1 Chronicles 22:3

"Handfuls of Purpose,"

For All Gleaners

"And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight." 1 Chronicles 23:3 .

David could hardly keep his hands off the actual building of the temple itself. We have seen again and again that he went as near to it as he could possibly approach. It sometimes becomes difficult to say who really did build the temple, so little was left for Solomon to do. Is it not so with all the temples of civilisation? Who built the temple of Literature? Who erected the temple of Science? Who is the architect and who the builder of the temple of Discovery, the discovery of arts, sciences, provinces, continents, lakes, and rivers? The last man is so immediately behind us that we dare not take credit to ourselves for aught we do; so much has been done in preparation that when we speak of the temple we say it was built by the age or the generation or the spirit of the times. There is, of course, always one man whose name takes the lead in the higher architecture and erection of temples, but the name of the leader is only symbolical of the multitude of his followers and supporters. David was content to prepare the way of the Lord; John was content to be a voice crying in the wilderness; other men have laboured, and we have entered into their labours. We say David prepared, and Solomon built, but how could Solomon have built if David had not prepared? We do not make our own roads, our own libraries, our own code of laws; we take the roads that are made, the libraries that are in existence, the laws that are operating, and these we enlarge or amend: or enrich or advance upon in some sense, but in reality we do but carry out what older and abler men it may be have prepared to our hands. Gratitude should hold in loving remembrance all those who have even prepared for the building of the temple. Think of the fathers and mothers, the statesmen and soldiers, the authors and artists, the preachers and teachers, who have been in this great world-house before us, preparing as it were for our advent and occupation; we should read our indebtedness on all the grave-stones; we should see our obligation in old age, and in things that are ready to vanish away. We should not ruthlessly abrogate the past, but genuinely and philosophically fulfil it. Jesus Christ himself said that he came not to destroy the law but to fulfil it; that is, to bring to bud and fruitage the things that had already been sown in the human mind by the action of previous teachers and legislators. For our encouragement, when our ambition seems to be limited within a sphere which makes us impatient, we should read the words, "And David prepared," and remember that if a king could prepare for the building of a temple without actually building it himself, we should look upon every action we do and probably upon every word we speak as contributions towards the erection of a divine house upon the earth. We read much of the "abundance" with which David prepared; he prepared iron in abundance, he gathered brass in abundance, he collected cedar trees in abundance; nothing was begrudged or limited; throughout the whole there was a presence of generosity and overflowing-ness, which indicated that the work was undertaken by generous and energetic hands. David's estimate of the work that was to be done will be seen in the fifth verse.