Why Did the Lord Choose Solomon to Build His Temple Instead of David?

Then Solomon sent to Hiram, saying:

You know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the Lord put his foes under the soles of his feet.

But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence.

And behold, I propose to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to my father David, saying, “Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for My name.” (1 Kings 5:2-5)

Why did the Lord choose Solomon to build His temple instead of David?

We know that, first of all, it happened this way because God promised it and said it would happen. What is the other reason, though? 1 Kings 5:3 states that even though he wanted to, David was unable to build the Temple of the Lord because of the wars fought against him on every side. We know that some of these wars and tribulations were bound to happen, but David also went through tribulations because of his sin. In 2 Samuel 12:10, we see that David was warned that the sword would never depart from his house because of the sin of adultery he had committed with Bathsheba. His own son, Absalom, had rebelled and risen up against him. However, David was the greatest king in Israel's history and was recognized as the man after God’s own heart. This was also because he knew how to repent and acknowledge his mistakes before the Lord. However, there are consequences to sin. The Lord was at work in his life.

When the time came to build the temple, Solomon had rest and peace on every side. Thus, he had the opportunity to build. He walked with wisdom and integrity before the Lord at that time. This allowed him to build. We, as believers, are called to build the Lord’s Holy Temple here on earth. Not a temple made of bricks and mortar, but a spiritual temple in which we, too, are like living stones (1 Peter 2:5). If we seek Him and walk in His ways, we, too, build and edify others.

If we sin, we will face the consequences. David also glorified the Lord, and his life continues to inspire our lives today, but he had to go through tribulations caused by his choices and sins. Later, Solomon also sinned and turned away from the Lord, experiencing consequences. Still, the main message of this story is that we must have an attitude of repentance and seek to walk in the ways of the Lord and the integrity that comes from Him in our lives, so we can have His peace and fulfill His will by building His church.