The House Built by the Lord

UV 1194/10,000 The House Built by the Lord

And since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all thine enemies. Furthermore I tell thee that the LORD will build thee an house.

I Chronicles 17 v 10


This uni-verse is an amazing promise of the Lord God to David that he would bless him and his posterity. He would subdue all his enemies. He would build a house for him. The Lord blesses us not only in our lifetime but He blesses our posterity, far beyond our generation or the next. He makes our mortal foes footstools on which we can rise like an opposing wind causes a kite to rise. He subdues them often not with power but by His spirit.


The house referred to is not one of brick and mortar but it is a spiritual house. Each of us is a spiritual house the Lord is building over our lifetime. He dwells in us and with us. As He inhabits us, He transforms our habits. We seek to dwell in His Kingdom and manifest His righteousness by doing His will. Like a house is built by digging deep and laying a strong foundation, the Lord will dig deep down in our hearts and minds and spirits. He lays a rock foundation of faith. On that foundation, He raises up the superstructure of walls, doors and windows. When the land is dug up to lay a foundation it looks ugly but when the building is completed, it looks beautiful. So also He makes our lives beautiful in the end. Just as the different rooms of a house have a different purpose, He has a different purpose for different talents, spiritual gifts and qualities He has built into us. As the Lord has built this house, our life’s labour will not be in vain but we will fulfil the purpose of our lives- the God-ordained purpose.

The Lord desired to rule over Israel directly and He did so through godly leadership. He annointed Moses as a leader of Israel to liberate Israel from the bondage of Egypt. Thereafter, He anointed Joshua as his successor. After Israel settled down in the promised land, He appointed several people like Gideon, Samson and Deborah as judges. But the people pleaded that a king be chosen like other nations of the contemporary world. God relented and led the prophet Samuel to anoint Saul and declare him king. Saul’ s heart became proud and rebellious and he turned away from depending on the Lord for guidance. He consulted a medium and he was insecure. He was afflicted by an evil spirit. The lesson is that we cannot depend on any earthly leader but we need to depend on God Himself as our leader. An earthly leader is purblind and cannot perceive his own shortcomings. His judgement is prone to error. He relies on physical power or his command over men and resources. He depends on the arm of flesh. When our dependence on God is total, He will build us brick by brick, thought by thought, word by word and deed by deed. He does not reveal the entire blueprint of the house He is building for us ahead of time but gives us a glimpse here, a glimpse there. Over time we will begin to see the big picture. The pattern emerges.


Prateep V Philip