December 21
December 21

December 21

“A House for the Lord”

2 Samuel 7:1-16 (Gospel Luke 1:26-38)

Now when the king dwelt in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies round about,the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart; for the Lord is with you.”
But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in? [I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.’”

Today we take a look at King David and his desire to build a temple for the Ark and God’s desire to build a Kingdom in the descendants of David. King David finally was able to rest from his enemies and reflect on all that God had provided for him. I’m sure he thought about all that the Lord had done for him, from bringing him out of the pasture, creating a strong army to lead, defeating all of his enemies and allowing him to rule over the entire Israeli kingdom. Have you ever been through a trial and after going through it, reflected on what happened and how God’s hand guided you through it? There are many times where we are amazed at how God was present in our lives even though it may have been difficult to go through. It is important for us to look back at where God was during those times of hardship and struggle, so you can give thanks to Him who pulled you through.

In reflecting on all that had been happening, David decided to ask Nathan the prophet if he should build the Lord a permanent dwelling. King David realized that while he was living in a home, God was dwelling in a tent! Nathan immediately responds to do as he pleases because the Lord is with him, but then that night the Lord comes to Nathan with a different response. The Lord tells Nathan that while He has not lived in a house since He brought Israel out of Egypt, but He has not asked for anyone to build Him a house. He instead told Nathan to tell King David, “I will make you a house.” God is repeating the blessing to King David that He is going to bring someone forward from his offspring who will establish an eternal kingdom, an everlasting temple where God will dwell forever. We know this prophecy was fulfilled through Jesus Christ. He is our Forever King, who will reign forever and ever.

Just as Jesus told the people “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” (John 2:19), He was not talking about the building, He was talking about His body. After Jesus left and He sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, to dwell in the temple and guide us in the ways of the Lord. But where is this temple that the Holy Spirit dwells in? “Do you not know that YOUR BODY is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; your were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) You are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit after your baptism, and nothing can separate you from the Holy Spirit once you’ve been sealed. Sin can push Him aside, but He is always there. Also, when you receive the Holy Eucharist, you are allowing Jesus to enter the temple of your body. That is why it is so important to keep clean the temple of your bodies – go to Reconciliation to clean out your sins, turn away from all sin, so that Jesus and the Holy Spirit can easily dwell in you and through you.

Pray:
My Lord, my God, thank you for all that you have done for me during times of rest and times of struggle. I understand that wherever I go, You go, guiding me along the way. Help me to build you a temple of beauty in my own body, honoring you in whatever I do, and wherever I go. Give me strength in my battle with sin, to defeat it and turn away from the temptation. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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