As King Solomon was embarking on the work to build the temple of the Lord, he said in 2 Chronicles 2:5-6:
5 And the temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. 6 But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?
On the surface, this seems to be a noble thought: God is so impossibly great, who could possibly build a temple great enough to contain Him?
We may think, “Wow, Solomon! What a humble statement!”
But when we take into consideration the broader context of this statement, there is a glaring problem that reflects the huge difference between Solomon and King David, his father.
The Fundamental Difference: Relationship vs. Transaction
The fundamental difference between David and Solomon was that David had a real love relationship with God and Solomon did not. David knew God intimately in personal fellowship. Solomon did not. But David was different. David loved the Lord. David delighted in the Lord.
The temple (and the tabernacle before it) was designed to be a place of meeting with God. It was about a love relationship with God, not mere outward religious service like sacrifices. It certainly was never meant to be a place to contain God. Notice what Solomon says in 2 Chronicles 2:6:
Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?
Solomon’s focus was on sacrifice – on what he could do for God. His relationship with God was fundamentally transactional – based on performance rather than intimate fellowship.
David’s Heart: The One Thing
David’s heart was captured by something infinitely greater than sacrifice – the beauty and presence of God Himself. This is what I’ve referred to as “the one thing”:
“One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4, NKJV)
David didn’t just want to sacrifice to God; David wanted to dwell with God, to behold His beauty, to inquire of Him in relationship. This “one thing” principle is seen throughout Scripture:
- Mary chose “that good part” by sitting at Jesus’ feet, while Martha was “worried and troubled about many things” (Luke 10:41-42, NKJV)
- Paul declared his single passion: “that I may know Him” (Philippians 3:10, NKJV)
The key is knowing God – knowing God in real love relationship. That’s the essential difference between David and Solomon: David sincerely knew the Lord and hungered for Him. We see this demonstrated throughout the Scriptures. We don’t see that kind of spiritual hunger or intimate relationship with Solomon.
God’s Heart Toward Mere Sacrifice
The Scriptures reveal that God does not delight in mere sacrifice when it lacks the heart of true relationship and obedience. When King Saul presumptuously offered sacrifices that were not his to offer, the prophet Samuel confronted him with these penetrating words:
“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22).
God wanted more than mere outward performance – He wanted obedience born out of a real relationship with God. This incident reveals that religious activity – even sacrifice to God – becomes meaningless when it flows from self-will rather than humble submission to God’s heart and ways. Saul’s presumptuous sacrifice parallels Solomon’s transactional approach to God.
This is why Jesus spoke about people who would approach Him at the judgment saying: “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:22-23). Notice Jesus doesn’t dispute their religious activities – He declares the fundamental issue: “I never knew you.” The absence of genuine relationship makes all religious performance worthless.
The End Result
David, despite his failures including the sin with Bathsheba, turned back to the Lord, repented, and struggled through the consequences of his sin. Ultimately, David ended his life in honor, and God loved David. God appreciated David.
Solomon, for all his wisdom and wealth, lacked this fundamental relationship with the living God. While it’s true that when Solomon asked for a discerning heart, God blessed him way beyond what he requested – giving him not just a discerning heart but wisdom, riches, and honor, yet there is no real indication that Solomon had the kind of intimate relationship with God that marked David’s life.
And finally it came down to this in Solomon’s life:
4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. 8 And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. (1 Kings 11:4-8)
The Revealing Truth
Show me a person who’s caught up in sin and in the pleasures of this world, like Solomon, and you will find someone who really is not enjoying the Lord, not experiencing the delights and the satisfaction of the Lord in that deep personal relationship.
The tragedy is not in Solomon’s eventual turning to demon “gods,” but in his never having truly known the one true God in the first place. While David’s heart was set on dwelling in God’s presence and beholding His beauty, Solomon’s highest aspiration was to burn sacrifices before Him.
This reveals the difference between authentic Christianity and mere religion – between knowing about God versus actually knowing God personally in transforming relationship.