SINCERELY BUILDING THE LORD'S HOUSE --WHILE WORKING EVEN HARDER TO BUILD YOUR OWN --- a Word through Bryan Hupperts Bryan's email: bryanh@igateway.net Thursday, February 08, 2001

A GREATER HOUSE THAN GOD'S HOUSE

What would you do if you suddenly had unimaginable wealth and you could merely speak a thing and it would be done? If this sounds like a teenage daydream, it happened to one young man named Solomon.

His father was the famed King David of Israel. David had many wives and lovers who gave him numerous sons and daughters. From among this considerable litter, it was God who sovereignly chose Solomon to sit on the throne and continue the promised kingly dynasty.

EVERYTHING NEEDED WAS SUPPLIED BY GOD

David had saved jewels, gold, silver, timber, everything need to construct the long promised House of Worship for Israel's God.

Building the Lord's house was the lone driving passion of his life. When he was finally ready to begin, God stopped him. David told the people of Israel, in 1 Chronicles 28 2, "I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made preparations to build it. But God said to me, `You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.'"

While obviously personally disappointed at the Lord's wishes, being a pleasing son he complied. He continued saying in verse 6, "Now He said to me, `It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father.'"

SOLOMON DETERMINED TO BUILD A TEMPLE FOR THE LORD . . . BUT . .

And what did Solomon do with this great task for which he was appointed? He went the way of many mega ministries and celebrated TV evangelists. In 2 Chronicles 2:1, "Then Solomon determined to build a temple for the name of the LORD, and a royal house for himself."

Did he build the House of the Lord? Yes, and it was one of the wonders of the ancient world. He also built a house for himself. But what's wrong with building your own house? In 1 Kings 6:38, "The house (of the Lord) was finished in all its details and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it." That's right, it took a massive public building project 7 years to build this palatial structure all for the glory of God. The next verse, though, it very revealing about what was really in Solomon's heart.

WORKING HARD FOR THE LORD---EVEN HARDER FOR HIMSELF!!

"But Solomon took thirteen years to build his own house; so he finished all his house." He spent 7 years building a house of worship for God, but he took 13 years to build a magnificent house for himself. Some scholars speculate that Solomon's house might have been grander than the house he had built for the Israel's God. King David amassed a fortune to do the work of the Lord. He wanted the Lord to be honored in the earth and had it in his heart to build a place worthy enough if that were possible - to contain the presence of God all so that he might receive the worship overdue him from his people.

Solomon did build the temple of God but built himself a greater house. In the end, God was so displeased with this man that he tore the nation of Israel in two. Divided houses cannot stand. Because Solomon was more concerned with garnering a great name for himself than honoring the name of the Lord, civil war came to the people of God.

THE CONTINUING CIVIL WAR

Civil war continues to rage even in these days as called men and women earnestly do the work of the kingdom, preaching the Gospel, but seek to make even greater houses and names for themselves. The sad result is that God is not honored, the people labor under great financial strain to build these personal houses (ministries), and finally the true house of the Lord-- the people of God--are divided and thus cannot stand.

Ahh, for a leader like David to emerge in our generation whose only desire is to build the Kingdom of God so that the Lord might receive the worship and praise He alone is due. If this were to happen, God would be pleased and the people would again find rest. True shepherds always honor God and lead the flock to lie down safely in green pastures, beside the still waters, where God can restore their weary souls. Their sole driving passion is to build a House made up of living stones all for the glory and honor of their God.

Bryan Hupperts 2001 SheepTrax Digest PO Box 270256 St. Louis, MO 63126 www.SheepTrax.com