B: 4thSun of Adv (20 Dec 2020) - HOUSE NOT MADE OF STONE (2 Sm 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16)

“Here I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent!” (2 Sm 7:2).

Our first reading today presents King David as decided in building a fixed house for the Lord. By far, Yahweh has been an itinerant God, accompanying his people Israel from their slavery in Egypt unto their glory as a nation in the Davidic reign. David was conscientious and magnanimous enough in offering God a temple to be his permanent abode. His proposal was in imitation of other cultures that had a dedicated sanctuary to their chosen city-deities in order to protect their territory from foreign attacks.

Even if having a city-temple was the norm at that time, Yawheh was not very high on the idea. I see three reasons on why God seemed to resist David’s suggestion based on his ensuing remarks to the prophet Nathan. Firstly, God wanted David as well as the Israelites to be reminded of their humble beginnings. God pointed out: “It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my people Israel” (v. 8). Having the luxury and comfort of a beautiful edifice may blind anyone on what is truly essential in life as what tragically happened to King Solomon and his successors later.

Secondly, having a palatial centre with walled gates and strong army may give a false impression to the people of Israel that they could easily be victorious against any invading enemy. God recalled that even in the absence of such a formidable fortress, God had been always there to protect and fight for them by sending judges to be their military champions time and time again. In this regard, God prophesied hereby: “I will give you rest from all your enemies” (v. 11).

Thirdly, by having a castle with an adjacent sanctuary, the Israelites may begin to believe that Yahweh would only dwell in Mt. Zion and nowhere else. On the contrary, God assured his people that he was and would always be present among them even in the absence of a physical temple. God’s abode instead lies in the assembly of the people and its successive generations. Succinctly, the statement “your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me” refers to God’s indwelling among the Israelites and not in a single locale in Judea.

In our situation of universal pandemic, when we are deprived of direct access to edifices of worship, may we not lose heart, thinking that God left us for good. Rather, as what our Christmas season lovingly tells us is that God is always with us anywhere even in the confines of our homes and lonesome seclusions. In fact, he “became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (Jn 1:14).

May we continue to have this beautiful mystery of faith in our minds as we approach the day of the Nativity of our Lord.

- Rex Fortes, CM