, while he was receiving instructions from God the people (as we learned last week) took their earrings and made a golden calf to worship. After they repented and Moses built the portable tabernacle the people used their gold and silver to make it.

Here David asked the people to participate in building a permanent house by giving their treasure for God’s Temple and they responded generously.
1 Chronicles 29:1–19

Preparation of the First Permanent Temple

Note something final in the construction of this first permanent temple. It was prepared according to “The Pattern of the Temple” that God provided through David. God also prepared the location of the Temple through David choosing to move the seat of Government from Hebron to Jerusalem. God, through David, prepared for David a son whom he chose to construct it. God prepared the measurements and the weight specifications of everything about it. God prepared a time of peace so the Temple could be constructed. God prepared, through David, all the materials for the Temple. And God even designated the format of services that were done inside of it.

Just before His ascension into heaven Jesus told His disciples He was going to prepare a place for them.
John 14:2–3

These were final, eternal, spiritual He was preparing for all who are His. Scripture is CLEAR – clear – that God’s temple is now within us and we will abide in it after this life. If God was specific in all his ways and preparations for the physical temple made with hands we can know for certain that our place in God’s Living Temple was prepared with far greater care. That God, through Christ Jesus, has prepared a place for us but He…

God's Design: Our Responsibility

does not build it – no more than he built the temple. We do the labors (in the Spirit and according to His written specifications), by and through our allowing His Holy Spirit to work in and through us and our following His written instructions. This was modeled by Moses and by David materially for us to apply to ourselves spiritually. This approach really confuses people at times. They wonder “How does this work?” “What does this look like?’

Let me give you an illustration that might help.

The Physical and Spiritual World

THE PHYSICAL WORLD LIKE THE PLANS THESE ARE ALL GOD OUR CHOICE/PART OF WHICH WE DO NOTHING

Our hair type Grooming style and length Our facial beauty or unattractiveness Make-up and hygiene Our body configurations Fitness and health Our intelligence Information/knowledge gained Core personality traits Attitude and behaviors Our height Posture Number and look of teeth Hygiene and upkeep Our strengths and propensities Application, honing and enhancements Our gifts Use and improvements upon Accidents Our response to them Blessings Our response to them Life Our handling of it

THE SPIRITUAL WORLD GOD MAN Reveals Himself Believes Sent His Son Receives Calls Responds Knocks Opens Speaks Listens Commands Obeys Blesses Glorifies God or self Trials Submits or rebels Gives gifts Uses or refuses to use

So there are the types and shadowsSymbolic patterns in Scripture that foreshadow spiritual truths—fulfilled in Christ and the Spirit. of the tabernacle and temple building and how they relate to us in this day and age. At this point, some people might suggest that what I have taught you is an extreme example of spiritualizing the text. Some may suggest that we still need temples today. Others may suggest that a temple is going to be rebuilt when Jesus comes again (with all of what happened in it back in the day – animal sacrifices etc). But we know from scripture that this is just not so. That these things of old were types and shadows (likenesses) of something else. For this reason, we read in the New Testament a couple of parallels to the temple of old.

Believers as Temples

Firstly, that believers are individually considered temples, as Paul says in 1st Corinthians 3:16: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

And then again in 2nd Corinthians 6:16 he asks: “For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

We then learn that scripture describes the collective group of believers as the temple too, with Peter saying: 1st Peter 2:5 “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” Or as the writer of Hebrews says:

(Hebrews 3:6) “But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.”

Or as we read in Ephesians 2:19 of believers: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

End of Earthly Temples

The idea from all this seems to be that firstly, we are individually temples of the Most High God, where we are specifically being created, then we are also unified together by one spirit into a fitly framed holy temple of the Lord. Radical, radical stuff – and a two-way street – one way coming from Him and another way our choosing to respond. Two more ways we know that God no longer is building or raising temples or demanding us to relate to Him through such –

The first comes in the fact that God allowed not only Solomon’s temple of magnificence to be destroyed but he allowed the last temple erected – Herod's – in Jesus' day, to utterly experience the same thing – putting an absolute end with an exclamation point of temples.

But another support comes from Stephen here, who, having been accused of “blaspheming this holy place” stands by his guns and says (verse 48-49):

48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, (49) Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye

God's Presence Beyond Physical Temples

"Build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? (50) Hath not my hand made all of these things?"

This is one heck of a bold, courageous statement folks. He has brought them through one heck of an excellent summation of their history. He has defended Moses and the Law by admission. He has taken us through the history of the temple, and showed support for its history and purpose. But now he essentially commands them to pick up their stones – because he was going to preach the truth and it was gonna sting – on a number of accounts.

Superior Knowledge of Scripture

First, he is going to show a superior knowledge of scripture, citing the words of the prophets with respect to temples made with hands. Simultaneously, he is going to support, at least in part, that they are justified in their saying that he was blaspheming the temple when after saying all of this, adds:

However. But, (regarding temples . . .) “the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, (49) Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? God does not need such a temple any longer.

When Jesus walked the earth he came to a Samaritan woman. In their conversation she, being of what was thought an inferior people to the Jerusalem Jews, said:

John 4:20 "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."
21 "(and) Jesus saith unto her, 'Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.'"

True Worship Beyond Material Locations

This is a direct statement that worshipping God from specific locations was over (the time now is) and that any and all who seek to worship God MUST worship Him in spirit and in truth – forget about material locations.

Through citing the prophet Isaiah (who cites God), Stephan gives us why this is – because God says: “the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, (49) Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? (50) Hath not my hand made all these things?”

All the way back in the Old Testament Jehovah stated his true heart regarding buildings made with hands. I want to point one last thing out here in the words of Isaiah. After saying:

Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD:

God's Focus on the Contrite

Do you know what God says in the very next verse?

He says: "but to this man will I look, . . . even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word."

Let’s end here for today.

Comments / Questions