The Sanctuary for the People
2 Samuel 7:1-17
And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;…


I. THE SANCTUARY, IN DAVID'S VIEW WAS THE HOUSE OF THE LORD. The sanctuary signifies a holy or a sanctified place — a dwelling-place of the Most High — a place where people assembled to honour God and worship Him in the spirit of liberality and holiness.

II. IN THE SANCTUARY, WORK MUST BE DONE FOR THE WORLD. The religion of Christ reaches out to the lost and the undone. Giving is not a hindrance but a help. The poorest as well as the richest feel that it is a blessed privilege to give. The widow's mite has a right to a place in the aggregations which support missions and which build up the waste places.

III. THE SANCTUARY IS THE TRAINING-PLACE FOR THE NOBLER NATURE. Business is laid aside. The sharpness, the grasping, the watching, the suspicious spirit may be banished.

IV. THE CONDITION OF THE SANCTUARY EVIDENCES OUR REGARD FOR GOD. What we do for friends at home attests our love for those committed to our keeping. So what is done for the sanctuary proves the regard cherished for every effort put forth to promote the glory of God and advance the interests Of our fellow-men. David felt this when he called attention to the fact that he dwelt in cedar while the ark of God dwelt within curtains. He did not desire to build the temple to save his soul, but because of his love for God and of his desire to promote the interests of His cause.

(J. D. Fulton, D. D.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;

WEB: It happened, when the king lived in his house, and Yahweh had given him rest from all his enemies all around,




The Intended Temple
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