Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall. Matthew 7:24–27
When David became secure in his position as king over all Israel and there was a period of general peace, he decided (as many kings do) that it was time to build some things and to leave his indelible mark on the landscape of Palestine. After he captured Jerusalem and named it his capital, the king of Tyre brought cedars from Lebanon and built David a palace (2 Samuel 5:11). After this, David brought the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem from the place it had been since the days of Eli, and he pitched a tent for it in his back yard (6:17; 7:1–2). When he announced to Nathan his intentions to build a glorious house for the ark, God sent word by the prophet, “You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth” (1 Chronicles 22:8). God told David that although it was good that he had such an honorable intention in his heart, David would not build a house for God: God would build a house for David (2 Samuel 7:11)!
If David had built a house for the ark, one could only hope he built better houses than homes. David’s sons included one who raped his half-sister (about which David did nothing) and another who killed his brother and then conspired against his father and drove him from Jerusalem before being killed by David’s cousin. Another of David’s sons usurped the throne as his father (who again did nothing about the situation) lay dying. When Solomon took control, he ended up killing his older brother because he asked for David’s concubine to be given to him. We can be sure that the house that God built for David was greater than any he could have built on his own. This house included not only a king throughout the successive generations (2 Chronicles 6:16), but ultimately the Messiah. In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord used the building of a house as a metaphor for building one’s life. What can we do to make sure the houses we build will stand?
If you want a strong house, you must start with a solid foundation. Paul says, “No other foundation can any-one lay that that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:10–11). He is “the solid foundation of God” (2 Timothy 2:19), “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He is the rock on which the church is built (Matthew 16:18), the “chief cornerstone, elect, precious” (1 Peter 2:6). Is Jesus the foundation of your life?
If you want a strong house, you must use God’s blueprint. Some of the greatest structures of all time were built with blueprints that God made Himself. The only boat that survived the great flood was the one built according to God’s pattern (Genesis 6:22). The tabernacle was also built by God’s instructions (Exodus 40:16). When David gave his son the plans for the temple, he said, “The Lord made me understand in writing, by His hand upon me, all the works of these plans” (1 Chronicles 28:19). Solomon would later observe, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it” (Psalms 127:1). If we will follow God’s blueprint for our homes, the church, our worship, our daily living, we are sure to succeed.
Jesus never offered a way to avoid life’s storms, but He does assure us that when our foundation is sure, the storms––like those that rocked the disciples’ boat on Galilee––will never be able to overcome us!