David Plan for Di Temple

One old king push imself up from im seat and stand for im feet. For im hand na plans: drawings of rooms, lists of gold and silver. Plans for one building wey e don dey dream about for years. And e dey about to give dem away.

King David don near di end of im life. E don fight plenty battles and unite di tribes of Israel. E don bring di ark of di covenant come Jerusalem. But di ark still dey inside tent. For years, David don dey wish to build proper house for God, one temple. Now e call everybody wey matter for di kingdom. Di leaders of di tribes. Di commanders of di army. Di officials wey dey take care of di king land and animals. Im sons. Im strongest warriors. Dem all gather for Jerusalem. And di old king stand up to talk.

Listen to me, my brothers and my people, David talk. E dey my heart to build house of rest for di ark of di covenant of Di Lord, footstool for our God. I don prepare everything. But God tell me: you no go build house for my name, because you don be man of war and you don shed blood. Think how e go hard am to talk dat one for everybody front. Im big dream, and God talk no. But David no sulk. E continue. Di Lord choose me to be king, e talk, out of all my papa family. And out of all my sons, e don choose Solomon to sit for di throne. God tell me: Solomon your son na im go build my house and my courts.

Then David turn to im son. And you, Solomon my son, e talk. Know di God of your papa, and serve am with full heart and willing mind. Because Di Lord dey search every heart, and e understand every thought. If you seek am, you go find am. But if you abandon am, e go reject you forever. So take care. Di Lord don choose you to build house for di sanctuary. Be strong, and do am. Dese no be words of king wey dey give order to servant. Na papa words to im son, wey e talk for di whole nation front. Know God for yourself. No be only as your papa God. Your own.

And then David hand over di plans. Di plans for di porch and di buildings, di store rooms, di upstairs rooms and di inner rooms, and di room for di mercy seat. Di plans for di courts and di rooms wey surround dem. Di groups of di priests and Levites, and dia work. Di exact weight of gold for every gold lampstand, and silver for every silver one. Gold for di tables, di forks, di bowls and di cups. Pure gold for di altar of incense, and for di gold cherubim wey dia wings go spread over di ark. All dis one, David talk, Di Lord make me understand am for writing, by im hand wey dey on top me. Then e talk am again. Be strong and get courage, and do am. No fear and no let your heart fall, because Di Lord God, my God, dey with you. E no go fail you or leave you until all di work finish. And see, di priests and di Levites dey ready, and every worker wey get skill and wey dey willing. Di whole people dey under your command.

Di temple wey Solomon later build no too big if we compare am with buildings of today. Di book of Kings give di main building as sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high. Cubit na measure wey dem base on di forearm, from elbow reach fingertip, like forty-five centimetres. Dat one mean say di main house be like twenty-seven metres long, nine wide and thirteen high. Im glory no be im size, but di God wey dem build am for.

David plan for di temple. You go find dis story for First Chronicles, chapter twenty-eight. One old king accept God no, prepare everything for another person, and bless im son make e finish di work. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Which good work you fit prepare or encourage, even if na another person go finish am?