Lord, remember David and all his afflictions; How he swore to the Lord, And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob; Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, Or go to the comfort of my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes Or slumber to my eyelids, Until I find a place for the Lord, A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob (Psalm 132:1-5).
Referring to David, II Samuel 7:1-3 says, Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around, that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.” Then Nathan said to the king, “Go do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.” At this time, David was in a very good place in life. God had given him rest from all his enemies. He was living in a great home- considering the period of time concerned. However, he was troubled at the thought of the Ark of the Covenant being relegated to dwelling in tents. The Ark represented the presence of the Lord and David felt it should have a proper dwelling place.
David felt this way because of the way God had always been with him. God was with him when he faced the giant- Goliath. God protected him from King Saul on several occasions. When his son, Absalom, tried to take over his kingdom, God was his helper. God forgave him when he committed adultery and actually set a man up to be killed on the battlefield. In summary, David wanted to do something for God. He was not permitted to build a place for God, but his son- Solomon- built a magnificent temple for Him.
Now we know that God is everywhere, but He can be in a specific place- right where we are. When King Solomon gave the dedication prayer for the temple, the presence of God was so strong that the priests could not minister. The people of Israel simply worshiped- declaring that God’s mercy endures forever.
It is very interesting to look at our situation. Jesus has died on the Cross, risen again and ascended back to Heaven. The Holy Spirit has been sent to actually dwell in our hearts. If we truly give our lives to God, we become temples that He can dwell in. Scripture is clear regarding this:
What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (I Corinthians 6:19-20).
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (I Corinthians 3:16).
David was thankful for all that God had done for him and wanted to provide a place for Him to dwell. Likewise, we should be thankful that Jesus has died for forgiveness of our sins and risen that we might have eternal life. In return we can give Him a place to dwell- our hearts.
Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.
Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter — Breanna.
Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.
by leaps and bounds 
Leave a comment