Sword and Trowel: Why Blood-Stained Hands Cannot Build God's Temple

David's prohibition from building the Temple rested upon a principle far more profound than mere circumstantial inconvenience. Though his wars were justifiable, even righteous in their cause, the blood upon his hands disqualified him from constructing the sanctuary of Elohim. Maclaren observes: "Sword in one hand and trowel in the other are incongruous." This was not arbitrary divine caprice, but a spiritual truth breathed into David's spirit—that the Temple of the God of peace cannot be built except by men of peace.…