7 David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the Lord my God. 8 But this word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. 9 But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’
God told David he would not be the one to build the Temple. The task would be for his son, Solomon. David graciously accepted this from God. He was glad his son would have the honor of building God’s Temple. David made preparations for Solomon to carry out the task. How do you prepare the way for your children? Sooner or later your children will have to make their own decisions. You can help them by supplying them with the right tools. Show them how to pray to God. Show them how to study God’s Word. Teach them right from wrong. Finally, model godly behavior and involvement in church.
