1 Chronicles 17:4

(4) David my servant.—Samuel, “unto my servant, unto David.”

Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in.—Rather, It is not thou that shalt build me the house to dwell in. Samuel, interrogatively, implying a negation, “Wilt thou build me a house for me to dwell in?” The chronicler, thinking of the famous Temple of Solomon, writes, “the house.”

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vers. 4-15. These verses are the unfolding to David of the magnificent and far-stretching purposes of God"s grace towards him in his son Solomon and his descendants for ever. The revelation is made by the mouth of Nathan.

Thou shalt not build. The Hebrew marks the personal pronoun here as emphatic," Not thou shalt build," i.e. but some one else. In the parallel this prohibition is conveyed by that interrogative particle which expects the answer No, and may be thus translated: "Is it thou shalt build for me," etc.?

Unfitness for some parts of God"s work.

God sent a distinct refusal of David"s request by the Prophet Nathan. "Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in" But this refusal may not be regarded as an act of mere sovereignty; it was based upon the Divine recognition of the unfitness of David as the instrument for this particular work. Much he might do for God, but this he may not do; and the disability even followed upon his very fitness for the other work which God had called him to do. He was a man of war. His work had been the extending and settling of the new kingdom. But the "man of blood" must give place to the "man of rest," to whom could be more wisely committed the work of building a temple for God. We are here taught that God"s work, which he would have done on earth, is divided into pieces; that one piece only is usually committed to the trust of each man; that every man finds he has one such trust, and that all the pieces and parts fit together, and make up one great whole of Divine purpose. There is a Divine arrangement of the pieces. There is a Divine allotment of the pieces to individuals. And this involves the selection of individuals upon a Divine recognition of particular gifts and endowments. Then a man may be either fitted or unfitted for some positions and for some work; and God will, by his providence, guide each man to the work that he may hopefully do; and no man has occasion to envy the place or work of another man.

I MAN MAY WISH FOR SPHERES or SERVICE. God does not reproach David for wishing to build the temple. He now says, "Thou didst well that it was in thine heart." It is a good sign that we want to serve; though so often it is only a sign of our restlessness in the work we have, and our foolish fancying that some one else"s work is better, or easier, or nobler than our own. Faithful doing of present duty may be quite consistent with earnest desire to do something else and better, provided it finds expression, as David"s did, in patient waiting on God, and earnest prayer for Divine direction.

II MAN MAY BE UNDER DISABILITIES WHICH HINDER HIM FROM THE SPHERES HE SEEKS. Such disabilities may arise out of natural disposition and character; educational conditions; local circumstances; or, as in David"s case, out of the very life-work which may be entrusted to us. When we remember how actions bear the stamp of the character of those who perform them, and men receive their impressions of the thing itself from the person who does it, we realize how God may properly refuse to permit us to do just the work we may wish to do. We need to satisfy ourselves that God knows both us and our work, and so can fitly match the two together, and keep us from unfitting spheres.

III THE GREAT SECRET OF OUR DUTY IS THE DOING WELL WHAT WE PLAINLY HAVE TO DO. Forming a very high value of our present trust. Quite sure that it is the very thing for us; and cherishing the assurance that God makes our work fit into the work that others do, and that the very thing which we would like to have done ourselves, God gets done in his own time and way, and by the agents he pleases. "One planteth, another watereth," and God gives the increase that crowns the union of various labourers and labours.

We may learn:

1. The lesson of submissive obedience to the Divine appointments.

2. The importance of keeping our minds free from all envy of otherworkers, even of those who seem to he doing the very work which we would like to have done.

3. And to be thankful for the work that is entrusted to us; quick to discernthe dignity and importance of it; and supremely anxious that we should be found of God faithful in the doing of it. R.T.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.