1 CHRONICLES - CHAPTER 29
Gifts to Build the Temple – 1 Chronicles 29:1-9
v1 Then King David spoke to all the people who were there. ‘God chose my son Solomon. But he is young and he does not have much experience. The work that he has to do is important. This splendid building is not for people but for the LORD God. v2 As far as I was able, I have provided for the temple of my God. I have given gold for the things that you will make out of gold. I have given silver for the things that you will make out of silver. I have given bronze for the things that you will make out of bronze. I have given iron for the things that you will make out of iron. I have given wood for the things that you will make out of wood. I have given a large quantity of all kinds of precious stones. These include the precious stones called onyx, antimony, stones of many colors, and marble.
v3 Also, I have much personal wealth in gold and silver. And I give it towards God’s temple because I am so eager for it. This is in addition to all that I have provided for the holy temple of my God. v4-5 I give 3,000 talents of gold (gold from Ophir) and I give 7,000 talents of pure silver. These are to cover the temple’s walls and for other work in gold and silver. Skilled men may use the gold and silver to make things for the temple. Now, who is ready to give himself to the service of the LORD today?’
v6 The family leaders and the leaders of the tribes of Israel gave their gifts. The officers over groups of 1,000 men and groups of 100 men gave their gifts. And the officials who were responsible for the king’s work gave their gifts. v7 They gave 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold towards the work of God’s temple. Also they gave 10,000 talents of silver and 18,000 talents of bronze. And they gave 100,000 talents of iron. v8 Anyone who had precious stones gave them to the store of valuable things for the LORD’s temple. Jehiel, from the Gershon clan, took care of these valuable things. v9 The people were happy because their leaders genuinely wanted to give these gifts. With their hearts and minds, they were glad to give to the LORD. And King David had great joy as well.
COMMENTARY
VERSES 1-5
David was worried because Solomon was young. Solomon did not have the experience that David considered necessary. But David had done all that he could to prepare for the work. Now he was appealing to the people to support Solomon. He said that God had chosen Solomon. God had given to Solomon this great task.
The temple would not be for the honour of any person. It was for the LORD God alone. And for that reason it was a most important task to build it. The ‘splendid building’ in verse 1 means a palace. A palace is the place where the king lives. This temple was to be the palace where the LORD would live. The LORD was the ruler over the king and the Israelites.
David makes a list of the sort of things that he had provided for the temple. He had given gold, silver, bronze and iron. He had given wood and all kinds of precious stones. These stones were of many colors. And the marble was of the purest white. Onyx and antimony are precious stones. Marble is a hard white rock. Builders use it because of its white color.
David had become a very wealthy man. He was eager that the LORD should have a splendid temple. So now, he gave his personal wealth to help in the task. He gave 3,000 talents of gold. Gold from Ophir was then the best and most pure gold in the world. We do not know where Ophir was. Also, he gave 7,000 talents of pure silver.
Then David appealed to all those people to do as he had done. He asked them to give themselves to the service of the LORD. This means that they would give much of their wealth to the LORD.
COMMENTARY
VERSES 6-9
All the leaders who were there answered the appeal. They all gave their gifts for the work of God’s temple. Together, they gave a vast quantity of metals and precious stones.
There were 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold and 10,000 talents of silver. There were 18,000 talents (about 600 tons) of bronze and 100,000 talents (about 3,400 tons) of iron. Jehiel received all these gifts. He and his sons had control of the stores of valuable things for the temple (26:20-22).
The leaders gave these gifts because they wanted to give. It gave them much pleasure to give to the LORD. That is how the LORD wants his people to give (2 Corinthians 9:7). The people in Israel were very pleased that their leaders were so willing to give. And David too was glad because the leaders had given with such a good attitude.
David’s Prayer – 1 Chronicles 29:10-20
v10 David praised the LORD in front of all the people who were present there. He said, ‘We praise you LORD, the God of our ancestor Israel. We praise you now and for all time. v11 Yours, LORD, is the greatness, and the power. Yours is the glory and you defeat all enemies. You are the king because everything belongs to you. You own all that is in the heavens and in the earth. LORD, yours is the kingdom. You are so powerful that you rule over everyone and everything. v12 Wealth and honour come from you; you are the ruler of all things. You act with strength and power. You chose whom to make great and you give strength to all people. v13 Now, our God, we thank you and we praise your wonderful name.
v14 These gifts did not really come from my people and me. All things come from you. We give to you only what you have given to us. v15 We are to you like foreigners and strangers here on the earth as were our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow and there is no hope. v16 LORD our God, we have gathered all this material to build your temple for your holy name. But it all came from you and it all belongs to you.
v17 I know, my God, that you test people’s hearts. It pleases you when people do the right things. I was happy to give to you all these things. I gave them to you with an honest heart. Your people who are here gave gifts to you with joy in their hearts. And I was glad when I saw it. v18 LORD, you are the God of our ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Keep this desire in the hearts of your people for all time. Keep their hearts loyal to you. v19 Give to my son Solomon the desire in his heart always to obey you. Help him to obey your commands, laws and rules. And cause him to build the temple for which I have prepared.’ v20 Then David said to all the people, ‘Praise the LORD your God.’ So, they all praised the LORD, the God of their ancestors. And they fell with their faces to the ground in front of both the LORD and the king.
COMMENTARY
VERSES 10-13
This prayer of David is one of the most beautiful of all the prayers in the Bible. It turns attention away from David, Solomon and the temple. It is a prayer of thanks. And David praises God alone.
The LORD was the God of Jacob, who was also called Israel. He was the ancestor of the people in the country called Israel.
The LORD deserves all honor for all time. We should always praise him. The LORD is greater than all persons and things. He is perfect in every way. Nobody can stand against him. He is the king of kings because he owns everything in heaven and on the earth. David was a great king but the kingdom belonged to the LORD. At the end of the prayer that we call the Lord’s Prayer, we say: ‘For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours for all time.’
All that we have came from God. He rules over all the affairs of our world. He is wonderful. He deserves our thanks. We praise God for who He is.
COMMENTARY
VERSES 14-19
David and the people had given all these valuable things to the LORD. But they gave only what they had received from the LORD. All that we have has come to us from God. All that we own is really his property.
All things belong to God. We are as strangers who enjoy his benefits on earth for a short time. We cannot have a permanent place here. Our lives here are like shadows. They appear for a short time and then they go away.
God knows us. He knows what is in our hearts and minds. He knows our thoughts and actions. He knows why we do things. The reason David gave so much was to give honor to his God. He and the people did not give because it was their duty to give. They wanted to do it. They were happy to give to the LORD. This attitude of heart pleases the LORD.
David prays that the people will always have this same attitude toward the LORD. He prays that they will be loyal to the LORD. David ends his prayer as he prays for Solomon. He asks that Solomon will love the LORD with all his heart. He asks that Solomon will obey all the laws of God. And he asks that Solomon will build the temple.
VERSE 20
David told the people to praise the LORD. And they did praise the God of their ancestors. They fell with their faces to the ground in worship to God. They did this in front of David, the king whom God had chosen.
Solomon Becomes King and the Death of David – 1 Chronicles 29:21-30
v21 The next day, the people gave sacrifices and burnt sacrifices to the LORD. These sacrifices were 1,000 bulls, 1,000 male sheep and 1,000 young sheep with their gifts of drinks. And there were many more sacrifices for the Israelites. v22 That day the people ate and drank with much joy. And the LORD was with them.
They made David’s son Solomon king for the second time. They poured oil on his head as the LORD’s ruler, and on Zadok’s head to be priest. v23 Then Solomon sat on the LORD’s throne as king and he took his father David’s place. Solomon was successful, and all the Israelites obeyed him. v24 All the leaders, the chief soldiers and all of King David’s sons promised to obey King Solomon.
v25 The LORD made Solomon very powerful, as all Israel could see. He gave to him royal honor like no king of Israel before him ever had. v26 David, the son of Jesse, had ruled as king over all Israel. v27 He had ruled over Israel for 40 years. He ruled 7 years in Hebron and 33 years in Jerusalem. v28 David was old when he died. He had lived a good and long life. He had received much wealth and honor. His son Solomon became king after him.
v29 The prophets Samuel, Gad and Nathan recorded all the deeds that King David had done. They recorded all that he did from the beginning to the end. v30 The records tell how he ruled. They show how powerful he was. They include all the things that happened to him, to Israel, and to all the other kingdoms.
COMMENTARY
VERSES 21-22a
On the next day, the people made many sacrifices on the altar. David had built the altar at the place that he bought from Araunah (21:18). They would later build the temple at that place. These sacrifices were for peace and to give thanks to the LORD. The priests burned certain parts of the animals on the altar. Then the priests would have some of the meat. Their part was the breast and the upper right leg of the animal (Leviticus 7:28-36). The people could eat the rest of the meat as the guests of the LORD. There were many thousands of sacrifices on that day. So the people had plenty of meat and drink to enjoy.
VERSES 22b-25
Solomon was made king for the first time. One of David’s sons, Adonijah, had tried to make himself king of Israel. As soon as David found out, he called for Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet. He sent them to Gihon with his son Solomon. There they poured oil on Solomon’s head and they made him the king. And they declared to all the people that Solomon was the king of Israel. Then the people shouted, ‘We pray that King Solomon will have a long life!’ That was the first time that they made Solomon king (1 Kings chapter 1).
Solomon was made king for the second time. They again made Solomon the king of Israel. They knew that he was the LORD’s choice. So, they poured oil on him as their king. Also, they poured oil on Zadok to make him the chief priest. Zadok and Abiathar had been the chief priests. But now Zadok alone was the chief priest.
The LORD was the real ruler of Israel. Therefore, Solomon sat on the LORD’s throne. He was the king of Israel but he was under the authority of the LORD. The LORD made Solomon a successful and powerful king. The country had peace during the time that he ruled. God made him wise and he became wealthy. He was famous among the nations. And he received much honor from them. He received more honor than the kings of Israel who ruled before him. When Solomon became king, all the leaders promised to obey him. This included the army and all the sons of David.
VERSES 26-30
David had a long life, wealth, and honor. He also had a son who ruled after him. In all, David ruled for 40 years. He ruled over Judah (southern Israel) in Hebron for 7 years. Then, he ruled over all Israel in Jerusalem for 33 years.
The chief prophets during the life of David were Samuel, Gad and Nathan. Each of these recorded what they knew of David’s life. Between them, they recorded all that he had done. We do not now have the books of Gad and Nathan. But we do have a record of David’s life in the Books of 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles.
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