Originally listed for a mere $72,500,000 Celine Dion’s home on Jupiter Island, FL eventually sold for an embarrassingly low $38,500,000. You should have jumped in and got it at that bargain rate. And, since you obviously have that kind of change in your pocket, you could have bought Richard Gere’s home in the Hamptons for well below his original asking price of $65,000,000. Matt Lauer got it for a bargain at $36,500,000. So, for just $75,000,000 you would have the seasons covered: winter in Florida and summer in the Hamptons.

What is it about celebrities and their expensive homes? While those seem a bit excessive they don’t have anything on royalty and the amount of taxpayer’s money that can be spent. The palace of Versailles cost upwards of $500 billion in today’s money. Perhaps a better question would be; what is it about royalty and their expensive homes?

In the middle of the text discussing how God blessed King David with material possessions was one short verse that talked about him building his palace. “Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees and carpenters and stonemasons: and they built a house for David.” (2 Samuel 5:11). There’s not enough information in this text, or it’s parallel (1 Chronicles 14:1) to tell how much it cost, but it likely was the most expensive home Jerusalem had ever seen; at least until Solomon built his palace a few decades later.

At some point even the most selfish celebrities become aware of the absurdity of spending so much money on themselves and seek to alleviate their guilt by pouring time and money into charity. For royalty it’s more complicated because as the head of state their home is a reflection of the glory of the country. The foolish ones see it as a reflection of themselves and go overboard. While the smart ones are aware they shouldn’t overdo it, the truly wise ones know it isn’t about themselves at all.

We know David was one of the truly wise ones because of two passages in 2 Samuel. One is his immediate reaction to the completion of his palace. Instead of celebrating himself and his own glory because of the size of his mansion 2 Samuel 5:12 says, “And David realized that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.” To paraphrase the old saying, David remembered it was God who brought him to this dance. Eventually his desire to honor God drove King David to try and build something big for God (2 Samuel 7:1-2).

What about us? Do we remember it’s all about God? Whether we live in a mansion or a cheap box house doesn’t matter as long as we’re building a home for God in our heart. Which building is your focus?