Certainly there is a lot to consider when it comes to the Scripture, especially when measuring "inside the text" what men say compared to the recorded words of God. So it is best if we choose to be humble and follow carefully through the detail, rather than assume we already know everything we need to know. Otherwise we will miss precepts built upon precepts that are keys in the steps to understanding The Way. For if it is altogether true that David was being pure in message to the people about God saying he could not build the Temple because he was a Man of War and had shed much blood, then what can we make of this following passage, spoken in the voice of David, and written within the same era as 1 Chronicles 22 and 1 Chronicles 28? This next passage (2 Samuel 22) comes immediately after the passage (2 Samuel 21) where David wars with the Philistines and the Giants:
[2 Samuel 22:1-7, 18-25 KJV-F Version-F] 1 And David [spoke] unto [YHWH] the words of this song in the day [that] [YHWH] had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: 2 And he said, [YHWH] [is] my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; 3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: [he is] my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; [you save] same from violence. 4 I will call on [YHWH], [who is] worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from [my] enemies. 5 When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; 6 The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me; 7 In my distress I called upon [YHWH], and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry [did enter] into his ears...
....18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, [and] from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me. 19 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but [YHWH] was my stay. 20 He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me. 21 [YHWH] rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. 22 For I have kept the ways of [YHWH], and have not wickedly departed from my God. 23 For all his judgments [were] before me: and [as for] his statutes, I did not depart from them. 24 I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from [my] iniquity. 25 Therefore [YHWH has] recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight.
Therefore, as we consider the question, "Why did God say David couldn't build the temple?", and as we compass the answers given by David vs. YHWH, we must entertain new questions in light of what is written in the Scripture: Should we consider David's hands clean by his own confessions, or should we consider them as unrighteous having shed much blood, by his own confessions? Furthermore, does David's alternating versions of the story define YHWH Elohim as contradictory, or simply clarify that we must be extra careful as we build precept upon precept in our quest to understand the Word of the Lord? Of course the latter is the chief matter, for it was YHWH who commanded David to tear down the enemies of God.
Chapter 3
But YHWH’s Glory Filled the Temple
As mentioned in the review of people’s personal answers to the survey, few sought to understand the motivation behind why they were being asked the question. The rare inquiry to understand usually turned into a short conversation that came accompanied with the same basic objections: “But God answered Solomon’s prayer!” or “Why did the Lord fill the temple with his glory?” This is true and can be verified in 1 Kings 8, 2 Chronicles 5, and 2 Chronicles 7, but just because God chooses to make an allowance does not necessarily mean the Lord of Hosts condones the request or the act. Kingship itself came as a result of concession by God to give the people a king, the first being Saul (and then David). All of this was ingrained in iniquity according to the law of Scripture. We must stick with the story to know the story. The people demanded a man for a King when they rejected YHWH to reign over them, but Elohim conceded (1 Samuel 8), after YHWH said the people rejected him. Clearly we can’t say Yahh’s allowance is Yahh’s desire, otherwise there would be no purpose for the regularly used term longsuffering (20).
During this survey process a couple astute gentlemen asked a very interesting question: “Are you saying David’s words weren’t inspired?” Of course any faith-filled believer will confess that every word in Scripture is motivated by God. However, if we assume that each word in The Word is exactly a word that YHWH Elohim spoke, what then shall we say of the nachash (the serpent) twisting Elohim’s command in Genesis 3, or of the devil’s twisting of Psalm 91 in Matthew 4, and the inspiration behind Jesus calling Peter “Satan” recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke? Was it not inspired to make record when David gave the order that delivered the King’s faithful servant Uriah into the hands of death? We must embrace the truth by understanding that the inspired text reveals the contrast between what is literally God’s word vs. Man’s word. This will cause us to “be of more noble character by examining the Scripture compared to the messages we receive” (21). If we don’t do this wholeheartedly, we will misunderstand the text, and “be misled by the Shepherds” (22), thereby not understanding the difference between holy and unholy. Everything is inspired, and we must seek the Most High to ensure we don’t read into or take from the story interpretations that are not there. This is akin to Exit-Jesus (exegesis) or Ice-Our-Jesus (eisegesis) when we make YHWH’s prophecies fit into our own context—context context context as the American teachers love to say! Of course this assumes the Bible is the truth, and this is one main point, but even if you don’t believe this, the overall context is still true: the text says what it says.
This is the right way to define how inspiration applies in each individual case: how do the words of any man measure up against that which we know is written as spoken by YHWH Elohim? God’s law even provides counsel on this exact matter for when a prophet presumes to speak in the name of YHWH and it is not true, he shall die (23). Was this not driven by the Holy Spirit of God? We cannot say that which God exposes as lies are the truthful sayings of YHWH, but rather the inspired Word of Yahh, through his messengers, defines what lines up with God’s words. We will see later how much grace and mercy was in David’s life by the hand of YHWH that he was not put to death for his transgressions, as YHWH extended to so many.
So much flippancy is tossed around today concerning the institution of penalty, as if people were stoned to death constantly for the slightest error. What is described in the Old Testament is essentially a governmental process that related to criminal activity and punishment not much different than governments of today. Only some of the foundational laws from Scripture have been changed, omitting some and then adding a whole lot of detail, like 9 of the 10 commandments incorporated into American policy, and bankruptcy laws based on the 7 year cycle of Scripture, but then heaping on reams of paper to supplement the original framework. We live in a social environment that refuses to understand God’s laws—even Christians. Fortunately these often misunderstood penalties are not carried out today, especially “at whim” as many believe, otherwise most of us would have been stoned to death ourselves already for severe transgression. In the midst of this is a radical contrast that the Christian Shepherds call so loudly from the pulpit against YHWH’s laws, yet the same mouths Scripture-Whip the sheep with Romans 13 to encourage submission to the laws of men. This is profoundly interesting dynamic of double-mindedness that always leads to apostasy. Hence the entire story of Scripture and the necessity for the Gospel put in context with the “bad news”.
The spiritually inspired picture the Old Testament was painting regarding the governmental provisions was ultimately the coming Kingdom of God, and the second resurrection, whereby many overly confident souls will be put to the second death in the second resurrection, because they will not make the first resurrection. As for presuming to speak in the Name of YHWH, false prophets abound in the church today! False prophets are easy to spot for those who spend the time to understand what “God said”, in the text, vs. what “men say” about the text. We must first introspect, as the propensity of “all of i/me” is to lie. Therefore, I myself must die in Christ so I can properly testify (24a) to the truth of the Kingdom of God. Call this the true reformation! If not, then the consequence is