What do you do when people say “no” to you?   Generally speaking, most people react in one of two ways: either they get mad or they pout. King David chooses a third option and that choice changes everything.

In 2 Samuel 7:2, David states, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” He decides to fix that problem by building a place to worship God. In fact, he wants to build a temple that is so beautiful that everyone will know, just by looking at it, how wonderful God is and how good he has been to his people.

There was just one problem with David’s plan: God says “no.”

In fact, God says that David has shed too much blood in war, so the job of building this temple was going to fall to David’s son, Solomon, instead (1 Chronicles 22:8). David’s reaction to this news is not only Godly, but I think it is also a reminder to God’s people for all time. Rather than saying, “Well, I tried!” and quitting, David decides that he is going to gather all the material for the temple so that Solomon’s job is easier.

1 Chronicles 22 states that, “David gave orders to… prepare dressed stone for building the house of God. He provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed. He also provided more cedar logs than could be counted…[David also gathered] a hundred thousand talents of gold [that is approximately 3,450 metric tons], a million talents of silver [about 34,500 metric tons], quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone” (Verses 2-4 and 14).

I love the fact that David was able to think “long term” and that he was able to be generous so that others could benefit. He gave extravagantly to build something that he would never even see. He gave his best and that helped the next generation to find and worship God. I imagine that every time Solomon went to the temple, he remembered, not only his God, but his Dad’s faithfulness, as well.

David spent the last part of his life making sure that the next generation knew and remembered the God who loved and cared for them. He left a legacy of faith that was real and visible.

That all makes me wonder: What is our legacy going to be? What are we leaving for the next generation? What will we be remembered for?

You can be “David” for someone.