Morning Light – November 4th, 2015: You are a Steward of the King's Substance

Morning Light – November 4th, 2015
Today: [1 Chronicles Twenty-Eight] You are a Steward of the King’s Substance. In this chapter David delivers over to young Solomon and all the king’s retinue the whole of the substance and building materials of the temple. There is gold and silver from a lifetime of conquest and war. There is cedar and workmen from Tyre. The threshingfloor of Ornan has been prepared and the land cleared to make way for the building of the temple of God. You and I are in a figure that temple and as David delivered his substance to the stewards of the king likewise you and I are stewards of the substance of God for a building process that not only takes place AROUND us but IN us!
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[1Ch 28:1-21 KJV] 1 And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that ministered to the king by course, and the captains over the thousands, and captains over the hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possession of the king, and of his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty men, and with all the valiant men, unto Jerusalem. 2 Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: [As for me], I [had] in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building: 3 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.
God has called you to be a steward of the substance of the king. Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 4:1 that we are “stewards of the mysteries of God…” What is the substance? The writer of Hebrews says:
[Heb 11:1 KJV] 1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
We are stewards of the mysteries of God. The mystery of God according to Col. 1:26,27 is “Christ in you…” the hope of Glory. The substance of God is your faith. Everyone of us as believers are stewards of the mysteries and stewards of the the substance of the faith that God has given to every one of us. David stands up before all the people and begins to discuss and declare the purpose of that substance – which was to build a house.
David is a type of Christ and his lifelong ambition was to build a house to the Lord. He will not be allowed to build that house because of the shedding of innocent blood in his life. Jesus as the son of David also spoke of building a house:
[Mat 16:18 KJV] 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
David put men in charge of natural substance. We are stewards of spiritual substance, the spiritual substance of our faith and the gospel of Christ in you the hope of glory. The temple that we are engaged in building is who we are as individuals and who we are collectively as a people. There are many things upon which churches get built. We have purpose driven churches, we have churches built on doctrine and the traditions of men. We have churches built and held in a pattern of growth because of powerful and talented worship leaders and musicions. We have churches built on the cult of personality with larger than life leaders. God desires for us to be a part and to be partners building a collective spiritual body anchored in the reality of Christ in you – not outward dependence on religious infrastructure but inward dependence on who Christ desires to be on the inside of you.
4 Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah [to be] the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make [me] king over all Israel: 5 And of all my sons, (for the LORD hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel. 6 And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him [to be] my son, and I will be his father. 7 Moreover I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day. 8 Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the LORD, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God: that ye may possess this good land, and leave [it] for an inheritance for your children after you for ever. 9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. 10 Take heed now; for the LORD hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do [it].
David calls upon Solomon to be a doer of the word and not a hearer. He stressed that God’s purpose is to bring Solomon into an everlasting inheritance – but that inheritance he warns can be lost due to disobedience. God has an inheritance for you. God’s purpose is to establish you in life not only at this present time but forever – in an eternal inheritance stretching out into eternity. David is saying to Solomon that he will be king one day. Throughout the New Testament we are told that we are kings and priests unto God. What David says to Solomon God says to us. God wants us to possess and good land and to leave an inheritance both spiritually and naturally for our children. We are called upon to serve God with a perfect heart and a willing mind. We are called upon to seek Him, and if we seek Him we will find Him but if we forsake Him there are consquences. Thus as Solomon we are to take heed for the Lord has chosen us. Chosen for what? To be house builders. To find and connect with an participate in the collective and corporate purposes of God.
11 Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat, 12 And the pattern 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: 13 Also 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. 14 [He gave] of gold by weight for [things] of gold, for all instruments of all manner of service; [silver also] for all instruments of silver by weight, for all instruments of every kind of service: 15 Even the weight for the candlesticks of gold, and for their lamps of gold, by weight for every candlestick, and for the lamps thereof: and for the candlesticks of silver by weight, [both] for the candlestick, and [also] for the lamps thereof, according to the use of every candlestick. 16 And by weight [he gave] gold for the tables of shewbread, for every table; and [likewise] silver for the tables of silver: 17 Also pure gold for the fleshhooks, and the bowls, and the cups: and for the golden basons [he gave gold] by weight for every bason; and [likewise silver] by weight for every bason of silver: 18 And for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot of the cherubims, that spread out [their wings], and covered the ark of the covenant of the LORD. 19 All [this, said David], the LORD made me understand in writing by [his] hand upon me, [even] all the works of this pattern. 20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do [it]: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, [even] my God, [will be] with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD. 21 And, behold, the courses of the priests and the Levites, [even they shall be with thee] for all the service of the house of God: and [there shall be] with thee for all manner of workmanship every willing skilful man, for any manner of service: also the princes and all the people [will be] wholly at thy commandment.
Solomon was very young when David said these things to him. David delivers to young Solomon the pattern or blueprint of the temple and all of the building materials and plans for what is to be constructed. What David gave Solomon to put into the temple is a type of what Christ has given us. Solomon was to put the brasen altar in the outer court and establish Levites to offer thereon. If we are the temple of God what is our outer court? Rom. 12:1 says we are living sacrifices. The outer court and the brasen altar represent our lives, our physical bodies and faculties offered up to God not living for ourselves but committed to the purposes of God. Solomon was to build an inner court were the table of shewbread, the lampstand and the altar of incense was to be placed. These represent the inner life of the believer. This is the part of your life in Christ that Jesus spoke of when he said “enter into your chamber and pray in secret and you will be rewarded openly…” The altar of incense is your prayer life that is to be ever offering up spiritual sacrifices unto God as you pray without ceasing. The shewbread is the bread of Christ that you receive fresh daily partaking of His nature and of the provisions of Christ by faith in His body broken for us. The lampstand is the word of God we are to hide in our heart and not allow anything to ursurp its supremacy in our lives. Today as in times past the word is mocked and reviled as outdated and not applicable to modern life but we are willing to be obscurentists and put God’s word first in all things.
David again exhorts Solomon to be strong and of a good courage. It takes courage and strength to cooperate with that which God is building in your life. Others will question. The tide of secularism and unbelief will pull upon you like standing in a river with a strong current seeking to sweep you away from God’s purposes. The spectre of loss and estrangement ever stalks the heart of a believer threatening us with loss of family and friends if we stray too deeply into the purposes of God. What price our salvation? Is there a cost we are not willing to pay? A dear friendship or standing before others that we would not relinquish to be who God called us to be?
David promises Solomon that God will not fail him or forsake him in the work. Many people rail and murmer “where is God in my situation…” to which David speaking from antiquity says “where are the implements of your building? Where is your hard hat and your work apron? Why are you not building with what Christ has afforded you in life?” If God will not forsake it is the work in which He is ever with us. If we stray from the work into lukewarmness and a tepid and undirected life in Christ then on what basis do we complain for while He has not forsaken us we have forsaken Him. So fear not and be not dismayed. God has not called us to be sufficient in ourselves but sufficient in Him. Yes the work is beyond us and the scoffers abound but let us each as David exhorts Solomon be found faith in the tasks to which we have been ordained, called and chosen.