2 Sa. 7: I Didn't Build It For Me

2 Samuel 7:14-15 "I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you."

David, dwelling as king in the splendor that God Himself said he would provide gets a sudden attack of conscience. His palace of stone and cedar stands in stark contrast to the humility of the tent (albeit studded with gold) that houses the ark of God, and God's stated dwelling place amonf the people of Israel. David has it in his mind to build a temple for God. Other gods had temples. Why not house the Name in something lavish? God has taken great measures to differentiate Himself from the other gods. David probably realized that, so, even though it may have seemed like the right thing to do even to the prophet Nathan. But God came to Nathan with a different idea. As God moved from place to place, Israel had to follow them. Now, with Israel in the land promised to them, God no longer had to move around.

Essentially David was not the right one to build the temple. David was humble enough to admit that he would agree with that, and accept the promise that it would be his son that would build the temple. David wanted to do a great thing for God, but still it was God who wanted to provide a great thing instead for David.