Why wouldn’t God permit David to build a temple (7:13)?
Though David was a “man after God’s own heart” he was not without faults. His adultery with Bathsheba was legendary. Beyond that, he was a man of war–and that aspect of his life specifically disqualified him from building a sacred place for God. In 1 Chronicles 22:8, God said, “You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight.” His constant warring was in part the result of God’s judgment on him from the Bathsheba episode (“the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own,” 2 Samuel 12:10). Ironically, David’s military exploits established a time of peace enjoyed by Solomon that facilitated the building of the temple. It is a great reminder to us that though our sin may cause some blessings to be forfeited forever, God has purposes for our lives beyond what we know, and he can even take our mistakes and out of t
