Today’s reading is 1 Chronicles 28:1-29:30, Romans 5:6-21, Psalm 15:1-5, Proverbs 19:18-19.
Today we see David in a state of utter joy. A long-held dream has come to fruition. He longed to build a house for the Lord, a temple to replace the tent. We see many places which indicate that God was perfectly content with the tent—the tabernacle. But David’s heart wanted to honor his God. He even mourned at times that God did not have a house, a permanent place of worship.
After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2 he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”
3 Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.”
4 But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:
5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’
2 Samuel 2:1-7
Though God did not really need a house, he loved the heart of David who wanted to build one for Him. And so, at this time, God had a surprise for David.
“‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you:
2 Samuel 2:11
David offers to build God a house and God instead builds the house of David. And this “house” that God offers to build is not one of cedar, or stone, or brick. The house of David would be a kingdom that would last forever. This kingdom would have its shining moment many generations later when the Son of God would come to earth through the lineage of David and the tribe of Judah. You can’t out-give God!
In today’s passage, David is joyfully giving all he had collected to finally build God a house of worship. God had told David that it would not be him who would build a physical house, but it would be his son, Solomon. But that did not stop David, nor did it disappoint him or discourage him. Instead, he sat in awe and thankfulness.
Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:
“Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?19 And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human![c]
20 “What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. 21 For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.
22 “How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.
2 Samuel 7:18-22
David understood the currency of heaven. He understood that the “house” God would give him far exceeded the privilege of being the one chosen to build the temple. He understood that he had already been bestowed an even greater honor. And so, he did what he could to help his son prepare. He went to work, though he knew he would not see the completion of the work. There is an old Greek proverb that I like to think about:
“Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”
David has gathered the seeds, prepared the soil, and though he will never see the end result, nor get to be the one who finishes the work, he joyfully hands his work over to his son who will get to fulfill his dream. Our passage today tells us that David first gave him some great fatherly advice.
8 “So now, with God as our witness, and in the sight of all Israel—the Lord’s assembly—I give you this charge. Be careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God, so that you may continue to possess this good land and leave it to your children as a permanent inheritance.
9 “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 10 So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work.”
1 Chronicles 28:8-10
And then, David gave Soloman all he would need to accomplish this task. He gave the plans he had drawn, he gave gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, onyx, precious stones, and costly goods. The passage says that David went even further and gave all of his private treasures of gold and silver to help with the construction. David poured out all of his possessions and hard work and let his son take over. I noticed one more thing in the list of all that David gave. 1 Chronicles 28:12 says this:
12 David also gave Solomon all the plans he had in mind[a] for the courtyards of the Lord’s Temple, the outside rooms, the treasuries, and the rooms for the gifts dedicated to the Lord.
David willingly handed over his best ideas. He gave his ideas and dreams and visions, knowing that he wouldn’t be the one to get credit for it, nor would he even be able to see it finished. And yet he gave it joyfully. And this joyful, generous giving inspired all the people, and they gave, too, which gave David even greater joy.
9 The people rejoiced over the offerings, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord, and King David was filled with joy.
10 Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:
“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel,[i] may you be praised forever and ever! 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.
13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! 15 We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.
16 “O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! 17 I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.
18 “O Lord, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes. 19 Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.”
20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And the entire assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and knelt before the Lord and the king.
1 Chronicles 29:9-20
Do you feel the excitement? Can you sense the joy and awe? Do you know that we can experience the same? My friends, give it all. Give it all to Jesus. Ask Him when and where, and then open your tight fists, holding onto wealth and importance and ideas and dreams. Open them as an act of worship and give back to God what He gave to you.
By the way, I am preaching to myself right now.
