I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. Psalm 122:1 KJV
Scholars attribute this psalm to King David. As we know, David loved the Lord. He was a man after God’s own heart. It should come as no surprise that the author would assert that he was happy when asked to go to the house of the Lord.
In David’s time, Jerusalem was new to the Israelites as the holy city of God. David wrote this psalm for the Israelites to sing when the people came to Jerusalem to worship at the three solemn feasts of the Lord. In those days, there was no temple. The tabernacle of God was in a tent. Like a human body, the house of God was mobile. The Israelites could take it wherever they went.
After David built his palace, he looked out into the city and saw the ark of the covenant housed in a tent. He called Nathan the prophet and shared his plans to build a house for God, but God had other plans. Through the words of his prophets, God reminds David of who is taking care of who. Rather than David building a house for him, God would build a house for David.
The House of David
We read in 2 Samuel 7:11-13, “The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. NIV”
God keeps his promises. David’s son Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem and our Savior was born and raised in the house of Joseph, a direct descendant from King David. We read in Revelation 11:15, “The seventh angel sounded, and great voices in heaven followed, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ. He will reign forever and ever!’ WEB”
Like David, we benefit from the support, correction, and friendship that we receive from fellow believers. Like David, we go to the house of the Lord to celebrate the word of God. We go there to worship. The house of God energizes us and restores our spirit, helping us to develop and mature in our relationship with the Father.
The Body Is A Temple
Similar to houses of worship, our bodies are temples. As we read in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own. WEB”
When we believe in Christ and repent for our sins, the Holy Spirit enters the temple that is our earthly body. Our bodies are like the portable tabernacle that housed God’s law before Solomon built the permanent temple in Jerusalem.
David wanted to build God a temple, but God wanted to do something greater. He wanted to give believers a permanent place in his heavenly home. As Jesus says in John 14:2-3, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. KJV”
The bodies, temples, and churches of this world are temporary, but the heavenly house of the Lord, and the place believers have there, is eternal.
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for my salvation in Jesus Christ. Thank you for making a way and a place for me in heaven. Lead me away from temptation and into your will. I am glad to go into the house of the Lord. In Jesus’ name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: That Which Is to Come
