Parenting is a challenge. When we invite our children into the world, there are certain things we are obligated to provide for them. Food, clothing, and shelter are a few of them.
We don’t question if we are obligated to feed our children. It’s a right they have by the fact that they are ours. Even when they become adults, they can return for meals, emergency housing, and even clothing if they are in need.
Why? They are our children, and we always feel responsible for their care.
Now let’s flip over the God coin. How does he see us as his children? We can find the start to our answer in 2 Samuel 7:1-29. It’s quite a long passage, so let’s pull out a portion of it.
Verse 2 has King David speaking to the prophet Nathan:
“The king said to Nathan the prophet, ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.’ ”
His implication was that God should have a better house than a king, and to judge by our churches and synagogues, modern believers feel the same way. We build bigger and better in an attempt to glorify the great God of all creation.
Yet, who are we glorifying, God or ourselves? Let’s look at God’s reply in Verse 6:
“I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling.”
God goes on to say that he hasn’t asked for a house to be built for him, neither will he fail to bless David and the children of Israel. His implication is that where he dwells is made holy by his presence. Having a grand cathedral fills us with pride, but God doesn’t take notice of his surroundings. It’s the worship of his people that gives him happiness.
God has an innate desire to give good things to his children. Just as we don’t send our own children out to work for our benefit, so God doesn’t require us to work to enable him to be glorious. Rather, he desires our worshipful heart and obedient spirit. When we worship him, even a tent can be the dwelling place of our King.
Solomon, David’s son, did build a great temple unto God, but David knew the indwelling presence of the Lord in a tent. If all we have is a tent, God will fill us with his glory, and every step we take will reflect the majesty of his name.
If we build God a palace without filling it with our praises, we have left the foundation stones undone.
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Code: FGO.C.25.15.vp.esv